The Red Chamber Sparknotes

One of the greatest perfections of literature, Tsao Hsueh Chin’s Dream of The Red Chamber is a compelling read that arouses the reader to want more despite its complexity and length. The Novel vividly portrays forgotten customs as well as enduring intrigues of a wealthy but declining aristocratic family in the Qing dynasty during the middle of the 18th century. The reader gains an insight on specific aspects about the Chinese family values, social hierarchy; inter family relationships, and customs. This enlightened novel is filled with drama and entanglement, rages from comical to tragic and presents both romance and death. Dream of the Red Chamber provides the reader with an amazing perspicacity of Chinese society under the Confucian order. Though often perceived as a love story Tsao Hsueh Chin instead creatively designs his novel to show the decline of an aristocrat family (Chia’s) in the Qing Dynasty, through manipulation, fear and destructive characters who are easily corrupted by power and wealth. The novel presents us with jealous wives, intimidated husbands, emasculated scholars;
The Chinese scriptures were written though their poetry club that Pay-Ou (China Cheng’s Son), Black Jade (Madame Wang’s granddaughter), Quest Springs, Previous Virtue, decided to create. This club was used as a way to great across their great literature as well to entertain the family. Awards would be given out for best scriptures and they would throw an elaborate feast and party. Clothing was a particular subject for the Chia family as well as the women needed to have fresh new dresses and would wear extraordinary elaborate jewellery 4. The man, particularly Pay-Ou had to have his clothes and shoes made a certain way and only wanted certain people to complete his outfits for him