Approaches to Teaching the Story of the Stone (Dream of the Red Chamber)

The Story of the Stone (or Dream of the Red Chamber), a Chinese novel by Cao Xueqin and continued by Gao E, tells of an amazing garden, of a young man�s choice between two beautiful women, of his journey toward enlightenment, and of the moral and financial decline of a powerful family. Published in 1792, it depicts virtually every facet of life in eighteenth-century China�and has influenced culture in China ever since.

Part 1 of this volume, �Materials,� provides information and resources that will help teachers and students begin and pursue their study of Stone. The essays that constitute part 2, �Approaches,� introduce major topics to be covered in the classroom: Chinese religion, medicine, history, traditions of poetry, material culture, sexual mores, servants; Stone in film and on television; and the formidable challenges of translation into English that were faced by David Hawkes and then by John Minford.