Reading Dream of the Red Chamber

<p> A masterpiece of world literature <I>Honglou Meng</I> (Dream of the Red Chamber) by Cao Xueqin (1715-1763) is widely considered China's greatest novel and serves as a compendium of traditional Chinese life and culture during the Qing Dynasty. This guide offers a comprehensive introduction and overview to <I>Honglou Meng</I> providing more than 200 alphabetical entries describing characters key events and a wide range of topics with discussion of important themes and narrative techniques. A brief biography of Cao is included along with a history of Chinese and English critical receptions an extensive bibliography and recommended reading.</p>