Cliffs-Notes-on-Dream-of-the-Red-Chamber;英语版红楼梦学习笔记.doc
CliffsNotesonDreamoftheRedChamber.19911
DREAMOFTHE
REDCHAMBER
(ADreamofRedMansions)
Notes
including
??LifeandBackgroundoftheAuthors
??IntroductiontotheNovel
??ABriefSynopsis
??ListofCharacters
??CriticalCommentaries
??CriticalEssays
??EssayTopicsandReviewQuestions
??SelectedBibliography
by
ZhangXiugui
ProfessorofEnglish
BeijingSecondForeignLanguageInstitute
PeoplesRepublicofChina
LINCOLN
1-800-228-4078
ISBN0-8220-7060-x
.Copyright1991
by
CliffsNotes,Inc.
AllRightsReserved
CliffsNotesonDreamoftheRedChamber.19912
LIFEANDBACKGROUNDOFTHEAUTHORS
IntheentirehistoryofChineseliterature,TsaoHsueh-chin(alsocalledTsaoShan)isrecognizedasbeing
thecountrysgreatestrealisticnovelist.Hewasbornin1715toaHanfamily,someofwhomservedinthe
Manchuarmy.HisgrandfatherTsaoYin(1658-1712)wasoneofthemosteminentandwealthymenof
histimeandwasinchargeoftheNankingSilkBureauduringthereignofKangHsi.TheEmperorstayed
fivetimesinTsaosresidenceduringhisinspectiontoursintheYang-tze
presentduringthelastfourvisits.Inaddition,twoofTsaoYinsdaughterswerechosenastheemperors
concubines.Clearly,theTsaofamilywasquiteinfluentialatthetime;theirrelationshipwithEmperor
KangHsiwasveryclose.
Likehisgrandson,TsaoHsueh-chin,TsaoYinwasfondofliteratureandwonanameforhimselfasa
scholar;morethantenofhistextswereprinted,andheleftbehindsomeadditionalwritings,including
fivevolumesofpoemsandsomeplays,beforehispostattheSilkBureauwaspassedtoTsaoHsuehchins
father.
TsaoHsueh-chinwasborninNankingattheendofKangHsisreign,andnotmuchisknownabouthis
childhooduntilhewasthirteenyearsold.Atthattime,hisfatherwasdismissedfromhispost,andTsao
Hsueh-chinaccompaniedhimtoPeking.TheTsaofamilyshomeandpropertiesweresearchedandits
landswereconfiscatedbecauseofwrongdoin