Project Gutenberg 2006-01-01 Public domain in the USA. 286 Cao, Xueqin 1715 1763 曹雪芹 Joly, H. Bencraft 1857 1898 Joly, Henry Bencraft Hong lou meng. English Hung Lou Meng, or, the Dream of the Red Chamber, a Chinese Novel, Book II Reading ease score: 78.7 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. Produced by Juliet Sutherland and Project Gutenberg Distributed Proofreaders "Hung Lou Meng, or, the Dream of the Red Chamber, a Chinese Novel, Book II" by Cao Xueqin is a classic Chinese novel written in the 18th century, often considered one of the greatest works of Chinese literature. The narrative revolves around the lives, loves, and struggles of the Jia family, particularly focusing on the character Pao-yü and his complicated relationships, especially with the beautiful Lin Tai-yü and the enchanting waiting-maid Hsiao Hung. The themes of love, destiny, and the ephemeral nature of life and beauty are deeply explored throughout. At the start of Book II, the story delves back into the lives of the main characters following a series of events that have left Pao-yü and lady Feng in a state of distress. The opening chapters introduce various characters, including Hsiao Hung, who is preoccupied with her feelings for Pao-yü and the dynamics within the household as they prepare for a celebration. Pao-yü's interactions reveal his deep emotional struggles, particularly his jealousy and reluctance when it comes to the affections of the women in his life. As tensions rise, especially involving family relationships and societal expectations, the intricacies of each character’s emotional landscape become evident, setting the stage for the unfolding drama and interaction that characterize the rich tapestry of this epic. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en Autobiographical fiction Domestic fiction China -- History -- Qing dynasty, 1644-1912 -- Fiction Cao, Xueqin, approximately 1717-1763 -- Fiction Jia, Baoyu (Fictitious character) -- Fiction PL Text Browsing: Culture/Civilization/Society Browsing: History - General Browsing: Literature Browsing: Fiction 1547996 1547997 2024-10-04T11:20:35.361903 2023-10-05T03:31:22.619022 text/html text/html 1555482 2020-09-27T17:57:16 text/html; charset=utf-8 565247 2020-09-27T18:01:25 text/html; charset=utf-8 application/zip 666794 2024-10-04T11:20:53.663293 application/epub+zip 693830 2024-10-04T11:20:39.923389 application/epub+zip 662848 2024-10-04T11:20:38.169363 application/epub+zip 1242431 2024-10-04T11:21:04.619263 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1199918 2024-10-04T11:20:52.399316 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1159055 2022-09-05T04:45:41.803298 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1492301 1492242 2024-10-04T11:20:31.320898 2023-10-05T03:31:19.025018 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 1492321 2020-09-27T18:20:01 text/plain; charset=utf-8 559112 2020-09-27T18:20:01 text/plain; charset=utf-8 application/zip 21660 2024-10-04T11:21:04.776231 application/rdf+xml 23414 2024-10-04T11:20:38.787389 image/jpeg 4399 2024-10-04T11:20:38.476361 image/jpeg 657349 2024-10-04T11:20:35.492902 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia