{"product_id":"a-companion-to-the-story-of-the-stone-a-chapterbychapter-guide-9780231199452","title":"A Companion to The Story of the Stone  A","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Story of the Stone\u003c\/i\u003e is widely held to be the greatest work of Chinese literature. This book is a straightforward guide to a complex classic. Each chapter of the companion summarizes and comments on each chapter of the novel, providing English-speaking readers with the cultural context to enjoy the story and understand its world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReaders of Cao's novel will find the commentary invaluable because it allows them to join in the epic sweep of the Jia family as it navigates Chinese society in the 18th century. Highly recommended. -- C. M. Smith * Choice Reviews *\u003cbr\u003eBrave readers embarking on \u003ci\u003eThe Story of the Stone\u003c\/i\u003e—China’s grandest, most complex, and most inspiring work of literature—will be greatly assisted by this welcome guide, both for its admirably succinct summary of the novel’s plot and for its thought-provoking commentary, by lifelong \u003ci\u003eStone\u003c\/i\u003e aficionados Susan Chan Egan and Kenneth Pai Hsien-yung. -- John Minford, translator of \u003ci\u003eThe Story of the Stone, or The Dream of the Red Chamber\u003c\/i\u003e, volumes 4 and 5\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Companion to The Story of the Stone\u003c\/i\u003e ushers us into a world in which mythical fantasies engender realist indulgences and passionate romances induce philosophical awakenings. Historian Susan Egan Chan and writer Pai Hsien-yung have formed a dream team in producing a most succinct guidebook for anyone interested in a journey into classic China at its most mesmerizing. -- David Der-wei Wang, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Lyrical in Epic Time: Modern Chinese Intellectuals and Artists Through the 1949 Crisis\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eApproachable and authoritative, Egan and Pai’s \u003ci\u003eCompanion\u003c\/i\u003e will be welcomed by novices and connoisseurs alike. Far more than just a guide to plot and characters, the book offers a wealth of information on eighteenth-century Chinese society—everything from politics, history, and religion to medicine, sexuality, and theater—that greatly enriches any encounter with \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eStory of the Stone\u003c\/i\u003e. -- Mark Elliott, author of \u003ci\u003eEmperor Qianlong: Son of Heaven, Man of the World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith chapter-by-chapter summaries and commentary, this book offers a useful and most needed English guide to \u003ci\u003eThe Story of the Stone\u003c\/i\u003e, a mid-eighteenth century masterpiece that arguably remains the greatest novel ever produced in China. -- Wei Shang, author of \u003ci\u003eRulin Waishi and Cultural Transformation in Late Imperial China\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Companion to The Story of the Stone\u003c\/i\u003e is a field guide to support every reader, not just the uninitiated, through this long and fearsomely complex book. This guide is as necessary as Blamires’s \u003ci\u003eThe Bloomsday Book\u003c\/i\u003e or Puette’s \u003ci\u003eGuide to the Tale of Genji\u003c\/i\u003e to bring China’s greatest novel into the mainstream of world literature. -- Dore J. Levy, author of \u003ci\u003eIdeal and Actual in \"The Story of the Stone\"\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e[A] Companion to the Story of the Stone\u003c\/i\u003e, with its infectious enthusiasm for the story and its characters, is a welcome corrective for those of us who sometimes lose the forest for the trees. It is written for readers with no prior knowledge of Chinese culture or language, but even literary scholars and seasoned readers of \u003ci\u003eStone\u003c\/i\u003e will find in it all kinds of interesting insights. -- Andrew Schonebaum * Journal of the American Oriental Society *\u003cbr\u003eThe explanations of the material and social culture of premodern China and the slow and gentle pace with which Egan and Pai introduce literary and philosophical themes make \u003ci\u003eCompanion\u003c\/i\u003e ideal for general readers who want to take on the project of reading \u003ci\u003eThe Story of the Stone\u003c\/i\u003e in its entirety. * Nan Nu *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction\u003cbr\u003eKey to Recurring Characters\u003cbr\u003e1. The Origin of the Stone and the Vicissitudes of Life\u003cbr\u003e2. The Jia Family’s Fortune Coldly Appraised by an Antique Dealer\u003cbr\u003e3. Dai-yu’s Arrival at the Jia Household\u003cbr\u003e4. A Manslaughter Cover-Up and the Xue Family’s Arrival\u003cbr\u003e5. The Girls’ Destinies Revealed to a Bewildered Bao-yu\u003cbr\u003e6. Bao-yu’s First Sexual Experience; Grannie Liu’s First Visit to the Jias\u003cbr\u003e7. The Perspectives of Two Old Servants; Bao-yu Is Smitten by a Bashful Boy\u003cbr\u003e8. Bao-yu and Bao-chai Locked in Fate\u003cbr\u003e9. A Schoolhouse Brawl\u003cbr\u003e10. Qin-shi’s Illness Heads Off an Accusation Against Her Brother\u003cbr\u003e11. Xi-feng Visits Qin-shi; Jia Rui Flirts with Xi-feng\u003cbr\u003e12. Xi-feng Sets a Trap for the Amorous Jia Rui; Dai-yu Travels South to See Her Ailing Father\u003cbr\u003e13. Qin-shi’s Warning and Her Lavish Funeral\u003cbr\u003e14. Xi-feng Imposes Order on the Ning Household; the Funeral Procession Is Greeted by a Prince\u003cbr\u003e15. Qin Zhong Fools Around with a Nun and with Bao-yu; Xi-feng Takes a Bribe\u003cbr\u003e16. Yuan-chun’s Promotion at Court; Dai-yu’s Return and Qin Zhong’s Death\u003cbr\u003e17. Bao-yu’s Poetic Skills Are Tested by His Father; the Household Prepares for the Visitation\u003cbr\u003e18. The Imperial Concubine’s Visit to Prospect Garden\u003cbr\u003e19. Bao-yu’s Grand Bargain with Aroma and His Growing Intimacy with Dai-yu\u003cbr\u003e20. Bao-yu Tries Unsuccessfullyto Please Everyone; Shi Xiang-yun’s Arrival Leads to a Declaration\u003cbr\u003e21. Aroma Finds an Ally in Bao-chai; Patience Seizes Evidence of Jia Lian’s Misconduct\u003cbr\u003e22. An Opera Piques Bao-yu’s Interest in Monkhood; Gloomy Riddles Distress His Father\u003cbr\u003e23. Bao-yu Moves with the Girls Into Prospect Garden; the Lovers Bury Fallen Flowers\u003cbr\u003e24. Two Ambitious Social Climbers: Jia Yun and Crimson\u003cbr\u003e25. Jia Huan and Aunt Zhao Exact Their Revenge; the Monk and the Taoist Come to the Rescue\u003cbr\u003e26. Crimson Sends Jia Yun a Message; Skybright Carelessly Shuts Out Dai-yu\u003cbr\u003e27. Tan-chun Repudiates Her Mother; Dai-yu Ponders Her Fate Seen in Fallen Flowers\u003cbr\u003e28. Bao-yu Gives Aroma’s Sash to Jiang Yu-han; Yuan-chun, in Her Gifts, Favors Bao-chai Over Dai-yu\u003cbr\u003e29. Grandmother Jia Shows Her Compassionate Side; a Matchmaking Abbot Provokes a Lovers’ Rift\u003cbr\u003e30. Bao-yu Is Chastened by Bao-chai for Being Rude; He Causes Golden to Be Dismissed\u003cbr\u003e31. Bao-yu Lets Skybright Rip Up Two Fans for Fun; Shi Xiang-yun Finds the Kylin Meant for Her\u003cbr\u003e32. Criticism of Dai-yu Prompts Bao-yu to Avow His Love; Golden Commits Suicide\u003cbr\u003e33. Bao-yu Is Savagely Beaten by His Father Due to Jiang Yu-han’s Disappearance\u003cbr\u003e34. Aroma Confides Her Worries to Lady Wang; Bao-yu Sends Dai-yu Two Used Handkerchiefs\u003cbr\u003e35. Grandmother Jia Indicates Her Preference for Bao-chai; Bao-yu Makes Golden’s Sister Laugh\u003cbr\u003e36. Aroma Receives an Informal Promotion; Bao-chai Hears Bao-yu Reveal He Prefers Dai-yu\u003cbr\u003e37. The Founding of the Crab-Flower Club\u003cbr\u003e38. A Crab-Eating Feast Is Hosted by Shi Xiang-yun\u003cbr\u003e39. Li Wan Laments Her Lack of an Able Assistant; Grannie Liu Is Enlisted for Entertainment\u003cbr\u003e40. Grannie Liu Is Given a Tour of Prospect Garden and Made the Butt of Practical Jokes\u003cbr\u003e41. The Finicky Adamantina Serves Tea; Grannie Liu Passes Out on Bao-yu’s Bed\u003cbr\u003e42. Grannie Liu Names Xi-feng’s Daughter Before Departing; Bao-chai Befriends Dai-yu\u003cbr\u003e43. Xi-feng Squeezes Aunt Zhou and Aunt Zhao for Her Party; Bao-yu Makes an Offering to Golden\u003cbr\u003e44. Xi-feng Catches Jia Lian with a Servant’s Wife; Patience Is Struck and a Woman Hangs Herself\u003cbr\u003e45. The Steward’s Son Is Made a Magistrate; Bao-chai Supplies Dai-yu with Edible Bird’s Nest\u003cbr\u003e46. Jia She Tries to Take Faithful as His Concubine\u003cbr\u003e47. Grandmother Jia Gives Lady Xing a Scolding; Xue Pan Is Thrashed by Liu Xiang-lian\u003cbr\u003e48. Jia Lian Is Beaten by His Father for Criticizing Him; Caltrop Becomes Obsessed with Poetry\u003cbr\u003e49. The Arrival of Xue Bao-qin, Xue Ke, Xing Xiu-yan, and the Li Sisters\u003cbr\u003e50. Grandmother Jia Invites Herself to a Merry Gathering in a Garden Blanketed by Snow\u003cbr\u003e51. Aroma Makes a Trip Home in Style; Skybright Catches a Cold\u003cbr\u003e52. Xue Bao-qin Recites a Poem by a Blonde Girl; an Ailing Skybright Mends a Cloak for Bao-yu\u003cbr\u003e53. Solemn Ancestral Rites Are Performed on New Year’s Eve; the Festivities Last Half a Month\u003cbr\u003e54. Grandmother Jia Holds Forth at Her Banquet\u003cbr\u003e55. Tan-chun Takes Charge of the Household; Xi-feng Shares Her Views of the Cousins with Patience\u003cbr\u003e56. The Girls Put the Garden to Work; Jia Bao-yu Learns That He Has a Double in Zhen Bao-yu\u003cbr\u003e57. Nightingale Forces Bao-yu to Declare His Love for Dai-yu; Xing Xiu-yan Is Betrothed to Xue Ke\u003cbr\u003e58. A Dowager Consort’s Death Disrupts the Jia Household; the Child Actresses Stay On as Maidservants\u003cbr\u003e59. Conflicts Break Out Between the Ex-Actresses and Their Foster Mothers\u003cbr\u003e60. The Ex-Actresses Gang Up to Assault Aunt Zhao; Parfumée Tries to Help Fivey Join Bao-yu’s Staff\u003cbr\u003e61. Fivey Is Accused of Theft; Chess Tries to Replace Cook Liu with Her Own Aunt\u003cbr\u003e62. A Garden Party Is Held to Celebrate Bao-yu, Xue Bao-qin, Xing Xiu-yan, and Patience’s Birthdays\u003cbr\u003e63. The Party Continues Into the Night; Jia Rong, in Mourning, Flirts with the You Sisters\u003cbr\u003e64. Dai-yu Writes About Beauties in History; Jia Lian Is Urged to Take Er-jie as His Second Wife\u003cbr\u003e65. Jia Lian Secretly Installs You Er-jie in a Second Household; You San-jie Enthralls Cousin Zhen\u003cbr\u003e66. You San-jie Kills Herself with a Sword; Liu Xiang-lian Goes Off with a Crippled Taoist\u003cbr\u003e67. Bao-chai Gives Away the Presents from Her Brother; Xi-feng Discovers Jia Lian’s Second Marriage\u003cbr\u003e68. Xi-feng Lures You Er-jie into the Rong Compound and Humiliates Jia Rong with a Bogus Lawsuit\u003cbr\u003e69. Xi-feng, Feigning Kindness, Drives Er-jie to Her Death\u003cbr\u003e70. The Cousins Release Their Kites; Bao-yu, Though Deeply Troubled, Catches Up on His Studies\u003cbr\u003e71. Jia Zheng Comes Home for Grandmother Jia’s Birthday; Faithful Catches Chess in Flagrante\u003cbr\u003e72. Jia Lian Is Driven to Pawning Grandmother Jia’s Valuables; Sunset Is Promised to a Wastrel \u003cbr\u003e73. A Maidservant Shows Lady Xing a Piece of Erotica; Ying-chun Refuses to Discipline Her Staff\u003cbr\u003e74. Lady Wang Turns Against Skybright; a Raid Is Conducted on Prospect Garden\u003cbr\u003e75. The Zhen Clan of Nanking Is Disgraced; the Jia Men Take to Gambling\u003cbr\u003e76. Grandmother Jia Resists Ending the Mid Autumn Party; Shi Xiang-yun Commiserates with Dai-yu \u003cbr\u003e77. Chess and the Ex-Actresses Are Expelled; Bao-yu and Skybright Bid Their Final Farewell\u003cbr\u003e78. Lady Wang Lies About Skybright; Bao-yu Writes an Elegy to the Hibiscus Spirit\u003cbr\u003e79. Jia She Arranges a Hasty Marriage for Ying-chun; Xue Pan Weds a Conceited Girl\u003cbr\u003e80. Xia Jin-gui Turns the Xue Family Upside Down; Ying-chun’s Husband Treats Her Like a Slave\u003cbr\u003e81. Bao-yu Learns the Limits of the Matriarch’s Power; He Is Sent Back to the Clan School\u003cbr\u003e82. Aroma Probes Dai-yu on Concubines; Dai-yu Coughs Up Blood on waking from a Nightmare\u003cbr\u003e83. The Matriarch Is Told of Dai-yu’s Condition; Yuan-chun’s Illness Alarms the Jia Elders\u003cbr\u003e84. Jia Zheng Considers a Bride for Bao-yu; tthe Matriarch Is Pleased When Bao-chai Is Suggested\u003cbr\u003e85. Bao-yu Is Kept in the Dark About His Betrothal; Jia Zheng Receives a Promotion\u003cbr\u003e86. Xue Pan’s Murder Charge Is Reduced; Dai-yu Teaches Bao-yu About Music\u003cbr\u003e87. Dai-yu Plays a Tune That Snaps Her Qin String; Adamantina Has a Horrific Dream Vision\u003cbr\u003e88. Li Wan Is Consoled by Jia Lan’s Achievement; Zhou Rui Is Kicked and Jia Yun Is Humiliated\u003cbr\u003e89. The Snapped String Unnerves Bao-yu; Hearing He Is Betrothed, Dai-yu Stops Eating\u003cbr\u003e90. Hearing the Bride Is to Be a Cousin, Dai-yu Rallies; the Matriarch Bans Talk of the Betrothal\u003cbr\u003e91. A Timetable Is Set for Bao-yu’s Wedding; Dai-yu and Bao-yu Communicate by Talking Zen\u003cbr\u003e92. Bao-yu Discusses Noble Women with Qiao-Jie; Chess and Her Cousin Commit Double Suicide\u003cbr\u003e93. Bao-yu Identifies with Jiang Yu-han; Jia Qin Is Caught Seducing the Young Novices\u003cbr\u003e94. Crab-Flower Trees Bloom Out of Season; Bao-yu’s Jade Mysteriously Disappears\u003cbr\u003e95. Yuan-chun Passes Away in the Palace; Bao-yu Turns Into a Simpleton\u003cbr\u003e96. Wang Zi-teng Dies on His Way to the Capital; a Hasty Wedding Is Set Before Jia Zheng Departs\u003cbr\u003e97. Bao-yu Is Tricked Into Marrying Bao-chai; Dai-yu Burns Her Poems and Dies\u003cbr\u003e98. Bao-chai Tells Bao-yu That Dai-yu Is Dead; Bao-yu Improves After Mourning for Dai-yu\u003cbr\u003e99. Bao-yu Is Reconciled to Accepting Bao-chai; Jia Zheng Turns a Blind Eye to Misdeeds\u003cbr\u003e100. Tan-chun Is Betrothed to Be Married Afar; Efforts to Save Xue Pan Bankrupt His Family\u003cbr\u003e101. Wang Zi-teng’s Debt Strains the Wang Clan; Anxious, Xi-feng Entrusts Qiao-jie to Patience\u003cbr\u003e102. An Exorcism is Performed in the Garden; Jia Zheng Is Demoted for His Underlings’ Abuses\u003cbr\u003e103. Xia Jin-gui Mistakenly Poisons Herself; Jia Yu-cun Happens on Zhen Shi-yin at a Derelict Temple\u003cbr\u003e104. Jia Yun and Ni Er Vow Revenge on the Jias; Bao-yu Wants Nightingale to Know He Was Tricked\u003cbr\u003e105. The Secret Police Conduct a Raid of the Jia Compound; Four Jia Men Are Arrested\u003cbr\u003e106. Jia Zheng Realizes His Family Faces Financial Ruin; the Matriarch Begs Heaven to Punish Her\u003cbr\u003e107. Jia She and Cousin Zhen Go Into Exile; Grandmother Jia Distributes Her Possessions\u003cbr\u003e108. The Matriarch Hosts a Surprise Birthday Party; Bao-yu Wails for Dai-yu in the Desolate Garden\u003cbr\u003e109. Bao-yu’s Attempt at Intimacy Is Rebuffed by Fivey; Guilt Stricken, He Makes It Up to Bao-chai\u003cbr\u003e110. The Matriarch Dies with a Smile on Her Face; Lady Xing Makes Life Difficult for Xi-feng\u003cbr\u003e111. A Ghost Shows Faithful How to Hang Herself; the Matriarch’s Apartment Is Looted \u003cbr\u003e112. Adamantina Is Abducted by Pirates; Xi-chun Resolves to Become a Nun\u003cbr\u003e113. Grannie Liu Playfully Offers to Be Qiao-jie’s Matchmaker; Nightingale Takes Pity on Bao-yu\u003cbr\u003e114. Xi-feng Dies Babbling of the Register; Wang Ren and Qiao-jie Antagonize Each Other\u003cbr\u003e115. Xi-chun Declares She Intends to Take the Vows; Bao-yu Relapses After Meeting His Look-Alike\u003cbr\u003e116. Bao-yu Has a Second Dream of Revelations; His Father Takes the Coffins to the South for Burial\u003cbr\u003e117. Bao-yu Reaches an Agreement with the Monk; Jia Lian Leaves Jia Qiang and Jia Yun in Charge\u003cbr\u003e118. Qiao-jie Is Offered to a “Mongol” Prince; Bao-yu Studies to Discharge His Filial Obligations\u003cbr\u003e119. Bao-yu Is Missing After the Examinations; the Emperor Declares a General Amnesty\u003cbr\u003e120. Bao-yu Bids His Father Farewell and Vanishes in the Snow; Aroma Marries the Actor Jiang Yu-han\u003cbr\u003eSelected Bibliography\u003cbr\u003eIndex","brand":"Columbia University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49400356864343,"sku":"9780231199452","price":27.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780231199452.jpg?v=1730470481","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/a-companion-to-the-story-of-the-stone-a-chapterbychapter-guide-9780231199452","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}