Welcome to Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art,

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art ›› 2016, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (6): 130-138.

• Classical Literary Theory and Criticism • Previous Articles     Next Articles

A Dream of Red Mansions and Xu Zhenya's Novel Writing

Bai Yingjie   

  1. the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Peking University (Beijing 100871, China)
  • Online:2016-11-25 Published:2017-09-30
  • About author:Bai Yingjie is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Peking University (Beijing 100871, China), with research interest in literature of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Abstract: This article discusses the influence that A Dream of Red Mansions had on Xu Zhenya's novel writing. In his early years, Xu Zhenya wrote sixty Ci-poems about A Dream of Red Mansions. These Ci-poems indicate his understanding of characters in the novel and the love tragedy of Baoyu and Daiyu. When writing novels, he always uses A Dream in Red Mansions as an exemplar. Although Her Sacrifice and The History of Tears are autobiographical novels, Xu imitates A Dream in Red Mansions in terms of characterization and plot. Two Servant Girls, his third novel, is entirely a duplicate of A Dream of Red Mansions, although it is not a success. However, his next two novels, My Wife and The Two Dead Girls, which borrow ideas from A Dream of Red Mansions like before, are quite innovative. To sum up, Xu Zhenya was a faithful inheritor of the art of novel in A Dream in Red Mansions, and a unique transitional figure between A Dream of Red Mansions and the May Fourth literature.

Key words: Xu Zhenya, A Dream of Red Mansions, novel writing, influence study