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Foreword
A Remarkable Work in a Crowded Field
Unlike countless studies of Dream of the Red Chamber that employ the method of evidential research and analysis, Reflections on Dream of the Red Chamber uses the intuitive approach of Zen to get to the heart of the novel. With his insightful expositions of Cao Xueqin's novel as both a novel about life and an unconventional work, Liu Zaifu establishes himself as a scholar who adopts a viewpoint of an "outsider" in a crowded field.
Dream of the Red Chamber, Journey to the West, The Water Margin and The Plum in the Golden Vase have always been recognized as the four masterpieces of the classic Chinese novel. Of the four, Dream of the Red Chamber is the most profound. No student of Chinese literature or Chinese culture can afford to ignore it.
Written in the mid-eighteenth century, Dream of the Red Chamber occupies a position in Chinese literature similar to that of Shakespeare's works in English, Dante's works in Italian, and Cervantes's works in Spanish.