Society for Asian Art Programs: Symposia

Literature and Culture of Asia Series

The Story of the Stone, Part III
With John Wallace

When: Sundays, September 19 through October 17
Time: 10:15 – 12:15 pm
Place: Education Studio
Fee: $100 members, $125 non-members
Note: Fee does not include texts

This is the conclusion of the literature series on Cao Xuequin’s five-volume Chinese masterpiece, The Story of the Stone. In Fall, we will complete reading the last two volumes. We finally learn the outcome of the many characters we have come to know so well. Some critics believe that these volumes may not have been written by Cao himself. This question and the fact that the translator of the two final volumes is not the original translator offer a number of interesting opportunities for comparing the story to the earlier volumes. The first session will be a review of earlier volumes for those who were unable to participate in the Fall 2009 or Spring 2010 series or who wish a refresher of the storyline. New participants are invited to join.

The Story of the Stone (also know as Dream of the Red Chamber) is considered one of the greatest achievements of Chinese literary prose. Written by Cao Xueqin (1715?-1763) and published in part in 1792, it is an epic-length work that depicts in rich detail the declining fortunes of a ultra-wealthy and very large family during Qing China. The story is built around the handsome, carefree, talented and spoiled Jia Bao-yu, an incarnation of a magical stone, as he grows up under the doting protection of his grandmother among numerous beautiful women. He forms something of a romantic triangle with his two cousins: the melancholic, brilliant Lin Dai-yu and the reasonable, sweet Xue Bao-chai. Full of poetry, word-play, intrigue and characters of virtually every ilk as well as detailed descriptions of the endless pastimes and possessions of Qing dynasty elite, it is an exceptionally colorful and readable work daunting only in its size.

John Wallace is a Professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Culture, UC Berkeley. He received his PhD from Stanford University (1991) and has previously taught at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Stanford University. Professor Wallace specializes in Heian period literature and comparative romance. He was previously the instructor for the Tale of Genji, Parts I and II.




			Literature and Culture of Asia Series The Story of the Stone, Part III With John Wallace When: Sundays, September 19 through October 17 Time: 10:15 – 12:15 pm Place: Education Studio Fee: $100 members, $125 non-members Note: Fee does not include texts This is the conclusion of the literature series on Cao Xuequin’s five-volume Chinese masterpiece, The Story of the Stone. In Fall, we will complete reading the last two volumes. We finally learn the outcome of the many characters we have come to know so well. Some critics believe that these volumes may not have been written by Cao himself. This question and the fact that the translator of the two final volumes is not the original translator offer a number of interesting opportunities for comparing the story to the earlier volumes. The first session will be a review of earlier volumes for those who were unable to participate in the Fall 2009 or Spring 2010 series or who wish a refresher of the storyline. New participants are invited to join. The Story of the Stone (also know as Dream of the Red Chamber) is considered one of the greatest achievements of Chinese literary prose. Written by Cao Xueqin (1715?-1763) and published in part in 1792, it is an epic-length work that depicts in rich detail the declining fortunes of a ultra-wealthy and very large family during Qing China. The story is built around the handsome, carefree, talented and spoiled Jia Bao-yu, an incarnation of a magical stone, as he grows up under the doting protection of his grandmother among numerous beautiful women. He forms something of a romantic triangle with his two cousins: the melancholic, brilliant Lin Dai-yu and the reasonable, sweet Xue Bao-chai. Full of poetry, word-play, intrigue and characters of virtually every ilk as well as detailed descriptions of the endless pastimes and possessions of Qing dynasty elite, it is an exceptionally colorful and readable work daunting only in its size. John Wallace is a Professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Culture, UC Berkeley. He received his PhD from Stanford University (1991) and has previously taught at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Stanford University. Professor Wallace specializes in Heian period literature and comparative romance. He was previously the instructor for the Tale of Genji, Parts I and II.