The Subversive Romance Book
If you spend a lot of time in China talking with people about Dream of the Red Chamber, you’ll think the book is simply a love story.
It’s a celebrated work of Chinese fiction, of course. It’s down to the point where you can find editions of the story that have been simplified and are published for children to read:
It always struck me as odd that this story was deemed appropriate for children. I suppose that fairy tales in other cultures actually were shared with children despite containing elements that most of us would find at least somewhat objectionable. However, this book seems a little bit deep for a child to learn about.
And, the more I’ve dug into it, the more I realize that the author is doing something subtle and difficult to understand.
