The Novels Of Eileen Chang And A Dream Of Red Mansions

This essay is about the multiple influences of A Dream of Red Mansions on the novels of Eileen Chang. It is divided into the four parts described below.In the first part I will comment upon the state of research upon this topic from the perspective of an academic historian. Over the past six decades, scholars of this subject have demarcated four main stages:1. Stunning (1943-1949); 2. Reemergence (1950-1979); 3. Flourishing (1980-1999); and,4. Continuation (2000-present).In the second part I will explore the deep influence of A Dream of Red Mansions upon Eileen Chang's ideological perspective, which I divide into two main components. One is the influence upon her main themes. Both Cao Xue Qin and Eileen Chang write in a realistic style to develop the philosophical connotations involved in the everlasting theme of outward glitz and inward desolation. The second component is a common spirit of tragedy. Both authors depict the inevitable clash between the individual will and the limited circumstances of one's existence that occurs in the course of ordinary life. These conflicts possess an essential gentleness. It is the eternal pursuit of the unlimited desires of existence that is the root source of these tragedies.In the third part I will compare the works on an aesthetic level. Both authors utilize the artistic technique called the "Blank White" method. This method increases the elegance of the works, and allows the story to transcend what is written on the page. Using the "Blank White" to reduce or omit the details of a scene, replacing valuable elements of the scene with blanks, and loosely describing the physical traits of the books'characters, are methods that are used by both Cao Xue Qin and Eileen Chang.The fourth part analyzes the portrayal of the characters depicted by both novelists, using the hero and heroin form Eileen Chang's Feminism in Love in a Fallen City, and those from A Dream of Red Mansions. The desires and weaknesses of Fan Liuyuan and Jia Baoyu reflect the common purpose of all mankind which has persisted throughout the ages and continues to the present day. Bai Liusu and Lin Daiyu pin their hopes on love, and pin their love on marriage. Love made them feel sadness and disappointment, but it also made them stronger and fearless.The fifth part of this paper aims to expound upon the idea that Eileen Chang's writings can be divided into "pre" and "post" periods, and the different ways both periods were influenced by A Dream of Red Mansions. Whether in linguistic expression, character portrayal, aesthetic style, or descriptive method, Eileen Chang's "pre" period novels all contain a style very similar to A Dream of Red Mansions. However, in her "post" period, it is difficult to find any formal traces of A Dream of Red Mansions. This does not mean that she lost interest in A Dream of Red Mansions, but rather that she was moving toward declaring an independent style and maturing as a novelist. In the "post" stage, however, Eileen Chang continues to attempt to carry on the inherent elegance of the A Dream of Red Mansion's graceful depiction of the "ordinary and natural", the love of reconstructing reality, and the understanding of unspoken grace. The original aesthetic elegance of the desolation and tragedy that exists in A Dream of Red Mansions, and the characters that transcend their time and their place, is a common thread that runs through all of Eileen Chang's novels.