Dream of the Red Chamber

A long vernacular (colloquial) novel from the Qianlong period of the Qing dynasty in China. Its original title was "Sekitouki." It is also known by other names such as "Fenggetsuhokan," "Jinling Jyuunisa," "Jinyuyuan," and "Qingsenglu." The current edition has 120 chapters. The first 80 chapters were written by Cao Xueqin, and chapters 81 and after have been lost. The last 40 chapters of the current edition were added by later authors. As early as during Xueqin's lifetime, a copy of 80 chapters of Shikenzai's critique of "Sekitou Ji" (The Records of Stone Heads) began to circulate, written by his relative Shikenzai. After Xueqin's death in 1791 (the 56th year of the Qianlong era), the bookseller Cheng Weiyuan, noting Xueqin's reputation, and together with the bannerman Gao E (pen name Lanshu), added 40 more chapters to the work, resulting in a 120-chapter printed version of "Dream of the Red Chamber," which was enthusiastically received in the world of the Jianghu region.

The novel takes the form of a record of the experiences of a stiletto (stone head) from the world of immortals who descends to the mortal world (the Tale of Stone Head), but the story unfolds realistically, vividly portraying the various characters of the Qing dynasty with detailed character descriptions, and vividly highlighting the tragedies of individuality and the taint of the times. Baoyu, a nobleman of the Jia family, a great aristocrat in the capital, is a feminist with his own anti-historical philosophy. He grows up in the magnificent Daiguan Garden, surrounded by his grandmother's doting women (the twelve Jinling hairpins), and falls in love with his childhood friend, the intelligent but sickly cousin Lin Daiyu. However, the Jia family's fortunes gradually decline, and the beautiful cousins ​​gradually drift apart (original work). In the midst of the family's unrest, Baoyu was tricked by her family and forced to marry her cousin Xue Baochai, who was a good-natured person, while Daiyu died of illness in the depths of despair. Eventually, the Jia family suffered the misfortune of having their property confiscated, and although there were signs of recovery after a special amnesty, Baoyu, who realized the impermanence of the world, disappeared after passing the imperial examination (revised version).

It was already so popular in the Qing dynasty that the terms "hongmei" (Dream of the Red Chamber) and "hongxue" (Dream of the Red Chamber) were coined, and the national love of reading it remains the same today. In particular, the "Dream of the Red Chamber Controversy" that began in 1954 when Li Xifan and Lan Ling criticized the subjective and idealistic research attitude of Yu Pingbo, who took the author's autobiographical legend, had a tremendous impact on the entire cultural world. After the Cultural Revolution, it was firmly established as the pinnacle of classical realism novels, and research on "Dream of the Red Chamber" is considered one of the most important issues in the contemporary Chinese literary world, and recently comparative research with "The Tale of Genji" has also begun to attract attention.

[Sumio Koyama]

"Ito Sohei's translation of "Dream of the Red Chamber, Vol. 1, 2, and 3" (1969-70, Heibonsha)" ▽ "Matsueda Shigeo's translation of "Dream of the Red Chamber, Vol. 1, 2, and 3" (Iwanami Bunko)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、清(しん)代乾隆(けんりゅう)期の長編白話(はくわ)（口語体）小説。原名『石頭記(せきとうき)』。ほかに『風月宝鑑』『金陵十二釵(きんりょうじゅうにさ)』『金玉縁』『情僧録』の別名もある。現行本は全120回。前80回が曹雪芹(そうせっきん)の原作で、81回以降は散逸。現行の後40回は後人の補作。早くは雪芹の存命中から、親族の脂硯斎(しけんさい)の手により脂硯斎評本『石頭記』なる80回写本が流布し始め、雪芹死後の1791年（乾隆56）、評判に着目した書肆(しょし)の程偉元(ていいげん)が旗人の高鶚(こうがく)（字(あざな)は蘭墅(らんしょ)）とともに後40回を増補し『紅楼夢』120回活字本を出版して以来、熱狂的に江湖に迎えられた。

　小説は、仙界の石頭(いし)が俗界に下っての見聞録（石頭記(いしものがたり)）の体裁をとるが、物語はあくまで現実的に展開され、清代のさまざまな人間群像を精緻(せいち)な性格描写で活写し、個性の悲劇と時代の汚濁とを克明に浮き彫りにしている。都の大貴族賈(か)家の貴公子宝玉(ほうぎょく)は独自の反時代哲学を備えたフェミニストで、祖母の溺愛(できあい)のもとに、縁者の女性たち（金陵十二釵）に囲まれて壮麗な別院大観園(だいかんえん)で長じ、幼なじみの聰明(そうめい)で病弱な従妹林黛玉(りんたいぎょく)を意中の人とする。しかし賈家の盛運もしだいに衰え、美しい従姉妹たちも漸次離散してゆく（原作）。不穏な家勢のなかで、宝玉は家族の計略にかかり円満な人柄の従姉薛宝釵(せつほうさ)と結婚させられ、黛玉は絶望の底で病死する。やがて賈家は家産没収の憂き目にあい、特赦により再興の兆しをみせるものの、世の無常を悟った宝玉は科挙合格ののち行方知れずとなる（補作）。

　すでに清代から「紅迷(こうめい)」（紅楼夢狂）や「紅学(こうがく)」（紅楼夢学）なることばが誕生するほど流行し、その国民的愛読は今日も変わらない。とくに1954年、作者自叙伝説をとる兪平伯(ゆへいはく)の主観的・唯心論的研究態度を李希凡(りきぼん)・藍翎(らんれい)が批判して開始された「紅楼夢論争」は文化界全体に甚大な影響を与えた。文化大革命以後は古典的リアリズム小説の最高峰なる評価が定着し、『紅楼夢』研究は現代中国文学界における最重要課題の一つとされ、最近では『源氏物語』との比較研究も注目され始めた。

［小山澄夫］

『伊藤漱平訳『中国古典文学大系44～46　紅楼夢　上中下』（1969～70・平凡社）』▽『松枝茂夫訳『紅楼夢』全12冊（岩波文庫）』

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例