Classic more accessible to American youngsters

Literature teacher Pauline Chen has revised the classic tale A Dream of Red Mansions to make it more accessible to a new generation of Americans. Kelly Chung Dawson reports in New York.

In Cao Xueqin's 18th century novel A Dream of Red Mansions (also known as Dream of Red Chamber) a love triangle between a young man and his female cousins became China's own Romeo and Juliet - and today forms the basis of Pauline Chen's streamlined update of the classic story, which originally featured 400 characters over 2,500 pages.

Characters from A Dream of Red Mansions such as Lin Daiyu (left) and Jia Baoyu are well known to most Chinese through the book itself and its many adaptations. Photos Provided to China Daily

Chen's The Red Chamber focuses on the passionate, free-spirited Lin Daiyu, who lives with her extended family at Rongguo Mansion after the death of her parents; and Xue Baochai, her well-behaved, intelligent cousin. Both vie for the hand of Jia Baoyu, the heir to the Jia family fortune.

"These two women represent the two ways that a Chinese woman can be," Chen says. "They are important archetypes. To me, this love triangle is very powerful, because in a way, these women represent a struggle for individualism in China.

"There aren't many love stories in Chinese literature, because at the time nearly all marriages were arranged. Even today, China is still a culture where filial obligations are emphasized, so this idea of wild, romantic love really appeals to people."

Chen, who grew up in the United States and has Taiwan-born parents, has a PhD in East Asian studies from Princeton. As a literature teacher, she became frustrated by the difficulty with which her American students approached A Dream of Red Mansions.

The book was too long, the cast of characters overwhelming. Additionally, the structure of the original does not follow Western conventions, she says. There is no central conflict and the plot meanders in episodic turns. She decided to rewrite the book, in the hope of introducing the story to a wider audience.

"My feeling was that most Americans think of pre-modern China as being barbaric and that always bothered me," she says.

"It's not that simple. Yes, Chinese society was oppressive for women, but it was also a sophisticated and rich society, and a complicated one.

"I wanted to communicate those complexities. I also feel that many books about ancient China make you feel very distant from the characters. You feel that it has nothing to do with you. I wanted the reader to feel an affinity with these characters, and an understanding that our problems are universal."

Emily Wilson, a former student who took Chen's course on classic Chinese literature at Oberlin in 2010, says that she found the original book overwhelming.

"Contemporary American literature, especially commercial literature, often does not attempt to encompass the complexities found in the original A Dream of Red Mansions," she says.

"But Professor Chen's incredible understanding of the original text allowed her to highlight more abstract thematic patterns. She also had a very nuanced understanding of the emotional motives of the various female protagonists."

The task of adapting this book in particular is a difficult one, says Daniel Youd, associate professor of Chinese language and literature at Beloit College in Wisconsin. Previous adaptations have faced high expectations, and have often fallen short.

"Ever since the original novel was written, people have not stopped reading and adapting it," he says. "Anyone who tries to remake the story is in good company, but is also running a very high risk because people are so attached to the story. It's very brave to attempt to retell this story."

American audiences will likely have fewer expectations though, he says.

"In adapting the story for Chinese readers, one has to take into account deep levels of cultural expectation, because the characters are already so vividly ingrained in the Chinese imagination. But the objective with the American audience will be to introduce the characters, and I think Pauline does a great job of bridging the gap."

For Chen, the women are the backbone of the book, she says. In addition to Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai, the powerful Wang Xifeng plays a central part in the story. Wang manages the finances of the house, lends money at interest and manipulates the people around her for personal gain.

"She was the prototype of a modern businesswoman," Chen says. "Before reading the original book, I had this idea that women in ancient China were powerless, but this character was extremely bold. All the female characters were so complex, and richly drawn. They were living in this complicated hierarchy with so many bonds and obligations.

"In some ways, for me, it really mirrored how a modern woman feels, dealing with children, a career, aging parents and in-laws. I thought it was relevant to our lives today, and I loved the female characters."

Cao's depiction of women in the 18th century was unusual, Youd says: "The original novel exploded the myth of the completely passive Chinese female."

"It was a very interesting take on the role of women at the time, but the problem with Xifeng was that she was demonized for asserting control. In many ways, that's still an open question for women in modern society both in China and the US. I can understand how women reading this story would feel a certain kinship to the female characters.

"Pauline's version is an optimistic take, in that despite all these barriers, one can imagine these women making happy lives for themselves."

In the original, the members of that infamous love triangle accepted their fates, as decreed by their elders. For Chen, this was deeply unsatisfying, she says.

"It really frustrated me as a Western reader," she says. "Romeo and Juliet did not say 'Oh, OK, fine.' They fought. I wanted to show these characters fighting for their love."

Chen was inspired by the American classic, Gone with the Wind. The two female characters are rivals for the male lead's love, but when one of the women dies the other realizes how much she has depended on her.

"I was fascinated by women who are rivals but ultimately share more with each other in that bond," she says. "I am interested in that conflict between friendship and romantic love."

She also drew inspiration in how Scarlett O'Hara is portrayed both sympathetically and unsympathetically, she says.

"So often female characters in literature are represented quite blandly. I wanted to show females who are strong, and not necessarily always likable. I didn't want to be afraid of people not liking my characters."

Qiushi Ma, an associate professor of Chinese at Oberlin College, says that readers should approach Chen's effort with an open mind.

"I consider Pauline's book to be a totally independent, literary creation inspired by the original," Ma says. "She is writing from a female perspective, and gives a more sophisticated explanation of the female characters. It's a bold creation inspired by the three women's stories."

Youd agrees: "Pauline does things that are different and new, but at the same time it's like meeting old friends who live in a parallel alternate universe, where they do things that seem typical and expected, but are genuinely revelatory, in a new way."

Although Lin Daiyu is the obvious frontrunner for Jia Baoyu's love, Chen learned to root for the less popular Xue Baochai, she says.

"When I first started working on this, I thought, 'Go Daiyu.' and then as I wrote, I started feeling that each character made her own choices," she says.

"Every woman adopted a strategy for survival. The take away for me, is to not envy other women. Each woman pays the price for what she gets - you might gain stability, but then you lose emotional freedom. If you want passion, then you might not have it forever.

"No woman is able to find the choice that gives her everything. It's a lesson that any modern female can take away."

Contact the writer at kdawson@chinadailyusa.com.