"With the inimitable sensitivity of a classically trained comparativist, Dore J. Levy delivers an exquisite study of the fascinating art objects in The Story of the Stone. Her patient, eye-opening accounts of lyrical, narrative, and artistic intricacies by way of the structural principle of vignettism mark a newly interdisciplinary and intermedial threshold in the scholarship on Cao Xueqin’s monumental creation. As much a work of love as it is an exemplar of erudition, Reading Art in Literature gifts us with an incredible resource on Chinese literature and visual culture, with profound insights into the relations among fiction, art, and spirituality." —Rey Chow, Andrew W. Mellon Distinguished Professor of the Humanities, Duke University

“Studying a novel in the context of material culture has, in recent years, come to the forefront of academic approaches to literature. Levy applies this approach to Honglou meng, arguably the greatest work of fiction in Chinese literature. She deals with such issues as whether the fantastic objects mentioned in this 18th-century novel actually exist (or existed), how they were made, how they were used, the significance of such objects in Chinese culture, and the roles they play in the novel. These are questions that cross the minds of many readers but few have bothered to investigate. The answers given here, brimming with wonderful insights, enhance our understanding and situate the novel among other fictional works in world literature. This is a book for a wide range of readers, not only literary scholars, college students, and Honglou meng aficionados, but also historians, art collectors, and garden enthusiasts.” —Susan Chan Egan, coauthor of A Companion to The Story of the Stone

"Making new and engaging arguments about one of the world’s most beloved and complicated novels is not easy, but Dore Levy accomplishes this with aplomb in Reading Art in Literature. Full of insights, it will appeal to both the most seasoned Story of the Stone scholars and newcomers to its garden of wonders." —Andrew Schonebaum, Head, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, University of Maryland

Dore J. Levy is Professor of Comparative Literature and Professor of East Asian Studies at Brown University. Dr. Levy's previous publications include Chinese Narrative Poetry: the Late Han through T'ang Dynasties (Duke University Press) and Ideal and Actual in The Story of the Stone (Columbia University Press).

List of Figures

Preface

Introduction: Literary Readings of Art Objects in Chinese Fiction

Chapter 1: Objects of Social Consequence in the Jia Mansions

Chapter 2: Imaginary Masterpieces: Fine Art in the Living Quarters of the Jia Family

Chapter 3: Mystical Objects and the Path to Enlightenment

Chapter 4: It’s Bigger on the Inside: Designing a Garden of Total Vision

Chapter 5: A Walk in the Park: Vignettism and the Structure of Narrative Experience

Envoi

Bibliography

Index