Synthesized answer
H. Bencraft Joly's stated motivation for translating *Dream of the Red Chamber* is to assist "present and future students of the Chinese language" [1]. This connects to making complex material accessible by offering a helping hand through his translation. He states that he embarked on this translation not due to pretensions of being a sinologue, but because of the "perplexities and difficulties experienced by me as a student in Peking" when he encountered the work [2].
Joly acknowledges that his prose may contain "shortcomings," as well as "doggerel and uncouth rhymes, in which the text has been more adhered to than rhythm" [1]. He also mentions that the original Chinese novel was not well proofread [3]. However, the provided passages do not further detail specific challenges he faced beyond the initial perplexities and difficulties as a student, and the acknowledged imperfections in the translation's prose and rhymes.
Synthesized from the book passages below. Chat with the book on Feynman for follow-up.
From the book
me as a student in Peking, when, at the completion of the Tzu Erh Chi, I had to plunge in the maze of the Hung Lou Meng. Shortcomings are, I feel sure, to be discovered, both in the prose, as well as among the doggerel and uncouth rhymes, in which the text has been more adhered to than rhythm; but I shall feel satisfied with the result, if I succeed, even in the least degree, in affording a helping hand to present and future students of the Chinese language. H. BENCRAFT JOLY, H.B.M. Vice-Consulate, Macao, 1st September, 1891. THE DREAM OF THE RED CHAMBER. edit CHAPTER I. edit Chen Shih-yin,…
← Contents Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin , translated by H. Bencraft Joly Book 1 Book 2 → The Project Gutenberg EBook of Hung Lou Meng, by Cao Xueqin This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net Book I Posting Date: November 23, 2011 [EBook #9603] Release Date: January, 2006 First Posted: October 9, 2003 3426342 Dream of the Red Chamber — Book 1 H. Bencraft Joly Cao Xueqin PREFACE.…
The original Chinese novel was written by Cao Xueqin. Another author later added half again as much. H. Bencraft Joly translated only the work of the first author, essentially two-thirds of the whole; the work ends abruptly at the end of volume II as if he intended to go on, but the third volume was never published. The work was not well proofread originally. There are other better and more complete English translations, but this is the only one we could find that is in the public domain in the USA. Both lists of errata have been corrected in the text. The error noted in the original errata…
← Hung Lou Meng or, the Dream of the Red Chamber, a Chinese novel in two books ( 1891 ) by Cao Xueqin , translated by H. Bencraft Joly Book 1 → Original published in Chinese in 1763 with this translation published in 1891 by H. Bencraft Joly, H.B.M. Consular Service, China The Project Gutenberg EBook of Hung Lou Meng, by Cao Xueqin This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net Book I — Posting…
wed to fall into extinction, in order that I, unfilial as I have been, may have the means to screen my own shortcomings. Hence it is that the thatched shed, with bamboo mat windows, the bed of tow and the stove of brick, which are at present my share, are not sufficient to deter me from carrying out the fixed purpose of my mind. And could I, furthermore, confront the morning breeze, the evening moon, the willows by the steps and the flowers in the courtyard, methinks these would moisten to a greater degree my mortal pen with ink; but though I lack culture and erudition, what harm is there,…
More questions about this book
- If you were explaining the publishing history of *Dream of the Red Chamber* to someone unfamiliar with it, how would you articulate the distinct roles and significance of the 1763, 1891, and Project Gutenberg dates, and what does this chronology imply about the work's enduring impact and accessibility?
- The text states the original writer "designedly concealed the true circumstances." Based on the very brief chapter summary, what might be the literary or thematic reasons for such an authorial choice, and how could this act of concealment shape a reader's engagement with the narrative from the outset?
- Joly admits to "shortcomings... both in the prose, as well as among the doggerel and uncouth rhymes." If you were a student relying on this translation, how would Joly's frank admission of these specific difficulties influence your approach to interpreting the novel, and what does it suggest about the inherent challenges of translating a culturally rich work like *Hung Lou Meng*?
- Consider the contrast between Chen Shih-yin's "vision, apprehends perception and spirituality" and Chia Yü-ts'un's "cherishes fond thoughts of a beautiful maiden" in the "windy and dusty world." How do these juxtaposed introductions in Chapter 1 immediately establish potential thematic tensions or a central philosophical inquiry for the novel, and what might these elements foreshadow for the overall narrative?