redologi

Redology is the scholarly study of Cao Xueqin's 18th-century Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber, also known as The Story of the Stone. It is an interdisciplinary field combining textual criticism, literary analysis, and cultural history to explore the novel's language, structure, characters, and motifs, as well as its social and historical context in Qing dynasty China. The term is widely used in China and Taiwan to describe this tradition of research and commentary.

Origins and development: Modern interest in the novel arose in the early 20th century with Chinese scholars treating it as a major literary work requiring rigorous analysis. Early Redologists emphasized textual fidelity and historical context. In the later 20th century, scholars such as Zhou Ruchang contributed extensively to annotated editions, scholarly commentaries, and theory-building. The canonical text commonly studied is the 120-chapter version, though there is long-standing debate over the ending, traditionally thought to have been completed by Gao E and Cheng Weiyuan based on Cao Xueqin's notes, with some scholars maintaining that the final chapters differ in authorship and quality.

Methods and topics: Redology employs philological study of variants, manuscript tradition, and glosses, alongside literary analysis of themes such as romance, family decline, wealth and morality, dream motifs, and the role of women. Researchers also situate the novel within Qing dynasty society, genealogy of the Jia family, and wider cultural and religious influences. In recent decades, feminist, psychoanalytic, and postcolonial readings have been applied in Redology.

Impact and status: Redology is a major component of Chinese literary studies and has influenced translations, adaptations, and comparative literature. It continues to be an active field with scholarly journals, conferences, and a robust tradition of annotated editions guiding readers through the 120-chapter text.