The four classic novels refer to Water Margin, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, The Journey to the West and A Dream of Red Mansions. The difference lies in Jin Ping Mei and A Dream of Red Mansions.
First, Jin Pingmei:
This is the first novel written by a scholar in China. His book was written in the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, and the author signed Lan Ling Xiaoxiaosheng. The theme of Jin Ping Mei Hua Ci evolved from the story of Song Wu killing his wife in Water Margin.
The book takes the sudden death of local tyrant Ximen Qing as the central plot line, and depicts a ghost world from feudal supreme ruling institutions to street hooligans in many ways.
Ximen Qing originally had a wife and two concubines, who successively took Meng Yulou, Pan Jinlian and Li Pinger as concubines and had an affair with her maid Chun Mei. The author also described his activities of colluding with Prime Minister Cai Jing, Taishou Qiu and other ministers to fish the people. In addition, in art, the author successfully created several main characters.
For example, Ximen Qing, a vicious bully who "kills people to watch their funerals", Pan Jinlian, a lascivious and provocative woman, and Ying Earl, a fashionable and helpful person, are all described vividly.
The novel is exquisitely structured, and the author organizes the complicated stories neatly and orderly. The description of local customs is also vivid and has certain folklore value. The language is lively. All these show the author's artistic talent.
Jin Ping Mei Hua Ci has a great influence on the novel creation of later generations. For example, A Dream of Red Mansions is obviously influenced by it in its theme and detail description.
Second, A Dream of Red Mansions:
A Dream of Red Mansions is a novel with chapters. In the early days, only the first 80 manuscripts were circulated, and some of them were not completed after 80, and the manuscripts were lost. Formerly known as "Re-evaluation of Stone Story by Zhi Yanzhai". Cheng Weiyuan invited Gao E to coordinate the publication of the first book 120, and named it A Dream of Red Mansions. There is also a version of "Jinyuyuan".
A Dream of Red Mansions focuses on the emotional entanglements among Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai, and tells the people and events that happened in the feudal family of a fictional dynasty. Through the description of some daily events, taking the twelve women in Jinling as the main body, it reflects the love and hate of all women in Jiafu Grand View Garden.
At the same time, from the rich and gorgeous Jiafu to the declining line, it reflects the decline of a large family and the ugliness within this seemingly gorgeous family.
A Dream of Red Mansions is an encyclopedic novel, which vividly describes the whole life of China's feudal society in the first half of the 8th century. It makes full use of all the excellent traditional techniques of calligraphy, painting, poetry, songs, music and other literature and arts, and shows a tragedy of social life.
The outstanding achievement of A Dream of Red Mansions in ideological content and artistic skills has not only become an insurmountable peak of China's novel literature in China. It has also attracted the attention and research of scholars from many countries in the world. The China Red Society was established to learn more about the Dream of Red Mansions.
Extended data:
One or four wonderful books:
These four novels basically represent four types of China's ancient novels, namely, historical romance novels, heroic legend novels, ghost novels and world love novels;
In fact, they are the continuation and development of the four major speaking arts in the Southern Song Dynasty: The Water Margin is the development of Tieqier, the first vernacular novel in China history;
Romance of the Three Kingdoms is the development of historical novels and China's first novel. The Journey to the West refers to the development of novels, which is a romantic masterpiece with high artistic achievements and great influence, and the first novel with magical power in China. Jin Ping Mei is the development of novelists' novels and the first novel written independently by literati in China.
Second, the four classic novels:
Four Great Classical Novels is a classic in the history of China literature and a precious cultural heritage in the world.
These four masterpieces are inseparable in the history of China literature, and they all have high literary level and artistic achievements. The detailed description and profound thoughts contained in it have been praised by readers of all ages, and the stories, scenes and characters in it have deeply influenced the concepts and values of China people. It can be described as four monuments in the history of China literature.
Baidu encyclopedia-four wonderful books
Baidu Encyclopedia-Four Classic Novels