Shackled Dreams

　
　

Adapting a piece of classic literature takes a brave heart for authors to bear the storms some critics bring to bear on their interpretations.

　
　

Such is certainly the case for writer Liu Xinwu, whose adaptation of A Dream of Red Mansions, announced last week (see New end of "Mansions" to meet the readers, February 27, 2011), was bound to face criticism among Mansions traditionalists.

　
　

"Plotting a new ending… for me was like dancing with shackles," a nonetheless confident Liu explained at a press conference last month. "Cao [Xueqin, the original author"s]"s work is so great that it is very difficult to reach the artistic level he did."

　
　

A contemporary try

　
　

The Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) novel enjoys a reputation as one of China"s "Four Great Classical Novels", and is widely regarded as a roman a clef about the Jia Family, whose spiraling-downward fortunes mirror the fate of author Cao"s own family.

　
　

Remarkable both for its outstanding artistic achievements and its precise and detailed interpretations of life and social structures within the Chinese aristocracy in the 18th century, the novel has been widely analyzed by literature lovers both in and out of China.

　
　

Despite this, only the first 80 chapters were written by Cao, and arguments have continued about whether the full-length novel would have stretched to 108 or 120 chapters; Gao E"s 40-chapter ending, added not long after Cao died, has become the canonical one, however.

　
　

Liu"s sequel, which runs to just 28 chapters, is "much better" than the Gao E version – at least, according to Liu, who claims his characters, fates are more sympathetic to Cao Xueqin"s original intentions.

　
　

Liu, whose CCTV television shows and published works about Mansions have established him as a popular commentator on the novel, began plotting his revised ending 20 years ago, though it took him seven years to actually write it.

　
　

"I"m not trying to set new fates for each character of my own will, but instead trace back very deliberately the plots in Cao"s previous 80 chapters," Liu added.

　
　

Although not on bookshelves until later this month, Liu"s version has nonetheless earned him widespread criticism, as well as some praise, after limited editions of the book were previewed to guest readers.

　
　

Tragedy end

　
　

"Liu has carefully examined the previous 80 chapters by Cao, and shows readers a very sad ending that echoes what Cao intended," was the carefully measured view of Mansions aficionado Yang Chen, a writer who has published a series of papers on the novel, after reading the new edition.

　
　

"Gao E"s ending of the book severely violated Cao"s original intentions," Liu believes. "What I"m doing is trying my best to realize Cao"s intentions."

　
　

Among all the differences between Liu and Gao"s endings, the biggest one is that Gao allowed the Jia family to gradually recover after having their property confiscated, even allowing protagonist Jia Baoyu to pass the imperial examination, a clear sign of future success for the Jia family.

　
　

But Liu"s ending is emphatically a tragic one – nearly all the main story"s characters die and the family"s majestic properties are occupied by those who have found new favor in the emperor"s court – and seems more in keeping with Cao"s original intentions, rather than Gao E"s efforts to add a hint of color to the downbeat conclusion.

　
　

"I think from this point of view, Liu makes his own contribution to the great novel, and that should be applauded," Yang concluded.

　
　

Widespread doubt

　
　

Where Liu fails, however, might be in his writing style. In the view of several critics, Liu has simply not captured the original voice.

　
　

Cao"s exquisite writing is basically considered unparalleled, according to Zhong Yueming, literary critic and former editor of Harvest, a literary magazine, who has described the latest edition in damning terms.

　
　

It is "a wretched sequel" Zhong told the Global Times. "Liu"s obviously not as skilled in classical Chinese writing, and it makes the 28-chapter ending read irrelevant to the previous 80 chapters," he commented.

　
　

Cao"s writing embodies various aspects of classical Chinese culture, including medicine, cuisine, tea, proverbs, Chinese mythology, Buddhism, opera, music and painting, but is particularly notable for its grand use of poetry, intermingled with the prose, a "choral" aspect of the work through which the fate of many characters is described.

　
　

Zhong complained that in Liu"s edition, the "poems can be counted on [your] fingers," an aspect many believe make it inferior to Cao"s own work.

　
　

Liu admits that he is not good at writing poems, and says that, lacking the living environment of Cao or Gao"s contemporaneous writing, no modern writing style can be the same. Instead, he "tried all efforts to make himself "live" Cao"s time."

　
　

When asked whether he"s satisfied with his new ending, Liu now says that, if it were a test, he would consider himself lucky to score 60 or more. "I wear the shackles from my own will," Liu said, referring to the difficulties of being "chained" to another author"s cherished vision. "I do it just out of love and respect for great literature."

　
　

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