A Study On The "Homicide Cases" Of A Dream Of Red Mansions

A Dream of Red Mansions, one of the greatest classical Chinese novels has a full-length description of numerous characters. However, most of the major characters had a tragic ending. Some of them committed suicide and some died of illnesses while others died in grief. The various shocking homicide cases that happened one after another all have profound implications.This paper intends to give an all-round analysis of all the homicide-related plots and at the same time explore the relation between these homicide cases, and the theme of the novel and the literary achievement.The study will be conducted from four aspects: 1) the relation between the homicide cases and Cao Xueqin's realism; 2) the relation between the homicide cases, and the narrative structure and plot developments; 3) the relation between the homicide cases and the description of characters; and 4) the relation between the homicide cases and the tragicalness of A Dream of Red Mansions.With an evaluation from such unique perspective, this study aims to give a complete and focused description of the functions and interpretations of the homicide cases in this novel so as to make up for the inadequacy of the past studies in this area, in an attempt to provide some useful reference for the study of A Dream of Red Mansions.