Cao Xueqin红楼梦The story of the stone
Love and duty
Private feeling must navigate marriage, inheritance, reputation, and ritual.
3 characters1 books
Lives shaped by love and duty
Literary protagonist
Jia Baoyu
Dream of the Red ChamberA sensitive heir who resists the ambitions his family has assigned to him.
Literary protagonist
Lin Daiyu
Dream of the Red ChamberA gifted, vulnerable poet whose emotional insight makes her both intimate and exposed.
Literary character
Xue Baochai
Dream of the Red ChamberA composed young woman skilled at meeting the demands of family and society.