As Dream of the Red Chamber Encounters Downton Abbey

Introduction:

What can a mother and a daughter with a thirty-year age gap talk about? Weather? Food? Makeup? Gossip? Maybe.. some literature! Let's follow our host Alice and her mom as they explore Chinese and Western literature and immerse themselves in discussions of cultures. To make it better, you're in for an all-English experience!

From Alice: 

My mom and I will begin our exploration of comparative literature by discussing the Chinese novel, Dream of the Red Chamber and the British TV drama, Downton Abbey. They might seem different on a surface level, but they in fact have various similarities. We will spend eight to ten episodes comprehensively comparing the two works, specifically covering context, family relationships, character traits, love stories, female growth...... as well as food, mansions, clothing, artifacts, and other interesting topics.

Episode 1 is an introductory "first-glance" into this series. We will explore the comparability of the two works, analyze their international influence, trace the development of story lines and contexts, introduce some characters in the two works, and finally, touch on the purpose of comparing Chinese and Western literary works. We look forward to delving deep into these topics with interesting souls -- our listeners!

Topics you might be interested in:

00:36 Why compare the two works

02:08 Difference in international influence

04:38 Story line and context

08:28 Comparison of the character groups

09:42 The significance of comparing Chinese and Western literary works