Main Characters and Family Structures

|ChinaNews|Published:2023-09-28 14:35:06

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.

Click here for episode 1

Episode 2 discusses the two families of the two works: Jia and Crawley, and their main characters. A comparative analysis of the representative characters is made at three levels: first generation (grandmother/ matriarch), second generation (parents), and third generation (the young male and female protagonists). On the basis of an overview of the social origin, ideology, behavior, and development of fate in each generation, we compare and analyze the internal and external dynamics of the change in the fate of the main characters. We also focus on the very different but poignant love stories of several male and female protagonists.