Status Updates From A Companion to The Story of...

Greatly appreciate the brief historical & cultural notes. However, Prof. Pai's Chinese book on close reading of the novel dissects all the literary devices in great detail.

I'm also reading the Chinese book, Pai Hsien-Yong's Detailed Guide to the Story of the Stone 白先勇細説紅樓夢, by Prof. Pai. The English book has significantly abridged Prof Pai's scholarship and insights.
This book & all the other guides are part of my Chinese classics reading project.