Don Quixote and The Story of the Stone (Dream of the Red Chamber) are both stories that look at the way life "used to be." Using examples from the stories, please answer the following question in a two to three paragraph response.
How do these stories treat the past with regard to the present of the story itself?
Is the past held in high regard or is it seen as being something better forgotten than remembered?
In what ways does the Oriental perspective compare to our modern Western perspective?
What do you think the difference tell us about Oriental society of the Early Modern period?