Literary imagination is an aesthetic object offered by a writer to a lover of books.

Cao Xueqin is a master of language. His prose is so exquisite and aesthetically pleasing that it almost attains perfection in every way.

Unforgettably horrible is the naked body. It really does not have the slightest charm.

In all things I yearn for the past. Modern fashions seem to keep on growing more and more debased. I find that even among the splendid pieces of furniture built by our master cabinetmakers, those in the old forms are the most pleasing.