The exciting conclusion to Yuanyang’s heroic proto-feminist refusal! Big scissors are wielded. The truth is revealed, and the stakes are nothing short of life, death, and hair most lustrous. Grandmother Jia reemerges to assert her juridical authority, and Faithful reaffirms her fidelity unto death.

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Yuanyang 鴛鴦 (Faithful in the Hawkes translation) emerges as an iconic proto-feminist heroine! One of the most important and memorable subplots of Hongloumeng 紅樓夢 (Dream of the Red Chamber), Yuanyang’s refusal of Jia She’s marriage proposal. Is she “faithful,” and, if so, to what or whom?

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It’s a poetry-pilled installment of Rereading the Stone! We compare Zhang Ruoxu’s 張若虛 (660 – ca. 720) “Spring River in the Flower Moon Night《春江花月夜》,” featuring a new draft translation, with Lin Daiyu’s 《秋窗風雨夕》, “Autumn Window: A Night of Wind and Rain” in David Hawke’s translation of Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢 (Story of the Stone.)

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Xifeng (and her purse) is invited into the Crabflower Club. Meanwhile we review the family relations of lesser characters like Lai Da’s wife and discuss her “don’t spare the rod” 不打不成才 philosophy.

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Xifeng is shaking with anger. Is there meaning in the madness? What are the real and imagined consequences of Jia Lian’s transgressions? We try to conceive a contemporary framework for interpreting a tumultuous series of events in Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢.

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It’s Xifeng birthday, so everyone is having a good time, even if labor relations in the Jia household leave room for improvement.

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It’s time for part 2 (earth 土) of Chapter 43 of Dream of the Red Chamber (Story of the Stone, Hongloumeng 紅樓夢), where Baoyu performs a non-performative ritual observance of the death of Golden. We discuss Baoyuean theories of language as use, while also discussing the poetry of Cao Zhi 曹植 (192 – 232), including one “cutting edge” translation.

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This chapter (of Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢) admits of dualities? So here in part 1 we cover the first half (gold 金), which involves some extensive bickering over money (including an eyebrow-raising subscription scheme to collect funds for Xifeng’s birthday…) Next episode will cover the second half of the chapter (earth 土).

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