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China study lecture series 124 April 2010
Prelude
• http://video.sina.com.cn/ent/v/m/2009-12-26/193560958.shtml
China study lecture series 224 April 2010
Dream of
the Red Mansion
Presented
by Emily Rose
周枢
China study lecture series 324 April 2010
Cao Xueqin
• One of the greatest literary giants in the Chinese history
• Born in 1715 into a very established family of lords and ladies
• Died in 1763 in poverty
China study lecture series 424 April 2010
The Novel• The love story between Baoyu, Daiyu and Baochai as the plot line
• 1 emperor's favorite royal concubine • 2 stately homes – Rong’guofu, and Ning’guofu
• 4 generations of lords and ladies
• 12 beautiful Jinling ladies
• 32 dreams
• 108 beautiful girls on 9 “Lists of the Beloved”
• 120 chapters with the first 80 written by Cao Xueqin and the next 40 by others
• 975 characters, 732 named, 243 not
China study lecture series 524 April 2010
The Story Line
1. The stone – Baoyu and his jade
2. Daiyu lost her mum and met Baoyu
3. Baochai met Baoyu who loved Daiyu
4. Baoyu’s dream – the fate of the girls
5. Qin Keqing and her death
6. Daiyu lost her dad and became depressed
7. Yuanchun’s royal visit and Daguanyuan
8. Daiyu’s death and Baoyu’s marriage to Baochai
9. Yuanchun’s death and the fall of the four clans
10.Baoyu left the family to become a monk
China study lecture series 624 April 2010
Key Characters- Baoyu -
• The most spoilt
• The lady’s man
• The rebel
• Historical similarities to Werther as in “Die Leiden des jungen Werther” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
China study lecture series 724 April 2010
Key Characters- Daiyu -
• The orphan
• Baoyu’s only love
• The image of talents, purity and kindness
China study lecture series 824 April 2010
Key Characters- Baochai -
• The model lady of her time
• Baochai’s love for Baoyu
• The destined as well as the abandoned
China study lecture series 924 April 2010
Love vs. Marriage
• Marriage and politics• Love not allowed – death of Daiyu• Relationships between Baoyu and the servant
girls - Xiren, Qingwen, and Jinchuan• Qin Keqing and her father-in-law• Wang Xifeng toyed Jia Rui to death• Yuanyang’s suicide• Yuanchun, Yingchun, Tanchun and Xichun
China study lecture series 1024 April 2010
Respect for Authorityin a Hierarchical Society
• The role of Mm Jia as head of the family – the revering of the elderly
• Yuanchun’s influence on the family – her role as the daughter of the family and as the royal consort to the lords
• Expectations of Baoyu to secure the family fortunes
• Baochai’s aspiration to be enrolled into the palace
• The repression of individualism, freedom, love, and equality
China study lecture series 1124 April 2010
Power and Corruption
• Men and political power
• Women and domestic power – Wang Xifeng vs. the team of Tanchun, Baochai, and Li Wan
• Jia Yucun vs. Jia Zheng
China study lecture series 1224 April 2010
The Lack of Sustainability• In political
correctness – change of emperors
• In family fortunes
• In individualism – childhood vs. adulthood
China study lecture series 1324 April 2010
China study lecture series 1424 April 2010
Cao Xueqin’s Time Worldwide
American literature • The first novel, William Hill Brown’s “The
Power of Sympathy” published in 1789
European literature• The Age of Enlightenment
• Enlightenment – Romanticism
China study lecture series 1524 April 2010
English literature
1) Historical background:• A period of comparatively peaceful development• Industrial Revolution • The struggle of the bourgeoisie against feudalism.
2) Main writers and their works: • Daniel Defoe - Robinson Crusoe; Moll Flanders • Jonathan Swift - Gulliver’s Travels• William Blake - Songs of Innocence; Songs of
Experience• Robert Burns - A Red, Red Rose• Richard Brinsley Sheridan - The School for Scandal; The
Rivals
China study lecture series 1624 April 2010
The 18th Century Country House
• The golden age of the English country house
• Time period of Jane Austen (1775-1817)’s stories
• The separations between the classes – the “polite society” would stay within their circle
• Improved roadways meant that they could mingle during the London season, then head down to Bath and travel to stay at the various country houses of friends or strangers
China study lecture series 1724 April 2010
Chatsworth & Mr. Darcy
China study lecture series 1824 April 2010
International Interests
• Russian sinologist, V. P. Vasiliev (1818-1900), and his collection of the manuscripts
• German sinologist, Franz W. Kuhn (1884-1961), his Baoyu way of life and the first German translation
• French-speaking Swiss sinologist, Paul Demieville (1894-1979), and his monkey
• “Lin Daiyu in Shakespeare's Eyes”
China study lecture series 1924 April 2010
Relevance to Today
• “Old habits die hard” – the world hasn’t changed that much
• The lessons we can learn from the rise and fall of the lords
• The inspirations from the rebels
• The continuous pursuit for freedom, love and equality
China study lecture series 2024 April 2010
The End
• http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTUyNDU5MDA0.html