Rereading the Stone

In Chapter 47 of Hongloumeng (Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢, Story of the Stone 石頭記) Grandmother Jia dresses down Lady Xing for her egregious meddling, and Xianglian plans to avenge Xue Pan for his presumptuous advances.
This is our 100th episode! An exciting milestone! Thanks everyone for joining us this far on this exciting literary journey.
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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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