The online lecture "repentance and remembrance: a dream of Red Mansions" hosted by the College of humanities, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was successfully concluded on April 17. This lecture has the honor to invite Professor Miao huaiming as the keynote speaker, and vice professor Jing Yugui from the school of Humanities of our university as the chair. Professor Miao Huaiming is Vice President China, Professor of Nanjing University, Professor of doctoral tutor, vice chairman of Chinese Popular Literature Association, founder and host of WeChat official account. Of course, these titles are not enough to show Professor Miao's academic achievements. In his opening remarks, Mr. Jing Yugui introduced professor Miao from academic research, academic works and other aspects, and pointed out that Professor Miao's lecture topics were novel, which fully aroused everyone's interest.
At the beginning of the lecture, Professor Miao pointed out that the purpose of the lecture was to clarify the question "what exactly is written in the dream of the Red Chamber", and put forward that the dream of the red chamber is actually a "confession record" which combines reflection and commemoration organically. Professor Miao pointed out that there are many misunderstandings about "what the dream of the Red Chamber" has written at present: many scholars believe that the dream of the red chamber expresses the thoughts of anti feudalism and anti ethics, and the achievements of the dream of the red chamber in thought and art are infinite; some researchers believe that the dream of the red chamber expresses the thoughts of "anti Qing and re Ming", including Cai Yuanpei and pan Chong A university like this. Professor Miao pointed out that there is a common problem in all these points: that is, some ideas that are summed up by modern people are set in a dream of Red Mansions, and remind us: "who says it is not, only the author of the dream of Red Mansions has the final say" "scholars only provide the possibility, and you also need your own choice".
Later, Professor Miao pointed out the unique features of a dream of Red Mansions compared with the other three classic novels: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, outlaws of the marsh and journey to the West are all the opening stories, which are narratives, while a dream of Red Mansions tells the author's creative motivation at the beginning. Professor Miao shows the first episode of a dream of Red Mansions: "when this is the case, I want to tell the world that my sin is inevitable. However, there are people in the boudoir who have lived in the past. They can't be ignored because of me The author analyzes and interprets "my sin" and "can't make it disappear", which proves the creative motive of "a dream of Red Mansions" - confession and commemoration.
Then, Professor Miao put forward four key words: family, love, youth and life.
At the family level, a dream of Red Mansions is different from the novel Yangjiajiang, which tells about the family's sense of unity to the outside world and guard the family's sense of honor. Instead, it is more like Jin Pingmei, which focuses on the contradictions within the family. Although there is also a sense of family glory, it focuses more on the process of how the family goes from "flowers with brocade, cooking oil with fire" to "the white land is really clean". Professor Miao agreed with Mr. Yu Pingbo that "a dream of Red Mansions is autobiographical", and believed that to understand the theme of a dream of Red Mansions and why Cao Xueqin should confess and commemorate, it is necessary to understand Cao Xueqin's family background. Then Professor Miao showed the whole process of Cao's family from rise to decline with detailed materials and simple explanations. On this basis, he proposed that Cao Xueqin was the "rebel" of life. He experienced the process of his family from prosperity to decline. The great changes of his family gave him unparalleled creative passion and emotional experience, which is the so-called "suffering destroyed a hundred year respected family.", He also made a great writer.
Professor Miao pointed out that in a dream of Red Mansions, Cao Xueqin expressed his deep feelings for the family: pride in the family foundation, regret for the family's dilapidation, and criticism of the family's internal disadvantages. In addition to his deep feelings, Cao Xueqin's description of the family is also reflective. In fact, a dream of Red Mansions exposes all kinds of defects in the family. No matter the "master" of the upper class or the young man, servant girl and mother-in-law of the lower class, "everyone is guilty and everyone has to repent.". Professor Miao put forward the concept of "the community of common destiny in Jia's Mansion", and pointed out pointedly by comparing Tan Chun and Jia Lian that "the people who are qualified to be responsible don't care, are drunk and dreamy, but the people who are not qualified to be responsible are deeply worried", which profoundly revealed Cao Xueqin's disappointment and even despair. Professor Miao also pointed out that no matter in a dream of Red Mansions or in history, neither home nor country can jump out of the strange circle of "rich but three generations".
In the aspect of love, Professor Miao believes that "dream of the Red Chamber" has reached a new height in the description of love, surpassing the love of appearance and talent written in previous novels, and rising to the love of confidants. A dream of Red Mansions vividly describes all kinds of complex forms of love, as well as all kinds of love and marriage, most of which end in tragedy, reflecting the social morbid.
A dream of Red Mansions not only sings elegy for love, but also for youth. The book not only writes about the beauty of youth, but also focuses on the transience of youth and the pain caused by it. Professor Miao pointed out that this kind of contradiction is not only for the works, but actually reflects a permanent human puzzle.
As for life, like Bao and Dai, they are deeply aware of the cruelty and ruthlessness of life, and suffer and struggle for it, but this is not only the dilemma Bao and Dai are in, but also an unsolvable problem for the author and human beings. The author can't find the answer, but through the description of literature and the tone of helplessness and sadness, he really reveals this important problem of life and expresses his thinking and confusion. This is the depth of a dream of Red Mansions.
Professor Miao started from the understanding of the theme of a dream of Red Mansions. After criticizing some wrong views, he clarified the four key points of understanding a dream of Red Mansions. The profound and humorous explanation impressed the students deeply, and the new ideas were also approved by the students. After two and a half hours of lecture, we were still not satisfied and asked questions enthusiastically. This lecture ended in a warm exchange and discussion.
Copywriter: Li Zilin
Editor: Rong Xuyuan
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Produced by the news center of the school of Humanities