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"If Heaven had not given birth to me, Li Chuangang, I would stubbornly see through the long night."
"Full of absurd words, a handful of bitter tears.

All say the author is infatuated, who understands the flavor within.

 

I don't know, when reaching this point, seeing the conclusion of the story

If recalling these four lines of poetry will evoke any feelings?

I remember in the commentary on the first part of "Dream of the Red Chamber", it was mentioned

Many who first open "Dream of the Red Chamber", 

Upon seeing a few segments of the story and these lines of poetry, inevitably feel confused.

For example, they may think these lines are a bit exaggerated?

But if one follows the story to the end, and sees how all the tangled threads come together,

There will be a certain feeling of having experienced that part of life.

Only, this sentiment is so sorrowful and weighty, so clear yet indescribable

Even though one truly knows they have grasped this 'flavor'

Once spoken, that flavor diminishes almost entirely.

I wonder how many people feel this way after reading "Dream of the Red Chamber"?

Even knowing that these words, these stories, these characters

And the entire world are fictitious,

These people, these events, these joys and sorrows

Will keep one pondering day and night, forgetting to eat, and even linger in dreams.

And that is another story.

 

I think, "Dream of the Red Chamber" possesses a unique magic.

This magic is that even if you have read many works in the past

Even if you have experienced the vastness of the sea and the peaks of Wushan,

When you feel you are no longer easily moved,

Encountering it will always touch the melodies of your heart at some unguarded moment,

Causing your nose to tingle and tears to flow.

I believe a work that can return any weary heart to a state of innocence

Must be sharp.

Because those insightful interpretations, although can also move people

Can only make the inexperienced feel good.

Yet once one has life experience,

They will understand the gap between the truths of the world and the world itself

And thus cannot be moved by words that lack depth.

From another perspective, since the birth of "Dream of the Red Chamber" until now

The wide dissemination of culture, the vast number of studies, the diversity of related discourses

In terms of Chinese novels, it should be unparalleled, unprecedented.

Then, a work capable of resonating with such a wide audience

Must be universal.

Because if it hasn’t articulated the collective lament deeply rooted in the hearts of Chinese people over centuries,

But is merely a sentiment felt by a niche group, it cannot achieve such widespread circulation.

In fact, merely being sharp is relatively easy.

Because as long as the viewpoint is novel, people can be easily moved.

Merely achieving universality is also relatively easy.

Because one can simply draw upon commonly recognized principles and insights.

However, to be both sharp and universal at the same time is extremely difficult.

This can be said to be the ultimate goal of literary and artistic works.

 

I think, a work that is both 'sharp', meaning it can provide new insights or knowledge,

And 'universal', meaning it has inevitability and adaptability,

Is far superior to those works that cannot achieve these two points.

Moreover, different people reading "Dream of the Red Chamber", or even a single person each time they read it,

Will find different places of realization.

These points of understanding may be in Daiyu's poetry,

Or in a line from Jia Zheng, or even in the actions of Fengjie,

Or perhaps in the demeanor and words of Jia Yun or Granny Liu.

Because there are simply too many treasures in the book,

So each reading finds one’s own share.

Thus, "Dream of the Red Chamber" becomes a book that feels new every time it is read.

A detail noticed inadvertently can bring unexpected joy.

And that comes from the author’s condensation of so much wisdom and emotion,

Also from the painstaking effort of 'reviewing for ten years, revising five times'.

 

Looking at character portrayal and the perspective of the story,

One can see that although there are some fantastical elements in the story,

The author writes this work from a strong realistic perspective.

There are monks and Taoists in the story, elements of aversion and the spirit gem,

Various flower deities, the fairy of alertness, and illusory realms,

Yet there’s notably no capacity to change someone's mind, no resurrection from death,

No miracles to save the collapsing mansion.

When it comes to tragedy, the author’s sharpness is astonishing; characters die just like that.

This certainly aligns with the story's realistic tone of 'A thousand reds weep, ten thousand beauties share the same grief.'

But the author is not writing these characters and stories in a detached or indifferent manner.

On the contrary, it is evident that he harbors deep sympathy and love for these characters,

So much so that when his beloved characters die or face tragic fates,

He feels more heartache than the reader does.

This is reflected not only in the earlier quote about storytelling from 'Diao Hong Xuan',

Or in the frequent mentions during critiques of 'Who do we cry for?'

Even in the very lines written, such as 'The cold pond reflecting the cranes, the cold moon burying the flower soul',

Or 'The elegy for the daughter of the lotus',

We can see just how much emotion the author invested in these characters.

Moreover, this invested emotion is not solely concentrated on a few characters,

But is spread throughout both important and less important, positive and negative figures.

Thus, under the author’s pen, even seemingly antagonistic characters often possess endearing qualities,

And even the most upright characters will have flaws.

In other words, "Dream of the Red Chamber" is a work steeped in deep emotion

Yet restrains itself from an outburst of creative impulse, meticulously pondering and rigorously structuring

While exuding romance and compassion within a realist framework.

 

Speaking of romance and realism, there's an interesting phenomenon:

The secular tendencies in Chinese literary works.

For instance, the ending of "Dream of the Red Chamber" resonates with the poem "The Good Song";

"The shabby room is empty, once filled with an official’s cap…"

The television adaptation used it as the conclusion.

Even within such a guiding passage,

Sentences like "Because I dislike the small gauze hat, I bear the shame's burden"

And "Yesterday I pitied the tattered cloak, today I dislike the long purple cloak" abound.

Although they hint at later content, they still remain very secular and concrete.

If European or Japanese writers were to write such a pivotal passage,

There might be more speculative content or more lyrical language.

Similarly, in the classic romantic drama “The Injustice to Dou E”,

The miracle of snowing in June is undoubtedly a peak of romanticism.

However, in the story, after three years of drought in Chuzhou,

There still exists a plot where Dou Tianzhang returns from the capital to clear the case and restore justice.

The romantic moments do not genuinely resolve the conflict.

Things still conclude through secular means, that is, imperial examinations, trials, and closures."
Graphic Novel: Albus Dumbledore reads a Harry Potter book.
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