‘金陵’ 콤플렉스와 기억의 서사 ― ≪紅樓夢≫에 나타난 ‘南京’의 표상과 의미

Abstract

Geological influence behind the history of Cao, Xue-qin‘s family and the composition of Dream of the Red Chamber cannot be attributed to one certain region. It was already pointed out in some existing studies that Dream of the Red Chamber is hybridal text, a combination of 18th century Chinese southern and northern culture. Nevertheless, in terms of underlying elements and prototypical perspective, Nanjing(南京)(Jinling) is the region that gave the most impact on constructing process of Dream of the Red Chamber. In the novel 金陵 is space where characters' desires, narrator's desires, and author's desires come together and overlap. In a sense Jinling(金陵) is analogous to Daguanyuan(大觀園). To Jia Baoyu, Daguanyuan is idealized and portrayed as a world of poetic transcendence, a place of childhood in which affectionate behaviors are permitted, and self-healing space where earthly success does not have to be sought, whereas to the author, Jinling is a place of childhood where he could cherish art that constantly called his attention to Wei-Jin fengdu(魏晉風度), and maintain poetic world and emotional ego. Cao, Xueqin moved to Beijing when his family was on the verge of collapse. Materially, psychologically, and culturally, Beijing must have appeared to the author as a barren and cold land. The author remembered cultural splendor and abundance of the past in the shrunken life of Beijing. One way to repent, remember, and transcend the past was engraving a stone with stories of women from Jinling, that is to say 'the Story of Stone’ and ‘Twelve beauties from Jinling’. To the author, writing about 'Jinling' or 'women from Jinling' was probably an act signifying nostalgia and longing for great Chinese south culture and artistic heritage that are represented by Jinling.