Reading 1001 discussion

13. What, or who, is the stone?

The Stone is the piece of jade in Bao-yu's mouth at his birth, but there is also a reference (or maybe it was in the intro) that Bao-yu is the incarnation of the Stone.

In any case, if the Stone is "healthy," then it protects Bao-yu. If not, then he can die.

Agree with John

Although at some points the stone interjected with its own narrative separate from Bao-yu

Book wrote: "Agree with John

Although at some points the stone interjected with its own narrative separate from Bao-yu"

I thought about adding a question about that, where Cao shifts from the omniscient narrator to the "Note from The Stone." I thought that was an interesting exercise and probably meant to convey a couple points - the narrator isn't really omniscient; the Stone is sentient.

I have to admit I am still a little confused about the stone. It is a mystical concept that confers special fate on those it touches. It is metaphysical and important in the Chinese people's understanding of how the world works at the time the novel is set.

What am I missing?

??????

Judith wrote: "I have to admit I am still a little confused about the stone. It is a mystical concept that confers special fate on those it touches. It is metaphysical and important in the Chinese people's unders..."

It may be a little early yet to understand.

John wrote: "Judith wrote: "I have to admit I am still a little confused about the stone. It is a mystical concept that confers special fate on those it touches. It is metaphysical and important in the Chinese ..."

Yes, I do hope it becomes clearer...

As I understand at this point from the three different editions I've checked, it was first an inscription on a stone that the monk brought to the world from another realm. Then somehow it becomes a physical Stone of jade (again?) that has been broken up and a piece of it is in our hero's mouth when he is born connoting a special fate. But somehow, also, it is sentient and carries on conversations. There are also references to our hero being a reincarnation of the Stone.

I am reading several sources to try and get a handle on this aspect. Clearly I have not integrated them all at this point.
It may be that the different translators have muddled the matter too much to know exactly what the author intended to convey about the role of the Stone in this novel. I have read that it is extremely difficult to translate Chinese to English especially with
antiquated language and colloquialisms used in the original version in the 1750's ... much of it must have been lost in translation....

Bao-yu is the incarnation of a supernatural stone, while Daiyu is the incarnation of a magical flower, and that the two must learn a lesson through "the tears shed during the whole of a mortal lifetime". The lesson is the danger of "attachment" (even a seemingly good attachment like romantic love).

I interpreted it as a kind of Chinese creation myth.