Good points. I agree "the two characters represent Jia Baoyu's [or the author's] internal conflict".
In Hawkes' defense, though, he does preface his remarks with the caveat: "From various hints in the commentary, we can deduce...". Looking at the commentary in the 甲戌 edition (manuscript from 1754), on the passage where the character 兼美 appears, there's a suggestion it refers to Xue and Lin ("蓋指薛林而言也").
Another comment, in the 庚辰 edition (manuscript from c. 1761), states that Baochai and Daiyu are the same person ("釵玉名雖兩個，人卻一身，此幻筆也").
So one could argue that the two characters also represent internal conflicts within the same girl. (I suspect this world turns many Daiyus into Baochais.)
Your line that "Lin Daiyu is drop-dead gorgeous, and Xue Baochai is also extremely attractive" was amusing, and oddly enough reminded me of the Chinese woman writer Eileen Chang. If I recall correctly, she could tell the last 40 chapters of the Dream of the Red Chamber were not written by Cao Xueqin in part because they contain physical descriptions of Daiyu, whereas the first 80 chapters do not. For Chang, Baochai was worldly; Daiyu, otherworldly.
This aligns with the contemporary literary critic Liu Zaifu's view of Daiyu as a goddess, leading Baoyu forward in the novel "like Dante's guide Beatrice". Below is a pertinent comment by Liu, taken from his beautiful "Reflections on Dream of the Red Chamber". Hope you enjoy it.
"Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai are both very pretty. But, behind Xue Baochai's calm appearance the dust of the mundane world floats in her mind. She is capable of conforming to the conventions of the mundane world, but incapable of feeling deep sorrow, let alone experiencing lingering sadness. So, she lives rather comfortably. Lin Daiyu's mind is pure and clean, just like her tears. She is unable to get along with the mundane world, and, at the same time, the filth of the mundane world cannot enter her mind. As she immerses herself in sadness and keeps her soul pure, she displays a kind of uncontaminated beauty that is lacking in Xue Baochai. Unfortunately, the cruel rules of the mundane world only assure the survival of those who adapt themselves. In the end she could not survive and could not even find a place for her poems."
Eileen Chang is correct. You can also tell that the last 40 chapters were written by somebody else because a lot of the real mystical and deep (and, for foreigners, unclear) poetry winds up completely missing.
Good points. I agree "the two characters represent Jia Baoyu's [or the author's] internal conflict".
In Hawkes' defense, though, he does preface his remarks with the caveat: "From various hints in the commentary, we can deduce...". Looking at the commentary in the 甲戌 edition (manuscript from 1754), on the passage where the character 兼美 appears, there's a suggestion it refers to Xue and Lin ("蓋指薛林而言也").
Another comment, in the 庚辰 edition (manuscript from c. 1761), states that Baochai and Daiyu are the same person ("釵玉名雖兩個，人卻一身，此幻筆也").
So one could argue that the two characters also represent internal conflicts within the same girl. (I suspect this world turns many Daiyus into Baochais.)
Your line that "Lin Daiyu is drop-dead gorgeous, and Xue Baochai is also extremely attractive" was amusing, and oddly enough reminded me of the Chinese woman writer Eileen Chang. If I recall correctly, she could tell the last 40 chapters of the Dream of the Red Chamber were not written by Cao Xueqin in part because they contain physical descriptions of Daiyu, whereas the first 80 chapters do not. For Chang, Baochai was worldly; Daiyu, otherworldly.
This aligns with the contemporary literary critic Liu Zaifu's view of Daiyu as a goddess, leading Baoyu forward in the novel "like Dante's guide Beatrice". Below is a pertinent comment by Liu, taken from his beautiful "Reflections on Dream of the Red Chamber". Hope you enjoy it.
"Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai are both very pretty. But, behind Xue Baochai's calm appearance the dust of the mundane world floats in her mind. She is capable of conforming to the conventions of the mundane world, but incapable of feeling deep sorrow, let alone experiencing lingering sadness. So, she lives rather comfortably. Lin Daiyu's mind is pure and clean, just like her tears. She is unable to get along with the mundane world, and, at the same time, the filth of the mundane world cannot enter her mind. As she immerses herself in sadness and keeps her soul pure, she displays a kind of uncontaminated beauty that is lacking in Xue Baochai. Unfortunately, the cruel rules of the mundane world only assure the survival of those who adapt themselves. In the end she could not survive and could not even find a place for her poems."
Apologies for the lengthy comment.
This is a great comment - thank you!
Eileen Chang is correct. You can also tell that the last 40 chapters were written by somebody else because a lot of the real mystical and deep (and, for foreigners, unclear) poetry winds up completely missing.