ONNOTBECOMINGAHEROINE:LINDAI-YUANDCUIYING-YINGANNWALTNERPublishedby:TheUniversityofChicagoPressWhyandhowpeoplereadfictionisanissuethathasincreasinglycomeunderthescrutinyofWesternliterarycritics.InherrecentBecomingaHeroine,RachelM.Brownsteinsuggestswaysinwhichfictionmayserveaspecialroleinshapinganadolescentgirl'sexpectationsofthefuture.ThefictionBrownsteindiscussesischieflynineteenth-centuryEnglishnovels;thereadersshediscussesaretwentieth-centuryAmericanadolescents.ThenovelsofJaneAustenandAnthonyTrollope,wheretheplotcentersonfindingahusbandandthemarriageisthehappyending,areread,soBrownsteinsuggests,asscriptsforlifebycountlessadolescentgirlswhoviewfindingahusbandastheircentraltaskinalifethatwillinmanycrucialwaysendwithmarriage.Expectationsaboutlifeandmarriagearegatherednotfromobservationsoftherealworldbutfromruminationswithintherealmoffiction.Fictionalheroines,too,maybereadersofromance,andthewaysinwhichtheheroinereadstheromancerevealagooddealabouther,abouttheromance,andaboutthefictionalworldtheybothinhabit.LinDai-yu,acentralcharacterinCaoXue-qin'seighteenth-centuryChinesenovelDreamoftheRedChamber,isareaderofromances,especiallydramassuchasRomanceoftheWesternChamber.WesternChamberisoneofthefinestexemplarsofthe"scholar-beautyromance,"agenreinwhichabeautyandatalentedyouthmeet,fallinlove,overcomeobstacles,andeventuallymarry.Thegenremandatesahappyending.Dai-yu'sreadingofWesternChamberleadshertoseeherownfuturewiththeimageofCuiYing-ying,theheroineofWesternChamber,firmlyinmind.Itisanimagethatbothattractsandrepelsher.WhileRachelBrownstein'sreaderofJaneAusten'snovelsfindsanunambiguousmapforthefuture,Dai-yuseesawarninginthestoryofYing-ying.TheresonancesbetweenWesternChamberandRedChamberarenotlimitedtotheimaginationofDai-yu,butitistherethattheyfindtheirsharpestresolution.LinDai-yulivedinasocietywherelovewasnotanecessaryorevenadesirablepreludetomarriage.Ineighteenth-centuryChina,marriagewasatransactioninvolvingthefamiliesofthebrideandgroom.Whiletheinterestsoftheyoungcouplethemselvesmightnotbeignoredtotally,neitherweretheirinterestsparamount.Furthermore,amongtheupperclasses,femaleseclusionwassuchthatawomanmightnotevenseeherhusbanduntilherweddingnight.Chastitywascelebratedaschiefamongthefemalevirtues:womenwhowenttoextraordinarylengthstodefendtheirchastity(uptoandincludingsuicide)werecommemoratedinlocalhistories.ItisnowonderthatLinDai-yusoughtrefugeinthereadingofromances.DreamoftheRedChamber,firstpublishedin1792,isoneofthemasterworksoftheChinesenovel.In120chapters,itjuxtaposesanallegoricalstructurewithaday-to-daydescriptionofthedeclineofthehouseofJia.Thetensionbetweenallegoryandrealisticdepictionismirroredinacoupletthatrecursinthenovel,inscribedonanarchproclaimingentryintothe"LandofIllusion."Thecoupletreads:Truthbecomesfictionwhenthefiction'strue;Realbecomesnot-realwhentheunreal'sreal.Asweshallsee,Dai-yuusesfictiontointerpretheremotionallife.Theillusionofdesireisseenrefractedthroughthemirroroftheillusionoffiction.TheactionoftheRedChambercentersaroundthecharacterofJiaBao-yu,theadolescentscionofthehouseofJia,andhisyoungfemalecousins,themostimportantofwhomareLinDai-yuandXueBao-chai.Formuchofthenovel,Bao-yu,hiscousins,sisters,andtheirmaidsliveindwellingsinagardenatsomeremovefromthesupervisionoftheirelders,wheretheylivealifeofeaseburdenedneitherbytheresponsibilitiesofadulthoodnortherestriction...