Modern Media Studies (Print ISSN: 3078-3151; Online ISSN: 3104-5049)

Copyright © 2025 by Modern Media Studies. All rights reserved.

MMS, Vol.1, No.1, 2025, pp.119-125 

Unveiling Stratified Mimesis: A Study of Wang Huaiyi’s The Iconic Origin of the Text of A Dream of Red Mansions

Dong Siqi（董思奇）[1]

Abstract: Wang Huaiyi places A Dream of Red Mansions (《红楼梦》) within the framework of classical Chinese mimetic theory, and comprehensively investigates the interactions between text and image, interiority and exteriority by anchoring the novel’s unique artistic space to the spirit of traditional Chinese aesthetics. Through meticulous analysis, the author reveals consistent, formulaic, and recursive archetypal models within the novel, including the intertextual dialogue between Qiu Ying’s Along the River During the Qingming Festival (《清明上河图》)and The Plum in the Golden Vase (《金瓶梅》), the spiritual affinity linking The Collected Works of Tang Yin (《唐寅集》)to A Dream of Red Mansions, the imagistic resonance between Spring Morning in the Han Palace (《汉宫春晓图》) and Daguanyuan (大观园), as well as the profound textual influence of Leng Mei’s A Dream of Red Mansions Paintings on the text of A Dream of Red Mansions. The mimetic practices in A Dream of Red Mansions emerge as stratified and recreative. By reconstructing the novel’s original cultural matrix, Wang illuminates its poetic essence while foregrounding the continuity and regenerative capacity of Chinese civilization. A Dream of Red Mansions stands as the intersection of genius and mimesis, and Wang’s The Iconic Origin of the Text of A Dream of Red Mansions (《〈红楼梦〉文本图像渊源考论》) serves as a scholarly representation of this genius mimesis.

Keywords: Mimesis; A Dream of Red Mansions; Literary Iconology; Visual-Textual Narratives

标题：让层层叠起的摹仿现于目前——读王怀义《〈红楼梦〉文本图像渊源考论》

摘要：王怀义《〈红楼梦〉文本图像渊源考论》一书将《红楼梦》置于中国古代摹仿说的视域中，全面探究了文本与图像、内部与外部的互动关系，使《红楼梦》的独特艺术空间与中国古典美学精神紧密相连。在作者细致的考论之下，《红楼梦》中出现了诸多具有一致性的、程式化的、反复出现的“范型”：如仇英《清明上河图》与《金瓶梅》的互文关系、《唐寅集》与《红楼梦》的精神联结、《汉宫春晓图》与大观园的意象呼应、《红楼梦》文本对冷枚《红楼梦图》的深刻影响。《红楼梦》中的摹仿是层层叠起且不断复生的。王怀义在一定程度上还原着《红楼梦》曾经所属的文化母体，从而使它的诗意精神真正显现，也使中华文明的连续性与再生产性得以彰显。《红楼梦》是天才与摹仿的交点，《〈红楼梦〉文本图像渊源考论》是对天才之摹仿过程的再现。

关键词：摹仿；《红楼梦》；文学图像学；可视性文本

[1] Dong Siqi, Ph.D. candidate in Literary Theory at the School of Chinese Language and Literature, Wuhan University. Research interests: Chinese aesthetics. Email: 1044240703@qq.com