《金瓶梅》《红楼梦》合璧阅读之二:厨房风波

Contrast Reading of Jin Ping Mei and Hongloumeng (2):The Kitchen Disturbance

《金瓶梅》第十一回"激打"为写妻妾争宠的第一次波浪。西门庆等吃荷花饼,引起厨房风波。潘金莲被宠爱。雪娥骂秋菊、春梅,不甘受辱,渴望抗争。得宠的大丫头春梅与失宠的妾妇雪娥之间冲突,暗写金莲得宠。《红楼梦》第六十一回也写厨房风波,写迎春的大丫鬟与柳嫂之间的矛盾,隐写奴仆势利,对贾二小姐怠慢。曹雪芹从"激打"受到启发,有所借鉴。

Chapter 11 of Jin Ping Mei describes the first competing for favor among Ximenqing’s wives.Ximenqing waits to eat lotus cake,which causes a disturbance in the kitchen.Panjinlian is cosseted.Xue’e reviles Qiuju and Chunmei,unwilling to be insulted,eager to resist injustice.The conflict between Chunmei and Xue’e indicates that Panjinlian is a favorite at that moment.Chapter 61 of Hongloumeng also depicts a kitchen disturbance,about the contradiction between Siqi,a servant girl and Liusao,actually portrays the servant’s snobbery to neglect Miss Yingchun.Caoxueqin got some reference from Jin Ping Mei and arranged a similar setting in his Hongloumeng.