Anthony C. Yu Quotes (1938-2015)

“If life is illusory like a dream or fiction, what are we to do with so engaging an illusion as fiction? ... The trajectory of the plot, since it follows Bao-yu's quest for deliverance from his sufferings, may tempt the reader to think that the novel supplies but a mimetic enactment of the Buddhist vision. If the analysis in the present study thus far is not far off the mark, however, then I believe that the "flavor" or "secret message" of the work lies in the differentiation between the Buddhist "reading" of the world and our reading of literary fiction. ... Whereas Buddhism draws from its "reading" the conclusion that detachment is the ultimate wisdom, the experience of reading fiction, at least according to our author, is nothing if not the deepest engagement. In Hongloumeng, therefore, the medium subverts the message, the discourse its language.”

“Though the drift of Red Inkstone's remarks does not amount to a total disavowal of Honglou meng as a work of fiction, Red Inkstone certainly tends to single out certain parts of the novel for praise because 'there was really such a person' or 'this was what actually happened.' The commentary, valuable as it is, thus also serves to convert fiction to history, and the modern student should use it with discretion.”

“First and foremost, I want to thank Prof. Anthony Yu, who promptly responded to my solicitation of opinions on my manuscript while he was on a lecture tour in Australia. Though by no means an acquaintance, he kindly accepted me as an “unregistered student” while he was also mentoring six dissertations at the University of Chicago as a retired professor. After a meticulous reading of the manuscript, he sent me detailed comments on each chapter, often on individual lines, sharing with me his deep erudition and vast knowledge of Chinese culture. Some of his comments were directly incorporated into this book. What moved me most is the fact that he composed his last batches of e-mail responses to my manuscript when he was seriously ill. I cannot but marvel at his humanitarian spirit and his dedication to scholarship.”