In May 1943, this article appeared in the "Mandarin Duck Butterfly Pie" publication "Violet" edited by Zhou Shoujuan, which caused a sensation in the Shanghai literary circle in the occupied area and made the 23-year-old Zhang Ailing famous overnight. In the following June, "Violet" published her sequel "Agarwood Crumbs: The Second Incense".
However, I only finished writing "The First Incense" and "The Second Incense", which makes me doubt that Zhang Ailing originally planned to write a series of "Agarwood Crumbs". Perhaps after writing these two "incense", there was no suitable material for the time being, so it was temporarily suspended. Interestingly, people nowadays often name their works after "The Third Incense" to pay tribute to the grandmother of the novella.
In any case, we can consider that "Agarwood Crumbs: The First Incense" is the beginning of the heyday of Zhang's creation. Zhou Shoujuan keenly saw the brushwork of Maugham and Cao Xueqin. Both of these writers are also very fond of both writers by Zhang himself.
In "Agarwood Crumbs: The First Incense", Zhang Ailing depicts scenes in Hong Kong's social circle with delicate brushstrokes, including in-depth analysis of the characters' personalities and fates. In terms of specific plots, it has a lot of intertextual and reflective parts with "Dream of Red Mansions".
Jin Chu'er vs Ge Weilong
It is mentioned in "Dream of Red Mansions" that in order to pay tribute to Jin Chu'er, Jia Baoyu used the "two-star Shen Su" that he carried closely, and he also went to the Narcissus Nunnery to borrow an incense burner. "Two-star Shensu" is two small pieces of spices synthesized with agarwood and fast incense. Baoyu believes that although "Shen Su" is slightly inferior to sandalwood, rue, and incense, which are difficult to buy, because it is carried, it is better than buying, and it is more sincere and meaningful.
The element of "agarwood" in "Agarwood Crumbs: The First Incense" has the same effect as the "Shen Su" in "Red".
In "Agarwood Crumbs: The First Incense", "Agarwood" has become an important symbol to depict Ge Weilong's fate, metaphorically describing her life as an incense, from beginning to end, experiencing burning and disappearing.
Jin Chu'er and Wei Long are both women who are haunted by fate to some extent. Jin Chu'er, as a maid in Jiafu, has feelings for Baoyu, and this kind of affection is not allowed. In the social context of the time, the relationship between master and servant was strictly forbidden, so Jin Chu'er was under great pressure.
Weilong, on the other hand, is a young girl from Shanghai who came to Hong Kong to study. However, she is caught in a complex emotional entanglement. She falls in love with Qiaoqi, a rich child, but Qiaoqi is entangled with another woman. In order to get Qiao Qi's love, Wei Long did not hesitate to give up his dignity and principles, but in the end he couldn't get his sincerity.
The situation of Jin Chu'er and Weilong echoes, both showing the passivity and helplessness of women in their relationships. They face social pressure and their own emotional entanglements, and finally come to a tragic end. Jin Chu'er's death was because she was found flirting and was kicked out of Jiafu, and finally committed suicide in humiliationWei Long gave up his dignity and principles in order to get love, but in the end he couldn't get his sincerity. Their fate makes people feel sad and helpless.
Xiangling vs Ge Weilong
Some people also pointed out that in the first episode of "Dream of Red Mansions", the leper monk saw Zhen Shiyin holding his daughter Yinglian and said: "Habitual pampering laughs at you, and Ling Huakong is sloppy to Xue." After the Lantern Festival, it is time for the smoke to be extinguished." This verse foreshadows Yinglian's life, in which "after the Lantern Festival, it is the time when the smoke and fire are extinguished", and it also alludes to the "Thirty Nights of the Lunar Calendar" (near the Lantern Festival) and the fate of Weilong behind "The First Incense".
In addition, the description of the festival day in ** also has a similar artistic conception to the Lantern Festival banquet in "Dream of Red Mansions". In "Agarwood Crumbs: The First Incense".""Thirty Nights of the Lunar Calendar" is not only a microcosm of Hong Kong's prosperity and bustle, but also a turning point for Ge Weilong's self-reluctance to sink, as well as a moment of confusion and hesitation for the future. In "Dream of Red Mansions", the Lantern Festival banquet is the epitome of the prosperity of the Jia family, and also hints at Xiangling's tragic fate. Xiangling was abducted when she was a child after the Lantern Festival, the day her fate ended, and also after the Lantern Festival.
Both ** have strong emotional expressions and profound social reflections in the depiction of festivals.
To sum up, "Agarwood Crumbs: The First Incense" and "Dream of Red Mansions" have rich intertextuality and reflection in the characters' personalities, fates, symbolic elements and specific plots. Through the clever use of these elements, Eileen Chang makes her work richer, more interesting and has a deep cultural connotation.