Rereading the Stone
90 episodes - English - Latest episode: 19 days ago -Rereading the Stone is a weekly discussion of historical Chinese literature, philosophy, and poetry, currently focusing on the Qing dynastic Classic novel Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢) also known as Story of the Stone (Shitou ji 石頭記).
Homepage Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Ep. 84: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 39 part 2
April 06, 2024 18:00 - 51 minutes - 35.2 MBIn this episode, we puzzle over Grannie Liu’s arithmetic while questioning how age and social class more broadly inform her interactions with Grandmother Jia. A continuation of our discussion of chapter 39 of Dream of the Red Chamber (Story of the Stone), a classic work of historical Chinese literature. Support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/1269965/supporters/new Support the show
Ep. 83: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 chapter 39 part 1/2
January 31, 2024 05:00 - 1 hour - 42.3 MBWe treat the first part of Chapter 39 of Dream of the Red Chamber (Story of the Stone, Hongloumeng), as Li Wan and friends wax philosophical on the importance of having good servants to dissipate loneliness... our discussion turns toward issues of social value, and the paradoxes of hierarchy and intimacy. Support the show
Ep. 82: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 38 part 4
December 13, 2023 00:00 - 1 hour - 46 MBThe end (or is it beginning?) of our Chapter 38 review! (This was originally intended to be the first episode we’d release, but it was the last to be recorded, and we forgot to rearrange them.) The final part of our foray into this dense and rich chapter of Dream of the Red Chamber (Story of the Stone). Support the show
Episode 81: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 38 part 3
September 28, 2023 04:00 - 44 minutes - 30.4 MBThe Chapter 38 poetry review continues! No poetic stone left unturned! Support the show
Ep. 80: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 38 part 2
August 30, 2023 06:00 - 57 minutes - 39.7 MBThe Chapter 38 poetry review of Hong lou meng (Dream of the Red Chamber, Story of the Stone) continues! Note: as indicated in the episode, some “creative” post-production editing was performed in order to improve upon and to correct elements of our original commentary. Also note: The Greek painter whose name escapes Kevin in the episode is Parrhasius! Final note: The Leonard Cohen song briefly in question is "Tower of Song." Support the show
Episode 79: Rereading Hong lou meng Chapter 紅樓夢 Chapter 38 part 1
July 15, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 57.1 MBAfter a brief but productive hiatus, in which considerable Hong lou meng’ing was happening “behind the scenes,” Rereading returns, with a poetry-pilled perusal of Chapter 38! This is the first part of our exploration of this chapter. Support the show
Ep 78: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 chapter 37 part 2/2
March 05, 2023 06:00 - 57 minutes - 39.8 MBNew poetry club “The Crab-flower Club” 海棠社 just dropped, and Daiyu is sweeping up sunsets. Meanwhile Baoyu can’t seem to keep on-prompt… Support the show
Ep 78: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 chapter 37 part 2/4
March 05, 2023 06:00 - 57 minutes - 39.8 MBNew poetry club “The Crab-flower Club” 海棠社 just dropped, and Daiyu is sweeping up sunsets. Meanwhile Baoyu can’t seem to keep on-prompt…
Ep. 77: Hong lou meng chapter 37 part 1/4
January 07, 2023 21:00 - 1 hour - 63.7 MB“Why should the founding of poetry clubs be the sole prerogative of the whiskered male, and female versificators allowed a voice in the tunable concert of the muses only when some enlightened patriarch sees fit to invite them? Will you come, then, and rhyme with us?” New poetry club “The Crab-flower Club” 海棠社 just dropped! The latest installation of our exploration of Dream of the Red Chamber ( Hongloumeng, 紅樓夢, 红楼梦).
Ep. 77: Hong lou meng chapter 37 part 1/2
January 07, 2023 21:00 - 1 hour - 63.7 MB“Why should the founding of poetry clubs be the sole prerogative of the whiskered male, and female versificators allowed a voice in the tunable concert of the muses only when some enlightened patriarch sees fit to invite them? Will you come, then, and rhyme with us?” New poetry club “The Crab-flower Club” 海棠社 just dropped! The latest installation of our exploration of Dream of the Red Chamber ( Hongloumeng, 紅樓夢, 红楼梦). Support the show
Ep. 76: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 36 part 2/2
November 23, 2022 07:00 - 43 minutes - 30.1 MBBaoyu expounds upon one of his favorite topics, his notion of the ideal death, linking it to idle visions shared by his soulmate. He then goes off in search of a song, only to find the baleful laments of a caged bird in a hall of mirrors. Support the show
Ep. 75: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 36 part 1/2
October 05, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour - 45.5 MBTime to choose: do you believe in the marriage of gold and jade, or do you believe in the marriage of stone and flower? Check out part 1 of our discussion of chapter 36 of Dream of the Red Chamber, or The Story of the Stone. Support the show
Ep. 74: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 35 part 2/2
August 26, 2022 05:00 - 42 minutes - 29.1 MBBaoyu is poorly regarded by visitors, and Baochai sends subtle signals to Aroma. We discuss families and fortunes. Note: I’ve preserved a weird audio effect at the end of the episode for a behind-the-scenes feel, and because I thought it was funny. Support the show
Ep. 73: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 35 part 1/2
August 09, 2022 01:00 - 51 minutes - 35.6 MBDaiyu is expertly trolled by a bird, and Baoyu tries to charm Silver. Baoyu tries to get Grandmother Jia to praise Daiyu, but she praises Baochai instead. Meanwhile we attempt to ascertain the social-hierarchical significance of who serves whom, and who sits when. Support the show
Ep 72: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 chapter 34 part 2/2
July 19, 2022 01:00 - 49 minutes - 34.1 MBIs love disgusting? Why wouldn’t it be? If your love is not reaching toward some infinite embrace, the quality of being unqualified, is it love? After a discussion of the handkerchief verses, we discuss Xue Pan and the “dark social alchemy” of violence and quantification. Support the show
Ep. 71: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 34 part 1/2
July 07, 2022 05:00 - 44 minutes - 30.4 MBIn the aftermath of the beating, who really cares and who is putting on appearances? What pain can more tears rebalance? A stained handkerchief can be a symbol, and a medium for artistic response. There is mutual understanding developing in the garden, but does falsity fatally ruin the whole concept of meta-cognition? Support the show
Ep. 70: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 33 part 2/2
June 15, 2022 19:00 - 29 minutes - 20.5 MBBaoyu is beaten! How does the ideology of filial piety inform this scene, when it is intra-familial conflict that, in part, brings it in being? Support the show
Ep. 69: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 33 part 1/2
May 25, 2022 05:00 - 32 minutes - 22.1 MBAn actor, the female impersonator Jiang Yuhan, has exited the Prince of Zhongshun’s stage, his gifted sash contradicting Baoyu’s claims of ignorance. Which path of fate is being depicted, and why must extreme violence befall Baoyu? Support the show
Ep. 68: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 32 part 2/2
May 09, 2022 05:00 - 31 minutes - 21.4 MBThe death of Golden 金釧! Who is at fault for her premature demise? Is there any agency in, and meaning to one’s actions, when symbols prefigure, and fate seems fixed? Support the show
Ep 67: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 chapter 32 part 1/2
April 25, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour - 47.9 MBXiangyun 湘雲 is here, and she comes bearing gifts and opinions. What’s the meaning of a gift? Do duplicates double in value? For Baoyu, is the value of linen dependent upon the familiarity of the hand crafting it? And what’s the use in a message that reaches the wrong recipient? Support the show
Ep 66: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 chapter 31 part 2/2
March 23, 2022 19:00 - 29 minutes - 20.6 MBA short Xiangyun 湘雲 episode! We attempt to decipher her thoughts on yinyang 陰陽 philosophy and how it relates to her relationship with her maid Kingfisher 翠縷. The metaphysics of golden qilin 麒麟 in Dream of the Red Chamber/ Story of the Stone (紅樓夢, 红楼梦) are also briefly addressed. Support the show
Ep. 65: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 31 part 1/2
March 07, 2022 17:00 - 50 minutes - 34.8 MBWhat are the ethics of using an object? Is it immoral to break something just for the sound of it? What social, political, and economic sacrifices are justified, when performed for those closest? DISCLAIMER: no fans were hurt in the recording of this episode. Support the show
Ep. 64: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 30 part 2/2
February 07, 2022 06:00 - 36 minutes - 24.8 MBWhat meaning could reside in a hairpin? When is a hairpin a pen, and which character is being written? Would a false Xi Shi 西施 dream of real roses? Part 2 of our discussion of Chapter 30 of "Dream of the Red Chamber" Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, "Story of the Stone" (石頭記). Support the show
Ep. 63: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 30 part 1/2
January 20, 2022 01:00 - 1 hour - 41.8 MBIn the space between dreaming and waking, what rules apply? What feelings are displaced in acts of judgment? Do those who dream us wish us well? A turning point in Dream of the Red Chamber (Story of the Stone 石頭記) (Hong lou meng, Hongloumeng) (紅樓夢, 红楼梦), the story of the ill-fated Golden 金釧. Support the show
Ep 62: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 chapter 29 part 2/2
January 04, 2022 02:00 - 44 minutes - 30.5 MBPlays within plays, and a meta-cognitive dispute! Is every jade tear still a microcosm? Do two false representations make one shared reality? Part 2 of our discussion of Chapter 29 of Dream of the Red Chamber (紅樓夢，红楼梦), Story of the Stone (石头记). Support the show
Ep 61: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 chapter 29 part 1/2
December 13, 2021 08:00 - 55 minutes - 38.3 MBIn Chapter 29 of Dream of the Red Chamber (Hongloumeng 紅樓夢, Story of the Stone 石頭記), the crew is out and about in full force. Even before the plays begin, a spitting is delegated, a collision is mitigated, and a famous jade is investigated. Support the show
Ep 60: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 chapter 28 part 2/2
November 27, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour - 49.6 MBThe poetry party, an artistic dream within a dream, continues! Readers of Dream of the Red Chamber (Story of the Stone 石頭記, Hongloumeng 紅樓夢) are here first introduced to the poetic stylings of Xue Pan 薛蟠, arguably the first postmodern brutalist poet in the classical Chinese literary tradition! Support the show
Ep. 59: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 28 part 1/2
November 12, 2021 19:00 - 1 hour - 47.4 MBBaoyu and Daiyu try to work through mutual misunderstanding, and matters of medicine reemerge. At Feng Ziying’s party, verses are improvised on the subject of female joys and sorrows, yet another poetic opportunity for red chamber dream projections. Support the show
Ep 58: Hong lou meng chapter 27 part 2/2
November 03, 2021 23:00 - 40 minutes - 27.7 MBIn this episode we broach one of the most central questions of Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢 — why bury fallen flowers? Attempting to answer this question, we discuss cuckoos, mottled bamboo, the end of spring, cold pillows, inner chambers, and tears of blood. We also touch upon the relationship between interpretative spaces and values to live by. Support the show
Ep. 57: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 27 part 1/2
October 23, 2021 00:00 - 51 minutes - 35.5 MBBaoyu seeks Daiyu, who is notably absent bemoaning the season. Baochai chases butterflies, and Crimson enumerates a bewildering array of ladies. Support the show
Ep. 56: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 26 part 2/2
October 02, 2021 17:00 - 34 minutes - 23.9 MBA scion of great wealth demonstrates a dearth of erudition, while a legendary worrier transcends nature’s limits. Support the show
Ep. 55: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 26 part 1/2
September 23, 2021 20:00 - 57 minutes - 39.5 MBReal affections between Crimson and Jia Yun are ornamented by dream and fantasy, while the Name of the Father is appropriated for idle pleasures. Daiyu’s feelings of social exclusion are accentuated by the proximity of desire. Support the show
Ep. 54: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 25 part 2/2
September 11, 2021 19:00 - 49 minutes - 34.1 MBThings get weird when Mother Ma throws down a surprisingly efficacious curse. Xifeng starts slaughtering miscellaneous animals, and Baoyu is consumed by suicidal ideation. We discuss the fortuitous, surprising reappearance of the Daoist priest and Buddhist monk, and Baoyu’s relationship to, and identity with, his magical, metafictional jade. Support the show
Ep. 53: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 25 part 1/2
August 30, 2021 09:00 - 50 minutes - 34.6 MBA time of danger, with molten wax and curses raining down on Baoyu! We discuss Aunt Zhao’s resentment, Mother Ma’s sesame oil subscription service, and the sublime, surprising role of the supernatural in this chapter of Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢. Support the show
Ep 52: Hong lou meng review episode (Ch. 13-24)
August 20, 2021 05:00 - 1 hour - 61.4 MBOur second twelve-chapter review episode, chapters 13-24. A great chance to review one's rereading, with some fresh takes thrown in for good measure. Support the show
Ep. 51: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 24 part 2/2
August 10, 2021 03:00 - 49 minutes - 34.1 MBWe continue discussing Jia Yun’s perilous navigation of our constellation of stars, while Baoyu from an empty center thirsts for tea and attention. Support the show
Ep. 50: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 24 part 1/2
August 02, 2021 11:00 - 56 minutes - 38.6 MBLet’s talk Jia Yun, a distant and poorer member of the extended Jia universe. How does this peripheral player navigate our constellation of stars? Would you take a loan from a drunken, violence-prone moneylender in order to bribe Wang Xifeng? Likewise, we observe the maids attending Baoyu viciously vying for the most favorable orbits. Support the show
Episode 49 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 23 part 2/2
July 23, 2021 03:00 - 55 minutes - 38.2 MBIn this episode, we finish our read-through of Baoyu’s seasonal poems, empathizing common themes and images. Meanwhile Baoyu has newly procured scandalous romantic literature and has snuck a few texts into the garden, including the famous Xixiang ji 西廂記 Romance of the Western Chamber. Join us for one of the most iconic moments of Dream of the Red Chamber, Baoyu and Daiyu comparing different methods for taking care of fallen flowers. What undercurrents can be traced? What explosions of love a...
Episode 48 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 23 part 1/2
July 14, 2021 00:00 - 1 hour - 47.7 MBAn imperial injunction — to enjoy? Baoyu and the young ladies of the compound receive orders from the Imperial Concubine Yuanchun to move into the garden and reside in its various small houses. Will a life lived aesthetically affect the soul? Baoyu during the late nights transcribes improvisational visions of his waking dream, each poem dedicated to a season of the passing year. Support the show
Episode 47 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 22 part 2/2
July 05, 2021 10:00 - 58 minutes - 40.5 MBIn this episode, we explore the enigmatic, prophetic riddles in the second half of Chapter 22 of Dream of the Red Chamber (Story of the Stone). What controversies exist due to there being divergent versions of the text? What branching fates and vicissitudinous fortunes are posited in these gloomy lines? And why is Jia Zheng especially affected by the riddles? Is a riddle likely to make a rectifier of rites uneasy, or is paradox a realm where those accustomed to judgment are apt to excel? S...
Episode 46 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 22 part 1/2
June 27, 2021 19:00 - 1 hour - 49.8 MB‘Can’t you be a bit quieter and attend to the play? This is Zhi-shen at the Monastery Gate we’re supposed to be listening to, not Jing-de Acts the Madman!’ Baoyu expresses in poetic verse, following a performance during Baochai’s birthday festivities, his thoughts on Buddhist enlightenment, but Daiyu and Baochai promptly burst his bubble. Are they actively discouraging him from indulging monastic fantasies? Support the show
Episode 45 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 21 part 2/2
June 18, 2021 22:00 - 36 minutes - 25.2 MBIn our coverage of the second half of Chapter 21 of Dream of the Red Chamber, we focus on the infidelities of Jia Lian and the dynamics of his marriage with Xifeng. Observing a ritually-prescribed separation from Xifeng on account of his daughter’s recovery from smallpox, Jia Lian has the opportunity to bed another occupant of the Jia compound known for her promiscuity. Patience’s discovery of an artifact of this affair places her in a difficult situation, facing suspicions and aggression bo...
Episode 44 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 21 part 1/2
June 07, 2021 19:00 - 47 minutes - 33 MBChapter 21’s quotidian garden affairs prompt a discussion of desire, identity, naming, and boundaries. Passive aggressive feuding between Baoyu and Xiren is displaced onto Baoyu’s interaction with other maids in the household; fed up with all these flagrantly fragrant designations, Baoyu on a whim re-renames a younger maid “Number 4.” His discontent is further expressed in impromptu Daoist, in particular Zhuangzian, poetic rumination, which we outline and begin to discuss. Support the show
Episode 43 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 20 part 2/2
May 28, 2021 18:00 - 43 minutes - 29.9 MBEnter the garden Shi Xiangyun, one of the most beloved characters in Dream of the Red Chamber. Meanwhile the status anxieties of Jia Huan and Aunt Zhao are explored, and Baoyu and Daiyu continue perfecting the art of verbal escalation and “maybe I should just die” provocation. Support the show
Episode 42 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 20 part 1/2
May 21, 2021 19:00 - 1 hour - 55.9 MBEnter the garden Shi Xiangyun, one of the most beloved characters in Dream of the Red Chamber. Meanwhile Nanny Li exchanges bitter words with Aroma, Jia Huan lets reveal his resentment toward Baoyu, and Daiyu is jealous of Baoyu’s time with Baochai. In this idle transitional moment, partly enforced by cultural prohibitions on labor, the garden and its occupants appear as floating constellations in orbits complementary and otherwise. Support the show
Episode 41 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 19 part 2/2
May 12, 2021 03:00 - 47 minutes - 32.7 MBBaoyu, the idle subject, subjects Aroma to surprise visitation. Aroma engages Baoyu with artful artifice, as characters and readers alike question the fantasy and reality of these social roles and relations. Later on Baoyu visits Daiyu and has aromatic memories of the Land of Illusion. Plus, we break down the “Sweet Potato” story Baoyu improvises. Support the show
Episode 40 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 19 part 1/2
May 05, 2021 02:00 - 57 minutes - 39.3 MBBaoyu, idle and seeking artifice, stumbles upon real acts of desire. If Chapter 5 represents the dream as a form of desire, how does Chapter 19 represent artistic forms? In this first part of our Chapter 19 discussion, we discuss Baoyu’s ambiguous relationship with Aroma, his interactions with Nanny Li, and his lack of self-awareness. Support the show
Episode 38 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 18 part 4/4
April 27, 2021 07:00 - 59 minutes - 41.2 MBThe final part of our deep-dive into the poetry showcased in Chapter 18 celebrating Yuanchun’s visit home. In this part we consider all of the contributions in Baoyu’s name. Issues of nature versus the natural reemerge, and Daiyu continues to be a poet diva. Behold the garden, behold the dream! Relax, enjoy some partially-enclosed spice mountains, why not? We dive deeply into all the allusions and embrace fully the readerly state of sensory overload.
Episode 39 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 18 part 4/4
April 27, 2021 07:00 - 59 minutes - 41.2 MBThe final part of our deep-dive into the poetry showcased in Chapter 18 celebrating Yuanchun’s visit home. In this part we consider all of the contributions in Baoyu’s name. Issues of nature versus the natural reemerge, and Daiyu continues to be a poet diva. Behold the garden, behold the dream! Relax, enjoy some partially-enclosed spice mountains, why not? We dive deeply into all the allusions and embrace fully the readerly state of sensory overload. Support the show
Episode 38 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 18 part 3/4
April 21, 2021 06:00 - 1 hour - 54.9 MBThe first part of our deep-dive into the poetry showcased in Chapter 18 celebrating Yuanchun’s visit home. In this part we consider all of the contributions except those in Baoyu’s name. Specific interpretations are offered and critiqued, while general theoretical concerns previously addressed reemerge. How do these poems reflect the personalities (and the fates?) of their creators? What is the relationship between art and artifice when you're a fictional character engaged in artistic creati...