Rereading the Stone
91 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month 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).
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Episodes
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...
Episode 37 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 18 part 2/4
April 13, 2021 05:00 - 41 minutes - 28.7 MBWe continue exploring Yuanchun’s new social standing in this episode. What does it mean to live in a gilded cage, a shimmering space of ritual and power? How does her new position affect her relationship with her family? Meanwhile poet-rockstar Daiyu feels that her talents are going to waste, Baochai plays the teacher, and Baoyu cheats on the test. Support the Show.
Episode 35 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 18 part 1/4
April 06, 2021 08:00 - 44 minutes - 30.5 MBImperial Concubine Yuanchun returns home to visit family, to see the garden constructed in her honor, to review and edit the names and couplets assigned to all of the most famous spots, and to hear the celebratory, yet serious, poems everyone has written for the occasion. We begin by discussing temporal discrepancies in this chapter, exploring the relationship between logical contradiction and the oblique logic of dreaming. What does it mean to live in a gilded cage, a shimmering space of ri...
Episode 35 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 17 part 4/4
March 29, 2021 10:00 - 48 minutes - 33.1 MBThe final part of our first garden tour, can you handle this assault on the senses? Can you process this profusion of effusive allusions? Will it prompt your weary soul to dream fragrant dreams? Where’s the line between free play and plagiarism? Are you at home with homage, or do you rectify all references, towing the literal interpretative line? Our battle of literary minds reaches a fever pitch! Support the Show.
Episode 34 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 17 part 3/4
March 23, 2021 05:00 - 1 hour - 44.5 MBThe garden gives and gives, and the tension between Baoyu and Jia Zheng is heightening! As one penetrates art and artifice ever more deeply, fiction becomes reality, and reality becomes hyperreality. The mock village here tucked away would have pulled at Marie Antoinette’s heartstrings, so is it any surprise that Jia Zheng likes it? Baoyu goes off and unleashes an extended critique, and is met with verbal abuse. What is the meaning of nature and the natural (tianran 天然), and how does it rela...
Episode 33 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 17 part 2/4
March 16, 2021 06:00 - 50 minutes - 34.4 MBDeeper — into the garden! This leisurely stroll through Prospect Garden 大觀園, a location of central significance for Hong lou meng (Dream of the Red Chamber), doubles as a feat of poetic strength. We discuss further all the deep-cut historical references flying about and their possible significance for this chapter and for theories of art and meaning. Baoyu unleashes his poetic A-game material, but also seems to alienate his father with the sensual and sensuous acuity of his verses. Support ...
Episode 32 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 17 part 1/4
March 08, 2021 23:00 - 52 minutes - 36.2 MBAn episode not to be missed — enter the garden! This leisurely stroll through Prospect Garden 大觀園, a location of central significance for Hong lou meng (Dream of the Red Chamber), doubles as a feat of poetic strength. Can Baoyu’s “wayward talent” mitigate his father’s skepticism and dismissiveness? We foreground a number of themes already emphasized on the podcast, in particular aesthetics and philosophies of beauty and art. Is beauty a reflection of nature, or does it rely on upon artistic ...
Episode 31 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 16 part 2/2
March 01, 2021 21:00 - 50 minutes - 34.6 MBIn this episode, Rereading the Stone explores the subtext of a rather oblique discussion between Xifeng and Jia Lian, and Qin Zhong’s descent into the Yellow Springs is excavated. What lies beneath words and symbolic accoutrement, and what does it mean that the Ministers of the Underworld have already heard the legends of the magical jade? Support the Show.
Episode 30 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 16 part 1/2
February 22, 2021 11:00 - 43 minutes - 30 MBWhile Yuan Chun ascends to palace halls of Heavenly Grace, Qin Zhong is dragged away to the Yellow Springs. Why don’t we learn directly what Yuan Chuan thinks of her new position? Is this a commentary on the author’s part? And why can’t Baoyu try harder in his interactions with Lin Daiyu? Why are his gifts so thoughtless? C’mon, man! Support the Show.
Ep. 29: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 15 part 2/2
February 15, 2021 22:00 - 37 minutes - 25.7 MBStill outside the Jia compound and the city walls, Baoyu and Qin Zhong further explore the vicissitudes of youth, love, commitment, and debts both spiritual and material. Xifeng tries to profit from the business of betrothal, while Qin Zhong lends his heart out to Sapientia. Support the Show.
Ep. 28: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 15 part 1/2
February 09, 2021 02:00 - 56 minutes - 39 MBWhereas the last chapter was heavy, even somewhat brutal, this chapter of Hong lou meng (Dream of the Red Chamber) gets our protagonist and his buddy Qin Zhong out of the Jia compound, outside the city walls, and into the open air. On-going funerary matters aren’t going to prevent Baoyu from enjoying a scenic trip and maybe even learning a little about rural agricultural life. A roadside encounter between Baoyu and “the second girl” leaves fantastical impressions that seem to diverge from re...
Ep 27: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 14 part 2/2
February 01, 2021 11:00 - 42 minutes - 29.3 MBXifeng lets power get to her in Ch. 14 of Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢, while shedding real tears for the dearly departed Keqing, and the young Prince of Bei-jing meets our legendary jade-in-mouth protagonist. We discuss historical matters of yinyang philosophy and supposedly “geomantic” belief systems, as well as the quasi-monetary system of tokens and scripts internal to the expansive Jia household. Support the Show.
Episode 26: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 14 part 1/2
January 26, 2021 07:00 - 36 minutes - 25.4 MBQin Keqing’s funeral is upon us, and Rereading the Stone is learning all about Daoist and Buddhist funerary rites and mourning rituals, and pondering the dialectics of mourning and excess, as Jia Zhen buys an official title for Jia Rong to elevate Qin Keqing in death, and as Wang Xifeng takes on more responsibilities than may be advisable. Support the Show.
Episode 25 Summary and Review Episode for Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapters 1 through 12
January 21, 2021 09:00 - 2 hours - 85.9 MBBonus Content! By popular request, check out our summary episode for chapters 1 through 12 of Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Dream of the Red Chamber! This is mostly a plot summary for clarification and review, but we also talk a little here and there, giving general reflections on and reactions to the progress of the novel so far. Be sure to comment and tell us if this is helpful and whether you’d like to see more of these kinds of episodes in the future. Support the Show.
Episode 24 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 13 part 2/2
January 18, 2021 10:00 - 49 minutes - 33.9 MBA turning point in Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Dream of the Red Chamber, Rereading the Stone is there for when Xifeng takes on new managerial responsibilities and as cracks appear in the Ning household façade, Jia Zhen and You Shi each acting peculiar in unique ways. We also put on our economic historian caps for a moment to weigh out some of the most significant prices and money sums encountered so far in the novel, in order to get a sense for just how much Jia Zhen is spending in connection with Qin...
Episode 23 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 13 part 1/2
January 11, 2021 11:00 - 48 minutes - 33.5 MBRereading the Stone takes a darker turn, as Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Dream of the Red Chamber begins its second 12-part chapter cycle (Chapter 13). Will Xifeng heed the dream advice of Qin Keqing’s departing soul? As if to lighten the mood, this episode is noteworthy for its range of comparative materials. Support the Show.
Episode 22 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 12 part 2/2
January 04, 2021 19:00 - 38 minutes - 26.6 MBJia Rui and Rereading the Stone plunge head first into the alluring yet vacuous realm of fantasy in this chapter of Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Dream of the Red Chamber. We trace the series of events that lead to Jia Rui’s receiving the magical precious mirror of the romantics (風月寶鑑 fengyue baojian). This second and final part of the Jia Rui saga is an eye-opening, darkly humorous episode not to be missed. Along the way, Kevin discusses the vagaries of the modern ginseng procurement, and Will draws pa...
Episode 21 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 12 part 1/2
December 28, 2020 11:00 - 38 minutes - 26.8 MBJia Rui learns a lot — all too much — about fantasy and the reality of fantasy in this chapter of Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Dream of the Red Chamber. We trace the series of events that lead to Jia Rui’s receiving the magical precious mirror of the romantics (風月寶鑑 fengyue baojian). Is Jia Rui wholly to blame, or does his cousin Xifeng exact her revenge with excessive zealousness? In what ways is or is not Xifeng’s soul implicated in the fantasy space in which this mirror originates? One of the most f...
Episode 20 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 11 part 2/2
December 21, 2020 11:00 - 55 minutes - 38.4 MBWhen you pass through a garden, something is going to happen. Snake-in-the-grass Jia Rui shows interest in his cousin Xifeng, who has plans of her own. In a special second part of this episode, Kevin previews a talk he gave, trying to understand how to understand color and color symbolism in Hong lou meng Dream of the Red Chamber, in the process giving our most-detailed explanation to-date for what it means to be wuxing 五行-pilled from a secular, scientific perspective! Support the Show.
Ep 19: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 11 part 1/2
December 14, 2020 11:00 - 41 minutes - 28.6 MBIt’s Jia Jing’s birthday, and we are going to celebrate whether he's immortal or not! As the festivities proceed, an ailing Qin Keqing opens her heart to Xifeng. Baoyu drifts off in thought, the matching couplets on her bedroom wall again his point of focus. On the wuxing scale of 1 to 10, this episode measures black green. Support the Show.
Ep 18 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 10 part 2/2
December 07, 2020 11:00 - 24 minutes - 16.6 MBPart 2 of 2 of Chapter 10 of Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢) takes us to the Ning Branch of the Jia clan, as Qin Keqing suffers from a mysterious and distressing illness. We learn all about the “niche ingredients” in the sundry medicines doctors have been prescribing Qin Keqing and ponder the wuxing 五行 correlative thinking underlying this thinking. Support the Show.
Ep 17 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 10 part 1/2
November 30, 2020 11:00 - 33 minutes - 23.4 MBChapter 10 of Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢) takes us once again to the Ning Branch of the Jia clan, as Qin Keqing suffers from a mysterious and distressing illness. Is it merely physical, or are unspeakable forms of guilt and confusion also contributing to her woe? Visions from Chapter 5 of Baoyu and Keqing’s dream-crossing the Ford of Error haunt this episode, just as Big Jiao’s cryptic condemnations from Chapter 7 continue to resonate. Support the Show.
Ep 16: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 9 part 2/2
November 23, 2020 11:00 - 30 minutes - 21.2 MBThe anarchic and unforgettable second half of chapter 9 of Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢)! We delve even more deeply into the question of the Rong private school, an institution entangled in sex, money, coercion, and homophobia. Tensions are rising, and soon no-holds-barred fighting (with weapons) engulfs the classroom! Support the Show.
Ep 15 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 9 part 1/2
November 16, 2020 11:00 - 50 minutes - 34.6 MBChapter 9 is truly an eye-opening chapter of Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢)! We discuss Jia Zheng’s questionable ideas on education as Baoyu and Qin Zhong prepare entrance into the Rong private school, an institution entangled in sex, money, coercion, and homophobia. Support the Show.
Ep 14: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 8 part 2/2
November 09, 2020 11:00 - 39 minutes - 27.1 MBThe second half of our discussion of a truly iconic chapter of the Qing classic novel Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢)! What is the secret behind the matching couplets inscribed on Baoyu’s jade and Baochai’s locket? Is Daiyu right to be angry at being excluded? How can someone be so artful even in jealousy? When it snows (xue 雪) at the Xue 薛 household, is this symbolic entrapment? And you gonna pull a C. T. Hsia and pretend this correspondence never happened? When all comes to na...
Ep 13: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 8 part 1/2
November 02, 2020 11:00 - 48 minutes - 33.6 MBAnother iconic chapter of the Qing classic novel Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢)! In this dream within a dream, Baoyu navigates a series of physical and social obstructions on his way to visit the ailing Xue Baochai. Baoyu and Baochai prepare to compare jewels, Baoyu to show Baochai his precious jade, Baochai to show Baoyu her golden locket. What psychological and cosmic significance is represented in this fateful exchange? Is there any remedy to the wuxing 五行 pill Kevin has con...
Ep 12: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 7 part 2/2
October 26, 2020 10:00 - 1 hour - 42.5 MBWhereas last week we pondered the representation of flowers, this week we dig into their social and symbolic roots. On what foundation does the Ning household rest? Why does Qin Zhong arouse such envy and desire in Baoyu? What sacrifices did Big Jiao make? What creative gestures, what procreative acts lie just below the surface? Of the dust and the ashes, what remains unseen and what ought remain unspoken? Support the Show.
Ep 11: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 7 part 1/2
October 19, 2020 10:00 - 48 minutes - 33.2 MBChapter 7 is a beautiful chapter, a perfect microcosmic portrait of this novel, a self-enclosed small dream 小夢 from which to glimpse the greater whole. We follow Zhou Rui’s wife on a tour of the Rong compound delivering fake flowers to Jia-adjacent beauties. Kevin presents his new “every chapter is itself a dream” theory, explaining for the first time on the podcast the meaning of being “wuxing 五行-pilled” from a materialist, secular, social-scientific perspective, incorporating insights from...
Ep 10: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 6
October 12, 2020 10:00 - 1 hour - 47 MBAfter our epic 4-parter dedicated to Chapter 5, the infinite dream of desire, we return with a light-hearted whole-chapter-as-one-episode discussion of Chapter 6 of Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, a chapter known for its comic relief, as well as its exploration of the dynamics of wealth and class. Briefly is discussed the material consequences of Chapter 5’s ideational waywardness. Support the Show.
Ep 9: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 5 part 4
October 05, 2020 10:00 - 41 minutes - 28.3 MBIn pt. 4 of 4 of our epic Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Ch. 5 “Dream Chapter” discussion, a leisurely jaunt through the lyrical Land of Illusion 太虛幻境, we learn what happens when one dreams within a dream, to find the bed being dreamt in already occupied by the dialectical synthesis of one’s two primary love interests. What is this danger lying at the edge of illusion? What are these monstrous beasts reaching out from the void, and what is the meaning of this wooden raft? Support the Show.
Ep 8: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 5 part 3
September 28, 2020 10:00 - 47 minutes - 32.5 MBIn part three of four of our epic Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 5 “Dream Chapter” discussion, a leisurely jaunt through the lyrical Land of Illusion 太虛幻境, we give listen to a few prophetic songs singing the fates of Baoyu, Daiyu, Yuanchun, Tanchun, and Miaoyu. Kevin demos a new translation of “Frowning Brows” 枉凝眉 and we discuss the possible historicity of metaphors and meaning. Support the Show.
Ep 7: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 5 part 2
September 21, 2020 10:00 - 44 minutes - 30.9 MBWe continue our exploration of the lyrical Land of Illusion 太虛幻境 showcased in one of the most famous chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Story of the Stone 石頭記), Chapter 5, the dream chapter! Do you commend the marriage rites of gold and jade, or do you still recall the bond of old by stone and flower made? (A blood bond, or blood covenant 盟, as discussed in this episode.) As for Qin Keqing, if “love was her sea, her sky,” why does Baoyu see depicted a beautiful girl han...
Ep 6: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 5
September 14, 2020 10:00 - 56 minutes - 38.6 MBChapter 5 part 1 It’s part one of Chapter 5, a return to the Land of Illusion 太虛幻境 in one of the most famous chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Story of the Stone 石頭記), the dream chapter! This is also one of the most complex chapters of the novel (so many allusions, so much art and imagery!), so we have broken up our treatment into several separate episodes. We begin working through some cryptic and surreal imagery and messaging, and discuss in some detail the psychol...
Ep 6: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 5, part 1
September 14, 2020 10:00 - 56 minutes - 38.6 MBChapter 5 part 1 It’s part one of Chapter 5, a return to the Land of Illusion 太虛幻境 in one of the most famous chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Story of the Stone 石頭記), the dream chapter! This is also one of the most complex chapters of the novel (so many allusions, so much art and imagery!), so we have broken up our treatment into several separate episodes. We begin working through some cryptic and surreal imagery and messaging, and discuss in some detail the psychol...
Ep 5: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 4
September 07, 2020 10:00 - 53 minutes - 37 MBThe Bottle-gourd girl meets an unfortunate young man, and the Bottle-gourd monk settles a protracted law suit! In this episode things get "extremely real," as we experience the nitty gritty of Qing dynastic social reality, mainly through the eyes of Jia Yucun in his new role as district yamen. Re-readers can steal a glimpse at the entanglements of love, desire, money, and marriage as situated in historical time, accessing elements of reality that social science will fail to represent for yea...
Ep 4: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 3
August 31, 2020 10:00 - 1 hour - 52.6 MBEnter Jia Baoyu! In this episode of Rereading the Stone, covering Chapter 3 of the classic novel Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, we are finally introduced to the protagonist, Jia Baoyu 賈寶玉. Lin Daiyu is becoming acquainted with her new, luxurious home, her beautiful cousins, and an assortment of other female relatives, including the peerless “Peppercorn Feng“ 鳳辣子. If etiquette were a video game, would you be able to distinguish tea for mouth-washing from tea for drinking? We treat in some detail the surr...
Ep 3: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 2
August 24, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 70.1 MBIn this episode, we cover the entirety of chapter 2 of Hong lou meng 紅樓夢. We discuss Jia Yucun's twists of fate and his visiting a dilapidated (Lynchian?) monastery. Upon his meeting an old friend, the compelling histories of and rumors surrounding the two main branches of the Jia clan (i.e., the Rong and the Ning clans) are introduced. We are first introduced to our protagonist Jia Baoyu and become acquainted with his childhood theory of girls' being made of water and boys' being made of mu...
Ep 2: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 1 part 2
August 17, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 51.4 MBIn this episode, we finish the second part of chapter 1 of Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢), discussing the representation of dreams and fantasy in literature, liminal spaces such as archways, liminal moments such as the "ides of January" (aka., the Lantern Festival), social dynamics and the etiquette of friendship, the layers of meanings embedded in the names of the characters in this novel, ill fortune and the vagaries of fate, the role of religious institutions in Qing China a...
Ep 2: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 chapter 1 part 2
August 17, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 51.4 MBIn this episode, we finish the second part of chapter 1 of Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢), discussing the representation of dreams and fantasy in literature, liminal spaces such as archways, liminal moments such as the "ides of January" (aka., the Lantern Festival), social dynamics and the etiquette of friendship, the layers of meanings embedded in the names of the characters in this novel, ill fortune and the vagaries of fate, the role of religious institutions in Qing China a...
Episode 1: Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 1, part 1
August 08, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 67.7 MBIn this very first pilot episode, Kevin Wilson and William Jones give a general introduction to Qing dynastic history and the famous Chinese author Cao Xueqin (1715 or 1724 – 1763 or 1764) before delving into the first part of Chapter 1 of this world-famous novel. Topics discussed include Chinese mythology, the Chinese language and naming systems, Chinese characters and their semantics, parallels between Hong lou meng and Xi you ji (a.k.a., Journey to the West), Buddhist thinking and its inf...
Ep 1: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 1, part 1
August 08, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 67.7 MBIn this very first pilot episode, Kevin Wilson and William Jones give a general introduction to Qing dynastic history and the famous Chinese author Cao Xueqin (1715 or 1724 – 1763 or 1764) before delving into the first part of Chapter 1 of this world-famous novel. Topics discussed include Chinese mythology, the Chinese language and naming systems, Chinese characters and their semantics, parallels between Hong lou meng and Xi you ji (a.k.a., Journey to the West), Buddhist thinking and its inf...