Rereading the Stone

Ep. 94: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 44 part 1

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 11:00:00 -0800

It’s Xifeng birthday, so everyone is having a good time, even if labor relations in the Jia household leave room for improvement.

Support the show

Ep. 93: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 43 part 2

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 16:00:00 -0800

It’s time for part 2 (earth 土) of Chapter 43 of Dream of the Red Chamber (Story of the Stone, Hongloumeng 紅樓夢), where Baoyu performs a non-performative ritual observance of the death of Golden. We discuss Baoyuean theories of language as use, while also discussing the poetry of Cao Zhi 曹植 (192 – 232), including one “cutting edge” translation.

Support the show

Ep. 92: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 43 part 1

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 11:00:00 -0700

This chapter (of Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢) admits of dualities? So here in part 1 we cover the first half (gold 金), which involves some extensive bickering over money (including an eyebrow-raising subscription scheme to collect funds for Xifeng’s birthday…) Next episode will cover the second half of the chapter (earth 土).

Support the show

Ep. 91: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 42 part 2

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 10:00:00 -0700

Daiyu and Baochai exchange literary intimacies, and meta-literary musings! Is reading bad, actually? Or, is it Baochai who is kind of a fascist? Would Baochai reframe from reading her own book? Or is it Daiyu who should be “called out” for her classist joke? “Grannie Liu, more like Grannie Locust?, amirite?” 他是那一門子的姥姥？直叫他是個『母蝗蟲』就是了！ -Daiyu

Support the show

Ep. 90: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 42 part 1

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 11:00:00 -0700

Suppose your child were born on the seventh day of the seventh month, what would you do? If you saw an immortal soul falling into the well of mortal existence, would you intervene and save them? Suppose you were facing a lifetime of strangely illiquid “tear debt,” would you seek solace in historical novels and plays that serve no clear moral or dogmatic purpose? These and other questions are all addressed in this installment of Rereading the Stone, a podcast dedicated to historical Chinese literature, poetry, and philosophy.

Support the show

Ep. 89: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 41 part 2

Tue, 20 May 2025 12:00:00 -0700

One of our favorite sections of the text — Grannie Liu takes Baoyu’s bed for a spin, dreaming her own dream of red chambers! A full sensory experience, we compare it to Bayou’s dream from Qin Keqing’s bed.

Support the show

Ep. 88: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 41 part 1

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 11:00:00 -0700

Granny Liu’s choice of cups (wood is good!) figures prominently in this installment. A wide-ranging discussion of social class and constructed value, as the real and unreal reveal themselves to be deeply interwoven.

Support the show

Ep. 87: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 40 part 3

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 16:00:00 -0800

This part of chapter 40 of Dream of the Red Chamber (Story of the Stone, Hongloumeng) is a lot of poetic fun, but is it purely fun and games? What kind of symbolism and foreshadowing lie within, and will illicit references catch the censor’s gaze? How will Baochai escape the dialectical logic of “takes one to know one”? Is gaming a kind of waking dream? What kind of displacements might be occurring? All these questions, and more, are addressed in this installment* of Rereading the Stone.

Support the show

Ep. 86: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 40 part 2

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 09:00:00 -0800

More excellent Granny Liu content, as we travel deeper into the garden, soon by means of pleasure craft, with Xifeng at the helm. When withered lotus petals are observed on the surface of the water, Daiyu famously discusses the poetry of Tang poet Li Shangyin.

Support the show

Ep. 85: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 40 part 1

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 20:00:00 -0700

It's Chapter 40 of Dream of the Red Chamber (Story of the Stone, Hongloumeng), and we're accompanying Grannie Liu on her tour of Prospect Garden. In what ways is the garden reflective of, and in dialogue with, Grannie’s Liu’s dreams and desires? What does Grannie Liu accurately perceive on her tour, and where does she project? And what about the “country bumpkin” role that Grannie Liu is compelled to occupy? Is there any method to the maddening interplay of truth and fiction in the garden?

Support the show

Ep. 84: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 39 part 2

Sat, 06 Apr 2024 11:00:00 -0700

In 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

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 21:00:00 -0800

We 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

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 16:00:00 -0800

The 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

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 21:00:00 -0700

The 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

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 23:00:00 -0700

The 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

Fri, 14 Jul 2023 21:00:00 -0700

After 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

Sat, 04 Mar 2023 22:00:00 -0800

New 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. 77: Hong lou meng chapter 37 part 1/2

Sat, 07 Jan 2023 13:00:00 -0800

“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

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 23:00:00 -0800

Baoyu 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

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 23:00:00 -0700

Time 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

Thu, 25 Aug 2022 22:00:00 -0700

Baoyu 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

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 18:00:00 -0700

Daiyu 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

Mon, 18 Jul 2022 18:00:00 -0700

Is 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

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 22:00:00 -0700

In 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

Wed, 15 Jun 2022 12:00:00 -0700

Baoyu 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

Tue, 24 May 2022 22:00:00 -0700

An 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

Sun, 08 May 2022 22:00:00 -0700

The 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

Sun, 24 Apr 2022 23:00:00 -0700

Xiangyun 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

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 12:00:00 -0700

A 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

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 09:00:00 -0800

What 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

Sun, 06 Feb 2022 22:00:00 -0800

What 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

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 17:00:00 -0800

In 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

Mon, 03 Jan 2022 18:00:00 -0800

Plays 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

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 00:00:00 -0800

In 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

Fri, 26 Nov 2021 20:00:00 -0800

The 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

Fri, 12 Nov 2021 11:00:00 -0800

Baoyu 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

Wed, 03 Nov 2021 16:00:00 -0700

In 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

Fri, 22 Oct 2021 17:00:00 -0700

Baoyu 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

Sat, 02 Oct 2021 10:00:00 -0700

A 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

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 13:00:00 -0700

Real 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

Sat, 11 Sep 2021 12:00:00 -0700

Things 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

Mon, 30 Aug 2021 02:00:00 -0700

A 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)

Thu, 19 Aug 2021 22:00:00 -0700

Our 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

Mon, 09 Aug 2021 20:00:00 -0700

We 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

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 04:00:00 -0700

Let’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

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 20:00:00 -0700

In 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 and life are here represented and sublimated?

Support the show

Episode 48 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 23 part 1/2

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 17:00:00 -0700

An 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

Mon, 05 Jul 2021 03:00:00 -0700

In 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?

Support the show

Episode 46 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 22 part 1/2

Sun, 27 Jun 2021 12:00:00 -0700

‘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

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 15:00:00 -0700

In 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 both from a mistress and her excitable husband.

Support the show

Episode 44 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 21 part 1/2

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 12:00:00 -0700

Chapter 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

Fri, 28 May 2021 11:00:00 -0700

Enter 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

Fri, 21 May 2021 12:00:00 -0700

Enter 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

Tue, 11 May 2021 20:00:00 -0700

Baoyu, 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

Tue, 04 May 2021 19:00:00 -0700

Baoyu, 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 39 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 18 part 4/4

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 00:00:00 -0700

The 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

Tue, 20 Apr 2021 23:00:00 -0700

The 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 creation?

Support the show

Episode 37 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 18 part 2/4

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 22:00:00 -0700

We 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

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 01:00:00 -0700

Imperial 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 ritual and power? And why isn’t musk popular anymore?

Support the show

Episode 35 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 17 part 4/4

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0700

The 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

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 22:00:00 -0700

The 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 relate to art and meaning? Also the fragrance of gardens is foregrounded in this episode; gardens aren’t just for the eyes!

Support the show

Episode 33 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 17 part 2/4

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 23:00:00 -0700

Deeper — 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 the show

Episode 32 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 17 part 1/4

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 15:00:00 -0800

An 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 vision and will?

Support the show

Episode 31 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 16 part 2/2

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 13:00:00 -0800

In 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

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 03:00:00 -0800

While 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

Mon, 15 Feb 2021 14:00:00 -0800

Still 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

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 18:00:00 -0800

Whereas 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 reality along multiple dimensions.

Support the show

Ep 27: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 14 part 2/2

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 03:00:00 -0800

Xifeng 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

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 23:00:00 -0800

Qin 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

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 01:00:00 -0800

Bonus 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

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 02:00:00 -0800

A 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 Keqing’s funerary arrangements. Finally, we talk about some high quality wood; it’s the best!

Support the show

Episode 23 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 13 part 1/2

Mon, 11 Jan 2021 03:00:00 -0800

Rereading 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

Mon, 04 Jan 2021 11:00:00 -0800

Jia 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 parallel to Infinite Jest.

Support the show

Episode 21 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 12 part 1/2

Mon, 28 Dec 2020 03:00:00 -0800

Jia 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 fun chapters we’ve covered so far!

Support the show

Episode 20 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 11 part 2/2

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 03:00:00 -0800

When 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

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 03:00:00 -0800

It’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

Mon, 07 Dec 2020 03:00:00 -0800

Part 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

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 03:00:00 -0800

Chapter 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

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 03:00:00 -0800

The 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

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 03:00:00 -0800

Chapter 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

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 03:00:00 -0800

The 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 naught, will Baoyu be able to rely on his calligraphy skills?

Support the show

Ep 13: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 8 part 1/2

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 03:00:00 -0800

Another 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 consumed? Are all systems of totalizing meaning a kind of madness? Is to dream and to record one's dreams a socially-accepted form of conspiracy mongering?

Support the show

Ep 12: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 7 part 2/2

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 03:00:00 -0700

Whereas 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

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 03:00:00 -0700

Chapter 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 Bataille’s famous short essay “The Language of Flowers.” How does one experience flowers, and how does a flower experience this experience? Are these matters elevated or base? Are they on the level of language, nature, or the spaces in-between?

Support the show

Ep 10: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 6

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 03:00:00 -0700

After 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

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 03:00:00 -0700

In 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

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 03:00:00 -0700

In 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

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 03:00:00 -0700

We 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 hanging by her neck from a beam? Lots to discuss as we delve ever deeper into this wondrous and complex dreamscape.

Support the show

Ep 6: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 5, part 1

Mon, 14 Sep 2020 03:00:00 -0700

Chapter 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 psychological and psychoanalytical dynamics reflected in the dream material. Get ready for some strange otherworldly bureaucracies, famous poems and songs, and the emergence of desire in its infinite sensual and representational forms.

Support the show

Ep 5: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 4

Mon, 07 Sep 2020 03:00:00 -0700

The 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 years to come (Kevin "goes off" to this effect toward the end of the episode.) This is an extremely challenging chapter for modern readers to approach insightfully, but reading and rereading it should prove well worth the time and effort.

Support the show

Ep 4: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 3

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 03:00:00 -0700

Enter 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 surreal, unforgettable meeting (or is it a reunion?) of Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu. Kevin subjects Baoyu’s desire to be rid of the “precious jade” with which he was born, something that “none of the girls has,” to a kind of dialectical Freudian analysis, and critiques the critics who attempt to reduce the psychoanalytic treatment of Chinese literature to orientalism or chauvinism.

Support the show

Ep 3: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 2

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 04:00:00 -0700

In 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 mud. Jia Yucun presents his own unique psychological/ metaphysical theory of the "three types of people," all the while engaging in one of the most epic namedropping exercises in all of global literature.

Support the show

Ep 2: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 1 part 2

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 04:00:00 -0700

In 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 and the author's possible attitudes toward these institutions, and much more.

Support the show

Ep 1: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 1, part 1

Sat, 08 Aug 2020 15:00:00 -0700

In 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 influence on this novel, and much more.

Support the show