Rereading the Stone

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 m...

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...

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 wha...

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

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

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...

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

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

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?...

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 significan...

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...

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...

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

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 re...

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...

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 ep...

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 beg...

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 sit...

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...

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...

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 chara...

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...