Rereading the Stone

Follow Rereading the Stone
Share on
Copy link to clipboard

Rereading the Stone is a weekly discussion of historical Chinese literature and philosophy, 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). Rereading the Stone emphasizes dynamic, self-referential, and psychoanalytical approaches to conceptualizing literature, philosophy, art, aesthetics, and history.

Kevin Wilson, William Jones

Donate to Rereading the Stone


    • May 20, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 54m AVG DURATION
    • 89 EPISODES


    Search for episodes from Rereading the Stone with a specific topic:

    Latest episodes from Rereading the Stone

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

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2025 47:10


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2025 49:02


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2025 75:15


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2024 54:14


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2024 66:34


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2024 51:14


    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/newSupport the show

    Ep. 83: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 chapter 39 part 1/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2024 61:31


    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.

    Ep. 82: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 38 part 4

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2023 66:58


    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).

    Episode 81: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 38 part 3

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2023 44:12


    The Chapter 38 poetry review continues! No poetic stone left unturned!

    Ep. 80: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 Chapter 38 part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2023 57:48


    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."

    Episode 79: Rereading Hong lou meng Chapter 紅樓夢 Chapter 38 part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2023 83:06


    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. 

    Ep 78: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 chapter 37 part 2/4

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2023 57:56


    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…

    Ep. 77: Hong lou meng chapter 37 part 1/4

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2023 92:44


    “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. 76: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 36 part 2/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2022 43:43


    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. 

    Ep. 75: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 36 part 1/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2022 66:12


    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.

    Ep. 74: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 35 part 2/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2022 42:16


    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.

    Ep. 73: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 35 part 1/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2022 51:47


    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. 

    Ep 72: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 chapter 34 part 2/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2022 49:38


    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. 

    Ep. 71: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 34 part 1/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2022 44:08


    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?

    Ep. 70: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 33 part 2/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2022 29:47


    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? 

    Ep. 69: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 33 part 1/2

    Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2022 32:09


    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? 

    Ep. 68: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 32 part 2/2

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2022 31:05


    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? 

    Ep 67: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 chapter 32 part 1/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2022 69:41


    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? 

    Ep 66: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 chapter 31 part 2/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2022 29:57


    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.

    Ep. 65: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 31 part 1/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2022 50:34


    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.

    Ep. 64: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 30 part 2/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2022 36:05


    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).

    Ep. 63: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 30 part 1/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2022 60:45


    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.

    Ep 62: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 chapter 29 part 2/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2022 44:19


    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).

    Ep 61: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 chapter 29 part 1/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2021 55:38


    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.

    Ep 60: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢 chapter 28 part 2/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2021 72:10


    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! 

    Ep. 59: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 28 part 1/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2021 68:58


    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.  

    Ep 58: Hong lou meng chapter 27 part 2/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2021 40:11


    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.

    Ep. 57: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 27 part 1/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2021 51:40


    Baoyu seeks Daiyu, who is notably absent bemoaning the season. Baochai chases butterflies, and Crimson enumerates a bewildering array of ladies.

    Ep. 56: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 26 part 2/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2021 34:45


    A scion of great wealth demonstrates a dearth of erudition, while a legendary worrier transcends nature's limits.

    Ep. 55: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 26 part 1/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2021 57:28


    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.

    Ep. 54: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 25 part 2/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 11, 2021 49:33


    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. 

    Ep. 53: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 25 part 1/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2021 50:20


    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.

    Ep 52: Hong lou meng review episode (Ch. 13-24)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2021 89:24


    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. 

    Ep. 51: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 24 part 2/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2021 49:36


    We continue discussing Jia Yun's perilous navigation of our constellation of stars, while Baoyu from an empty center thirsts for tea and attention.

    Ep. 50: Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 24 part 1/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2021 56:12


    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. 

    Episode 49 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 23 part 2/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2021 55:28


    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?

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

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2021 69:24


    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. 

    Episode 47 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 22 part 2/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2021 58:50


    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? 

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

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2021 72:26


    ‘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?

    Episode 45 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 21 part 2/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2021 36:40


    In our coverage of the second half of Chapter 22 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. 

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

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2021 47:55


    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.

    Episode 43 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 20 part 2/2

    Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2021 43:31


    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.

    Episode 42 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 20 part 1/2

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2021 81:18


    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.

    Episode 41 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 19 part 2/2

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2021 47:28


    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. 

    Episode 40 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 19 part 1/2

    Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2021 57:06


    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.

    Episode 38 Rereading Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, Chapter 18 part 4/4

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2021 59:55


    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.

    Claim Rereading the Stone

    In order to claim this podcast we'll send an email to with a verification link. Simply click the link and you will be able to edit tags, request a refresh, and other features to take control of your podcast page!

    Claim Cancel