The Classic English Literature Podcast
Where rhyme gets its reason! In a historical survey of English literature, I take a personal and philosophical approach to the major texts of the tradition in order to not only situate the poems, prose, and plays in their own contexts, but also to show their relevance to our own. This show is for the general listener: as a teacher of high school literature and philosophy, I am less than a scholar but more than a buff. I hope to edify and entertain!
Podcasting since 2022 • 105 episodes
The Classic English Literature Podcast
Latest Episodes
Food for Thought: Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" and Other Writings
I hope you've brought your appetite, because today we're looking at some of Dr. Swift's shorter prose satires (along with a couple of poems) and he certainly gives us plenty to chew on."A Description of the Morning":
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Season 1
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Episode 106
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38:49
Seditious Greetings!: The Political Code of "O Come All Ye Faithful"
One of the most theologically and liturgically important Christmas carols may contain coded messages against the Throne of England!Additional Music: "Adeste Fidelis" by
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Season 1
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Episode 105
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13:42
"Read All About It!": The Rise of the Public Press
In the early 18th century, the public press came to dominate English writing. Pamphlets, newspapers, and periodicals fed the appetite for news and commentary of an ever-hungrier reading public. Richard Steele and Joseph Addison were...
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Season 1
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Episode 104
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28:00
The First English Novel? Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe
On this trip, we're looking at the conventional candidate for the first modern novel in English. Defoe's story of a resourceful man shipwrecked on a desert island is so much more than a ripping yarn: it speaks to the rise of a literary ve...
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Season 1
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Episode 103
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36:52
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