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!
Episodes
86 episodes
To Justify the Ways of God: John Milton's Paradise Lost (episode 2)
We return to Milton's magnificent octopus today with an eye toward evaluating the epic's success according to its own mission statement: "to justify the ways of God to men." How does Milton approach the great theological problems of evil ...
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Season 1
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Episode 86
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42:55
Sexy Satan: John Milton's Paradise Lost (episode 1)
Sexy Satan, what have you done? You made a fool of every one!On this episode we tackle the rather thorny question of Paradise Lost's charismatic protagonist (?) or antagonist (?) or antihero (?): the hottest guy in Hell. W...
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Season 1
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Episode 85
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40:56
"Pastures New": John Milton's "Lycidas"
In 1638, John Milton -- whom many see as perhaps the (second) greatest poet in English -- produced what many think to be his first major poem: the pastoral elegy "Lycidas," written to memorialize the tragic death of a college classmate. A...
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Season 1
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Episode 83
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35:25
Christmas on Trial!
The original "War on Christmas"! This year's stocking stuffer looks at England's Christmas ban from 1647 to 1660 and at a rather quirky pamphlet entitled "The Examination and Trial of Old Father Christmas." Season's greetings, Litte...
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Season 1
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Episode 82
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20:09
Cavaliers and Roundheads: The English Civil Wars
Today we have a slightly different kind of show -- literary analysis takes a bit of a back seat to historical context. We'll look at the turbulent period between 1625 and 1660, when England went to war with itself over the roles of the mo...
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Season 1
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Episode 81
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40:18
Thanksgiving in Plain Style
This Subcast episode marks the American Thanksgiving holiday by looking at two early accounts of the celebration by Pilgrims William Bradford and Edward Winslow and then turns to that great hymn of thanksgiving -- Psalm 107 -- from The Bay Psal...
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Season 1
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Episode 80
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20:47
Carpe Diem!: The Cavalier Poets
Today we look at the love children of John Donne and Ben Jonson, a group of monarchist soldiers during the English Civil War. Collectively known as the Cavalier Poets, they are numerous. We'll look at some representative poems today...
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Season 1
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Episode 79
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32:59
"Death the Leveller" by James Shirley
This year's Halloween Subcast episode looks at James Shirley's meditation on Death. I hope you love it!
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Season 1
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Episode 78
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10:27
Cant, Costume, and Cutpurses: Dekker and Middleton's The Roaring Girl
Let's head into the Fortune Theatre for a performance of one of the most innovative and deceptively complex comedies of the English Renaissance. The Roaring Girl, or Moll Cutpurse explores the fluidity of social identity by ...
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Season 1
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Episode 77
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34:07
"The test of experience": The Philosophy of Sir Francis Bacon
We'll get a bit philosophical today and look at the English language's greatest influence on the scientific revolution: politician, philosopher, and scientist Sir Francis Bacon. His Essays and "The Four Idols" from ...
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Season 1
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Episode 76
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35:35
Vikings Are A Thing! The Scandinavian Influence on English (Out of Time Episode 1)
This is the first of what I'm calling the "Out of Time" episodes, an embedded series of Subcast shows that fill in gaps I may have missed along the way. Today, we fly our Out-of-Time-Machine all the way back to the 8th-century to see how ...
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Season 1
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Episode 75
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18:43
Will the Real Hamlet Please Stand Up
Here's a short episode to answer a special request by a loyal listener! Let's dive a little deeper into the various versions of Shakespeare's Hamlet that have come down to us!
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Season 1
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Episode 74
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13:27
An Unintended Episode: English Country House Poems
I had not thought to do an episode on the English country house poetry of the 17th century, but was recently reminded of their place in the survey of early modern literature, so here's a look at that peculiar subgenre.In this show, we'l...
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Season 1
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Episode 73
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24:49
John Webster's Sensational The Duchess of Malfi
Let's head back to the theatre for a really blood-soaked tragedy! And while we're at it, let's think about the intersection between art and social criticism.
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Season 1
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Episode 72
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39:33
Flesh and Spirit: The Writing of John Donne
Poet and priest John Donne's work seems to transcend its early 17th century moment and feels as fresh and alive to us as anything written today. In this episode, we look at the following texts:"The Bait""Elegy 19: To His Mistr...
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Season 1
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Episode 71
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40:49
"Drink to me only with thine eyes": Ben Jonson's Lyrics
Today, we'll wrap up our Jonsonian mini-series by looking at some his lyrics, including poems from the 1616 Works and songs from his plays. If you'd like to read along, just ask Uncle Google to serve up these titles:...
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Season 1
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Episode 69
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27:28
English Comes to America
It's Independence Day here in America, so today's show takes the opportunity to look at some of writing of early English colonists in New England and how their ideas contributed to the national ethos that would emerge in the coming centuries.
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Season 1
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Episode 70
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41:12
"A Pretty Kind of Game": Ben Jonson's Volpone and The Alchemist
We'll finish our look at Ben Jonson's comedies today with perhaps his most well-regarded efforts: Volpone, or The Fox and The Alchemist.Additional music: "In Town Tonight" by Eric Coates, perf. Reginald Dixon.&nbs...
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Season 1
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Episode 68
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34:06
Humorous Humors: Ben Jonson's Early Comedies
Today, I look askance at two plays by Ben Jonson, whom many see (not me, though) as the greatest English playwright bar Shakespeare: Every Man In His Humour and Every Man Out of His Humour. These have become th...
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Season 1
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Episode 67
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30:45
The Bible in English
Today, we take a historical survey of the Bible in English, from early partial translations and paraphrases in the 7th century through the magnificence of King James I's Authorized Version of 1611.
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Season 1
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Episode 66
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54:04
More than the Dark Lady: Aemilia Lanyer's "Eve's Apology in Defense of Women"
Today we look at Aemelia Lanyer's pioneering and influential work, "Eve's Apology in Defense of Women" from 1611's Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum.
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Season 1
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Episode 65
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33:02
Fair Youths and Dark Ladies: Shakespeare's Sonnets
For our final episode focusing on Shakespeare, we look at his sonnets, arguably the most famous collection of lyric poems in the language.
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Season 1
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Episode 64
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47:19
"You taught me language": Shakespeare's The Tempest
For our (probably) final episode on Shakespeare's plays, we sail through The Tempest, a late romance which has attracted historical and psychoanalytical interpretations, but stands out for many readers as perhaps a play in which a...
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Season 1
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Episode 63
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40:08