Of the Devil's Party: Recent Episodes
Alice Capstick, Rowan Burridge, Dr Peter Groves
Dark Heroes are everywhere in contemporary popular culture and they have a long and rebellious literary history unknown to many. Unleashed academics, tutors, and ornamental hermits Alice and Rowan do a deep dive into the development of various dark heroic archetypes on a semi-weekly basis. Everything from the Gothic villain, the Byronic Hero, and the femme fatale, to the sex appeal of Satan—we've got you covered. Contact us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.comFollow us on insta: @ofthedevilsparty
Peter and Alice continue their discussion of Macbeth and examine the first of the soliloquies.
As usual you kind find us on:
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Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGrovesco
Peter and Alice continue their discussion of Macbeth with a focus on relevant context.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGrovesco
Peter and Alice continue their discussion of Macbeth with a focus on relevant context.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGrovesco
Peter and Alice begin their discussion of Macbeth with a focus on relevant context.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
Peter and Alice begin their discussion of Macbeth with a focus on relevant context.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
Peter and Alice continue their analysis of Christopher Marlowe's "The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus."
As usual you kind find us on:
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Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
Peter and Alice continue their analysis of Christopher Marlowe's "The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus."
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
Peter and Alice continue their analysis of Christopher Marlowe's "The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus."
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
Peter and Alice begin their analysis of Christopher Marlowe's "The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus."
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
Peter and Alice begin their analysis of Christopher Marlowe's "The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus."
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
Peter and Alice begin their analysis of Christopher Marlowe's "The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus."
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
Peter has kindly been recording Winnie the Pooh for the newest addition to our extended podcasting family. Pooh is now out of copyright, so Peter has offered to share it with the world. May it help with bed time for all.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
Peter and Alice begin their analysis of Christopher Marlowe's "The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus."
They begin by considering the context of the play and the mystery surrounding Marlowe, before explaining the way the play challenges orthodox religious views of the time, and analysing the opening speech from the chorus. They suggest that the play is an Early Modern celebration of science and rationalism.
As usual you kind find us on:
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Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
We now interrupt our interruption of our regular service with discussion of Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" beginning with the "General Prologue."
As usual you kind find us on:
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Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
We now interrupt our interruption of our regular service with discussion of Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" beginning with the "General Prologue."
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
We now interrupt our interruption of our regular service with discussion of Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" beginning with the "General Prologue."
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
We now interrupt our interruption of our regular service with discussion of Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" beginning with the "General Prologue."
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
We now interrupt our interruption of our regular service with discussion of Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" beginning with the "General Prologue."
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
We now interrupt our interruption of our regular service with discussion of Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" beginning with the "General Prologue."
Dr Peter Groves continues with us and reads to us in Medieval "english." In this episode we discuss the Friar and the Merchant among other figures present at the pub and consider Chaucer's detailed characterisation of the human psyche centuries before the idea of an unconscious was even posited.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
We now interrupt our interruption of our regular service with discussion of Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" beginning with the "General Prologue."
Dr Peter Groves continues with us and reads to us in Medieval "english." This episode we introduce you to our unreliable narrator—"Geoff"—consider whether Medieval society can really be split into "those who fight, those who pray, and those who work," discuss whether or not the knight is the greatest role model for chivalrous behaviour, and begin our discussion of the religious characters.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
Peter has kindly been recording Winnie the Pooh for the newest addition to our extended podcasting family. Pooh is now out of copyright, so Peter has offered to share it with the world. May it help with bed time for all.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
Peter has kindly been recording Winnie the Pooh for the newest addition to our extended podcasting family. Pooh is now out of copyright, so Peter has offered to share it with the world. May it help with bed time for all.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
Peter has kindly been recording Winnie the Pooh for the newest addition to our extended podcasting family. Pooh is now out of copyright, so Peter has offered to share it with the world. May it help with bed time for all.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
We now interrupt our interruption of our regular service with discussion of Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" beginning with the "General Prologue."
Dr Peter Groves continues with us and reads to us in Medieval "english," explains the "invention" of iambic pentameter, tells us what was so important about spring, and pilgrimage, and Canterbury, and blows our minds with the "great vowel shift," among other delights.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
Dr Peter Groves has kindly joined us to examine the epic poem in all its splendid detail and to continue our mission of making daunting texts accessible. There are also plenty of dark heroes who we will meet along the way.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
Dr Peter Groves has kindly joined us to examine the epic poem in all its splendid detail and to continue our mission of making daunting texts accessible. There are also plenty of dark heroes who we will meet along the way.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
Dr Peter Groves has kindly joined us to examine the epic poem in all its splendid detail and to continue our mission of making daunting texts accessible. There are also plenty of dark heroes who we will meet along the way.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
Dr Peter Groves has kindly joined us to examine the epic poem in all its splendid detail and to continue our mission of making daunting texts accessible. There are also plenty of dark heroes who we will meet along the way.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
Dr Peter Groves has kindly joined us to examine the epic poem in all its splendid detail and to continue our mission of making daunting texts accessible. There are also plenty of dark heroes who we will meet along the way.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick; https://monash.academia.edu/PeterGroves
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
Dr Peter Groves has kindly joined us to examine the epic poem in all its splendid detail and to continue our mission of making daunting texts accessible. There are also plenty of dark heroes who we will meet along the way.
In this episode we examine the Garden of Adonis and the birth of Belphoebe and Amoret. Alice is "in the midst" of article planning and Peter introduces us to Pythagorean physics and myriad other wonders.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
Dr Peter Groves has kindly joined us to examine the epic poem in all its splendid detail and to continue our mission of making daunting texts accessible. There are also plenty of dark heroes who we will meet along the way.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
Dr Peter Groves has kindly joined us to examine the epic poem in all its splendid detail and to continue our mission of making daunting texts accessible. There are also plenty of dark heroes who we will meet along the way.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
Dr Peter Groves has kindly joined us to examine the epic poem in all its splendid detail and to continue our mission of making daunting texts accessible. There are also plenty of dark heroes who we will meet along the way.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
This episode we begin book 3 of the epic and Peter continues his Latin tutorials. We discuss the meaning of Chastity in the Elizabethan era and Spenser's own interpretation of it. We consider Spenser's avant-garde adoption of a kind of Bildungsroman mode through his representation of the interior psychology of his characters—a far cry from the allegory of book one! We also introduce you to the best and most interesting character in the poem, Britomart. Enjoy yet another lengthy episode!
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
This episode we discuss the longest canto in The Faerie Queene, and embark on a journey through the Bower of Bliss. We discuss the delicate relationship between art and pleasure, Spenser's interest in different types of temperance, a plethora of poetic devices, and whether Guyon has actually learnt anything.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
Unleashed academics, tutors, and ornamental hermits Alice and Rowan do a deep dive into dark hero archetypes on a semi-weekly basis.
On this episode we consider William Beckford's infamous Vathek (1786).
We discuss the relevant context surrounding the novel, with a particular focus on Beckford's eclectic and eccentric life. We consider Beckford's engagement with a contribution to "orientalism" and the gothic tradition more broadly. Rowan tries to make sense of the fever dream-like plot and Alice considers the various hero types Beckford draws on to represent his Caliph. We also discuss the most interesting character in the novel—Carathis—as another sublime gothic woman.
Find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
Relevant Sources:
Alwan, Muna al. "The Orient “Made Oriential”: A Study of William Beckford’s Vathek." Arab studies quarterly 30, no. 4 (2008): 43–52.
Châtel, Laurent. William Beckford: The Elusive Orientalist. Oxford: Foltaire Foundation, 2016.
Faxneld, Per. "Woman Liberated by the Devil in Four Gothic Novels: William Beckford’s Vathek (1786), Matthew Lewis’ the Monk (1796), Charlotte Dacre’s Zofloya or the Moor (1806) and Charles Maturin’s Melmoth the Wanderer (1820)." In Grotesque Femininities: Evil, Women and the Feminine, edited by Maria Barrett. Oxford: Interdisciplinary Press, 2010.
Graham, Kenneth. "Beckford's "Vathek": A Study in Ironic Dissonance." Criticism 14, no. 3 (1972): 243–52.
Nussbaum, Saree Makdisi; Felicity. The Arabian Nights in Historical Context: Between East and West. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Said, Edward W. Orientalism: Western Conceptions of the Orient. London: Penguin Modern Classics, 2021.
Thorslev, Peter L. The Byronic Hero. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1965.
Thorslev, Peter L. The Byronic Hero. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1965.
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
Dr Peter Groves has kindly joined us to examine the epic poem in all its splendid detail and to continue our mission of making daunting texts accessible. There are also plenty of dark heroes who we will meet along the way.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
Dr Peter Groves has kindly joined us to examine the epic poem in all its splendid detail and to continue our mission of making daunting texts accessible. There are also plenty of dark heroes who we will meet along the way.
This episode we talk about nation building through literature and the part Spenser played in legitimising Queen Elizabeth 1 and the Tudor rule. Peter explains the myth building that led to English colonialism and Alice marvels at the so-called "theatre of providence." Along the way we discuss intentional objects, the donation of Constantine, whether Trojans were real, the Roman empire, and more!
Join us for sin!
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
Dr Peter Groves has kindly joined us to examine the epic poem in all its splendid detail and to continue our mission of making daunting texts accessible. There are also plenty of dark heroes who we will meet along the way.
This episode we discuss the famous House of Alma.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
Dr Peter Groves has kindly joined us to examine the epic poem in all its splendid detail and to continue our mission of making daunting texts accessible. There are also plenty of dark heroes who we will meet along the way.
In our discussion of canto eight Peter explains the comparison between books 1 and 2 of the poem, we examine the plight of the poor Palmer, and consider Guyon's journey as (yet another) analogue for the Fall.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
Dr Peter Groves has kindly joined us to examine the epic poem in all its splendid detail and to continue our mission of making daunting texts accessible. There are also plenty of dark heroes who we will meet along the way.
Both roofe, and floore, and wals were all of gold,
But ouergrowne with dust and old decay,
And hid in darknesses, that none could behold
The hew thereof: for vew of chearefull day
Did neuer in that house it selfe display
This episode we continue with book 2 and discuss canto seven dedicated to Guyon's journey through Mammon's cave—a famous episode in the poem. Peter explains Early Modern conceptions of money and why you can't serve both God and Mammon, Alice marvels at the way Spenser borrows from Dante and Milton from Spenser, we consider the way Spenser presents the "lust of the eyes" and the effects of curiositas, and we have front row seats to Guyon's own vulnerability.
Rowan and I will continue our usual episodes and will be uploading a mix of both in the coming months.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
Dr Peter Groves has kindly joined us to examine the epic poem in all its splendid detail and to continue our mission of making daunting texts accessible. There are also plenty of dark heroes who we will meet along the way.
"Pyrochles does with Guyon fight,
And Furors chayne unbinds
Of whom sore hurt, for his reuenge
Attin Cymochles finds"
This episode we continue with book 2 and discuss canto five. We discuss Guyon's first real encounter with intemperance and the thirst trap that is Phaedria. Peter explains that the only way to overcome intemperance is to avoid the occasion that promotes it. Come for the theology, stay for the puns—it's going to be a wild ride.
Rowan and I will continue our usual episodes and will be uploading a mix of both in the coming months.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
Dr Peter Groves has kindly joined us to examine the epic poem in all its splendid detail and to continue our mission of making daunting texts accessible. There are also plenty of dark heroes who we will meet along the way.
This episode we continue with book 2 and get an introduction to Spenser's representation of gender in dreamland. Peter explains Spenser's various analogues of Queen Elizabeth and why they're important, and we start to learn the difference between theoretical and practical applications of temperance. Come for the theology, stay for the puns—it's going to be a wild ride.
Rowan and I will continue our usual episodes and will be uploading a mix of both in the coming months.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
Dr Peter Groves has kindly joined us to discuss the epic poem in all its splendid detail and to continue our mission of making daunting texts accessible. There are also plenty of dark heroes who we will meet along the way.
We now begin book two of The Faerie Queene, the "book of temperance." This episode Peter teaches us what temperance is, and the tension between the Christian and Classical worldviews which Spenser straddles. We meet some old friends from book one and are introduced to new ones for the next adventure. Come for the theology, stay for the puns—it's going to be a wild ride.
Rowan and I will continue our usual episodes and will be uploading a mix of both in the coming months.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
Unseen Academicals Podcast: https://unseenacademicals.sounder.fm/
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
Dr Peter Groves has kindly joined us to discuss the epic poem in all its splendid detail and to continue our mission of making daunting texts accessible. There are also plenty of dark heroes who we will meet along the way.
This episode we discuss the end of book one of The Faerie Queene. We appear to have solved the sound issues, which means that Peter's explanation of the final battle of the poem (replete with dragons!) is perfectly clear.
Rowan and I will continue our usual episodes and will be uploading a mix of both in the coming months.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
Unseen Academicals Podcast: https://unseenacademicals.sounder.fm/
Unleashed academics, tutors, and ornamental hermits Alice and Rowan do a deep dive into dark hero archetypes on a semi-weekly basis.
On this episode they consider Matthew Lewis' infamous The Monk (1796)
The pair discuss Matthew Lewis' life, writing, legacy, and influence. Rowan gives an excellent summary for those of you who haven't read the book or got lost in the cast of characters. They examine Lewis' contribution to Gothic tropes and whether or not Ambrosio is a sympathetic hero or a Gothic Villain (or perhaps both). They also consider one of their favourite characters—Matilda—and her role and characterisation in the narrative.
Next time, they discuss William Beckford's Vathek
Find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
Unseen Academicals Podcast: https://unseenacademicals.sounder.fm/
Relevant Sources:
Adriano, Joseph. Our Ladies of Darkness Feminine Daemonology in Male Gothic Fiction. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1993.
Blakemore, Steven. "Matthew Lewis's Black Mass: Sexual, Religious Inversion In "The Monk"." Studies in the novel 30, no. 4 (1998): 521–39.
Brewer, William. "Transgendering in Matthew Lewis's the Monk." Gothic Studies 6, no. 2 (2004): 192–207.
Clery, E. J. The Rise of Supernatural Fiction, 1762-1800. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
Faxneld, Per. Satanic Feminism : Lucifer as the Liberator of Woman in Nineteenth-Century Culture. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017.
Macdonald, David Lorne. Monk Lewis: A Critical Biography. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2000.
Miles, Robert. Gothic Writing, 1750-1820: A Genealogy. 2nd ed. New York: Manchester University Press, 2002.
Thorslev, Peter L. The Byronic Hero. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1965.
We continue to interrupt our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
Dr Peter Groves has kindly joined us to discuss the epic poem in all its splendid detail and to continue our mission of making daunting texts accessible. There are also plenty of dark heroes who we will meet along the way.
This episode we discuss more of book one of The Faerie Queene, and the many puns on "holiness." Peter explains some of the more technical differences between Protestantism and Catholicism and why Spenser might be playing both sides. We consider Spenser's representation of "Depair" as an emblem and early examination of the psyche which continues to appear throughout the poem. Peter also helps us to appreciate the "music" of the poetry.
There might be some points where Peter becomes a little quiet, unfortunately we lack a podcasting studio!
Rowan and I will continue our usual episodes and will be uploading a mix of both in the coming months. Our episode on The Monk won't be far behind this one (promise this time).
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
Unseen Academicals Podcast: https://unseenacademicals.sounder.fm/
We look forward to intermittently interrupting our regular service with discussion of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
Dr Peter Groves has kindly joined us to discuss the epic poem in all its splendid detail and to continue our mission of making daunting texts accessible. There are also plenty of dark heroes who we will meet along the way.
This episode we discuss the first half of book one of The Faerie Queene, Spenser's poetry and context, why God loves puns, errant knights, fauns, giants, creepy hermitages and much more.
Rowan and I will continue our usual episodes and will be uploading a mix of both in the coming months. Our episode on The Monk won't be far behind this one.
As usual you kind find us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
Unseen Academicals Podcast: https://unseenacademicals.sounder.fm/
Unleashed academics, tutors, and ornamental hermits Alice and Rowan do a deep dive into dark hero archetypes on a semi-weekly basis.
On this episode they consider another of Lord Byron’s closet dramas, the controversial Cain (1821).
The pair discuss Byron’s characterisation of the first murderer as a sympathetic figure and consider which archetypes Byron combines to produce his most incendiary protagonist. Along the way they discuss Manichaeism, vegetarianism, Cuvier, and Byron’s continued debt to Milton.
Next time, they discuss Matthew Lewis’ The Monk (1796)
Links Find us on
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Find us on Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
Unseen Academicals Podcast: https://unseenacademicals.sounder.fm/
Discussed and Recommended Sources
Brewer, William D. "The Diabolical Discourse of Byron and Shelley." Philological Quaterly 70, no. 1 (1991): 47–65.
Burwick, Frederick. "Lord Byron’s Faustian Plays Manfred (1817), Cain (1821), and the Deformed
Transformed (1822)." In Faust Adaptations from Marlowe to Aboudoma and Markland, edited by Lorna Fitzsimmons. West Lafayette: Purdue University Press, 2016.
Byron, Lord. The Major Works. Edited by Jerome McGann. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986.
Callaghan, Madeleine. "The Struggle with Language in Byron’s Cain." The Byron Journal 38, no. 2 (2010): 125-34.
Clair, William St. "The Impact of Byron’s Writings: An Evaluative Approach." In Byron: Augustan and Romantic, edited by Andrew Rutherford. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
Hart, Trevor. "Cain's Byron: A Mystery - on the Inscrutability of Poetic Providence." The Byron Journal 37, no. 1 (2009): 15-20.
Hirst, Wolf Z. "Byron's Lapse into Orthodoxy: An Unorthodox Reading Of "Cain"." Keats-Shelley Journal 29 (1980): 151-72.
MacCarthy, Fiona. Byron Life and Legend. London: John Murray, 2002.
McGann, Jerome. Fiery Dust. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1968.
Michaels, Leonard. "Byron’s Cain." PMLA 84, no. 1 (1969): 71-8.
Schock, Peter. "The "Satanism" Of Cain in Context: Byron's Lucifer and the War against Blasphemy." Keats-Shelley Journal 44 (1995): 182-215.
Steffan, Truman Guy. Lord Byron’s Cain.Austin: University of Texas Press, 1968.
Unleashed academics, tutors, and ornamental hermits Alice and Rowan do a deep dive into dark hero archetypes on a semi-weekly basis.
On this episode they begin their discussion of Gothic villains by examining Byron’s 1817 closet drama Manfred and its debt to the Gothic tradition. The pair discuss Byron’s life, work, and experimentation with dark hero archetypes, and whether there is actually such as thing as a Byronic Hero. They consider the way Byron experiments with Dark Heroism by combining existing heroic archetypes and traditions such as The Wandering Jew, the Child of Nature, The Hero of Sensibility, Prometheus, Satan, the Gothic Villain and Faustus.
Next time, they examine Lord Byron’s Cain (1821)
Links Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Find us on Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
Unseen Academicals Podcast: https://unseenacademicals.sounder.fm/
Discussed and Recommended Sources
Boyd, Brian. On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction.Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 2009.
Burwick, Frederick. "Lord Byron’s Faustian Plays Manfred (1817), Cain (1821), and the Deformed
Transformed (1822)." In Faust Adaptations from Marlowe to Aboudoma and Markland, edited by Lorna Fitzsimmons. West Lafayette: Purdue University Press, 2016.
Byron, Lord. The Major Works. Edited by Jerome McGann. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986.
Callaghan, Madeleine. "The Struggle with Language in Byron’s Cain." The Byron Journal 38, no. 2 (2010): 125-34.
Chew, Samuel C. The Dramas of Lord Byron. New York: Russell and Russell, 1964.
Cochran, Peter. The Gothic Byron. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2009.
Erickson, Mark T. "Rethinking Oedipus: An Evolutionary Perspective of Incest Avoidance." The American journal of psychiatry 150, no. 3 (1993): 411–16.
Hewitt, Ben. Byron, Shelley, and Goethe’s Faust an Epic Connection. New York: Modern Humanities Research Association and Routledge, 2015.
Lieberman, Debra, John Tooby, and Leda Cosmides. "Does Morality Have a Biological Basis? An Empirical Test of the Factors Governing Moral Sentiments Relating to Incest." Proceedings of the Royal Society 270, no. 1517 (2003): 819-26.
MacCarthy, Fiona. Byron Life and Legend. London: John Murray, 2002.
McGann, Jerome. Fiery Dust. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1968.
———. "‘My Brain Is Feminine’: Byron and the Poetry of Deception." In Byron: Augustan and Romantic, edited by Andrew Rutherford. London: MacMillan, 1990.
———. The Romantic Ideology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1983.
McGann, Jerome, James Soderholm, Marilyn Butler, and James Chandler, eds. Byron and Romanticism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
Rank, Otto. The Incest Theme in Literature and Legend. London: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992.
Rutherford, Andrew, ed. Byron: Augustan and Romantic. London: The MacMillan Press, 1990.
Schock, Peter. Romantic Satanism. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.
Thorslev, Peter L. "Incest as Romantic Symbol." Comparative Literature Studies 2, no. 1 (1965): 41-58.
———. The Byronic Hero. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1965.
Tuite, Clara. Lord Byron and Scandalous Celebrity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015.
Wesche, Ulrich. "Goethe's 'Faust' and Byron's 'Manfred': The Curious Transformation of a Motif
Unleashed academics, tutors, and ornamental hermits Alice and Rowan do a deep dive into dark hero archetypes on a semi-weekly basis.
On this episode they conclude their mini-series on Satan from John Milton’s Paradise Lost and discuss books 9 and 10 of the poem—Satan’s corruption of Eve and the Fall of humanity! They focus on the process Satan uses to convince Eve to Fall, the extent to which Adam and Eve were predisposed to falling, and the results of the Fall itself for Satan and for Adam and Eve. They also reflect on the journey so far, and whether it’s possible to still sympathise with or enjoy Satan’s characterisation at the end of the epic.
Next time, they examine Lord Byron’s Manfred
Recommended and Relevant Sources
Boyd, Brian. On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 2009.
Diekhoff, John. "The Fallacy of the Fall in Paradise Lost." PMLA 70, no. 5: 1185–204. Fish, Stanley. Surprised by Sin. London: Macmillan Press Ltd, 1967.
———. "Surprised by Sin at Fifty." Milton Quarterly 52, no. 4 (2018): 349-53.
———. "The Harassed Reader in Paradise Lost." Milton Quarterly 7, no. 2 (1965): 162-82.
Lewalski, Barbara. Paradise Lost and the Rhetoric of Literary Forms. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1987.
Lewis, C. S. A Preface to Paradise Lost. London: Oxford University Press, 1969. Liebert, Elisabeth. "Rendering "More Equal": Eve's Changing Discourse In "Paradise Lost"." Milton Quarterly 37, no. 3 (2003): 152-65.
McGrath, Patrick J. "Formal Resistance: Gender Hierarchy and Eve’s Final Speech in Paradise Lost." Milton Quarterly 47, no. 2 (2013): 72-87.
Milton, John. Paradise Lost. Edited by Alastair Fowler. New York: Routledge, 2013. Newman, Robert D. "Entanglement in Paradise: Eve’s Hair and the Reader’s Anxiety in “Paradise Lost”." Interpretations 16, no. 1 (1985): 112-5.
Wittreich, Joseph. Feminist Milton. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1987.
Links
Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
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Unleashed academics, tutors, and ornamental hermits Alice and Rowan do a deep dive into dark hero archetypes on a semi-weekly basis.
On this episode they continue their mini-series on Satan from John Milton’s Paradise Lost and discuss book 6 of the poem—the war in heaven!
They focus on Milton's experimentation with and criticism of Classical heroic qualities and his development of the "Christian Hero." They also discuss the epic—and ridiculous—war in Heaven in all its cosmic glory.
Next time, in their last episode on Paradise Lost, they tackle book 9 and 10 of the poem and discuss Satan's final demise.
We apologise for the less than ideal sound quality of this one, there seems to have been a problem with Rowan's microphone that was difficult to resolve.
Sources
John Milton. Paradise Lost. Edited by Alastair Fowler. New York: Routledge, 2013. Stella Purce Revard. The War in Heaven. London: Cornell University Press, 1980. John Steadman. Milton and the Renaissance Hero. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1967.
Links
Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Find us on Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
Email us at: ofthedevilsparty@gmail.com
Unseen Academicals Podcast: https://unseenacademicals.sounder.fm/
Dr Sam Hirst: https://romancingthegothic.com/2020/05/21/the-discerning-evil-doers-guide-to-gothic-villainy/
Unleashed academics, tutors, and ornamental hermits Alice and Rowan do a deep dive into dark hero archetypes on a semi-weekly basis.
This episode they continue their mini-series on Satan from John Milton’s Paradise Lost and discuss book 5 of the poem. They focus on how Satan justifies his rebellion against God through powerful rhetoric and grandiose posturing. We consider how and why Milton decided to make Satan's arguments compelling, and how they established the central paradox of the dark hero—what empowers them, also corrupts them, but we can't help watching it happen.
Sources
Forsyth, Neil. The Satanic Epic. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008.
Myers, Benjamin. Milton’s Theology of Freedom. Berlin: De Gruyter, Inc., 2006.
Revard, Stella Purce. "Satan's Envy of the Kingship of the Son of God: A Reconsideration Of "Paradise Lost,"
Book 5, and Its Theological Background." Modern Philology 70, no. 3 (1973): 190-8.
Revard, Stella Purce. The War in Heaven. London: Cornell University Press, 1980.
Steadman, John. ""Magnific Titles": Satan's Rhetoric and the Argument of Nobility." The Modern Language Review 61, no. 4 (1966): 561-71.
Williams, Arnold. "The Motivation of Satan's Rebellion In "Paradise Lost"." Studies in Philology 42, no. 2 (1945): 253-68.
Music: https://soundcloud.com/inossi/far-away-free-download; https://soundcloud.com/yeetgod93/sweaters-not-official-name-not?ref=clipboard&p=a&c=0&utm_campaign=social_sharing&utm_medium=text&utm_source=clipboard
Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofthedevilsparty/
Find us on Academia: https://monash.academia.edu/AliceCapstick
Unseen Academicals Podcast: https://unseenacademicals.sounder.fm/
Unleashed academics, tutors, and ornamental hermits Alice and Rowan
do a deep dive into dark hero archetypes on a semi-weekly basis.
This episode they continue their mini-series on John Milton’s Paradise Lost and discuss the representation of Satan in book 4 of the poem. Compared to what we've seen so far, Book 4 presents a different side to Satan. The Machiavellian dictator, rhetorician, military commander, and epic hero is replaced by a soliloquising shapeshifter who has more in common with a Shakespearean villain—Alice and Rowan explain why. Book 4 features some of the most famous sections of the poem, including Satan's confirmation in evil and his attempt to corrupt Eve via her ear. This and other pressing questions, like why there are no bugs in Adam and Eve's bedroom, are explained this week.
Next episode, they examine the epic war in heaven—it’s like Avengers vs. Thanos, but better.
Sources cited:
Fish, Stanley. Surprised by Sin. London: Macmillan Press Ltd, 1967, 106-7.
Gardner, Helen. A Reading of Paradise Lost. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1965, 122.
Marlowe, Christopher. Doctor Faustus. Edited by David Bennington; Eric Rasmussen, 1.3.76-81; 2.1.119-126.
Steadman, John. Milton and the Renaissance Hero. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1967, Xviii, 17.
See previous episodes for recommended reading lists and textual editions
Unleashed academics, tutors, and ornamental hermits Alice and Rowan
do a deep dive into dark hero archetypes on a semi-weekly basis.
This episode they continue their mini-series on John Milton’s
Paradise Lost and discuss the representation of Satan in books 1 and 2 of the
poem. They examine Milton's use of epic convention, Satan's characterisation,
speeches, and leadership of the rebel angels. They scatter in some more formal
discussion of important poetic devices, such as the invocation of the muse and
Milton's experimentation with epic similes. They develop their argument that
Satan is the first modern dark hero by discussing the ways Milton combines
heroic precedent and complicates expectations of the devil.
Rowan also develops a theme song.
Next episode, they examine Satan's role in books 4, 5, and 6 of the
poem.
Keep your eyes peeled for the teaser trailer for their introduction
to the gothic hero.
Recommended Text:
Milton, John. Milton: Paradise Lost.
Edited by Alastair Fowler. New York: Routledge, 2013.
Unleashed academics, tutors, and ornamental hermits Alice and Rowan do a deep dive into dark hero archetypes on a semi-weekly basis.
This episode they begin their mini-series on John Milton’s Paradise Lost and discuss the extent to which his famous protagonist—Satan—can be considered the progenitor of the modern dark hero. In their introduction to Paradise Lost they discuss the illustrious life of John Milton, how Milton combined the dark heroes that came before him to create Satan, the context of seventeenth-century England, and the relevant critical discussions regarding Satan’s character.
Next episode, they consider Satan's role in books I and II of the poem.
Recommended Reading:
Forsyth, Neil. The Satanic Epic. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008.
Lewalski, Barbara. Paradise Lost and the Rhetoric of Literary Forms. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1987.
———. The Life of John Milton: A Critical Biography. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2002.
Lewis, C.S. A Preface to Paradise Lost. London: Oxford University Press, 1969.
Milton, John. Milton: Paradise Lost. Edited by Alastair Fowler. New York: Routledge, 2013.
Ricks, Christopher. Milton’s Grand Style. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1963.
John Steadman. Milton’s Epic Characters. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1968.
Bibliography:
Addison, Joseph. Notes Upon the Twelve Books of Paradise Lost. Collected from the Spectator. London: Company of Stationers, 1719.
Bryson, Michael. The Tyranny of Heaven: Milton's Rejection of God as King. Newark: University of Delaware Press, 2004.
Danielson, Dennis Richard. The Cambridge Companion to Milton. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
Davies, Stevie. ""Triumph and Anti-Triumph: Milton's Satan and the Roman Emperors In" Paradise Lost." Études Anglaises 34, no. 4 (1981): 385-98.
Empson, William. Milton's God. London: Chatto and Windus Ltd, 1965.
Fish, Stanley. Surprised by Sin. London: Macmillan Press Ltd, 1967.
Unleashed academics, tutors, and ornamental hermits Alice and Rowan do a deep dive into dark hero archetypes on a semi-weekly basis.
This episode they cover Charlotte Dacre's Zofloya: Or the Moor (1806) and discuss why it has been so difficult to define the novel's unique protagonist. Is she a femme fatale, a gothic heroine, or an attempt to subvert the gothic genre?
Sources:
Brewster, Glen. "Monstrous Philosophy: Charlotte Dacre’s Zofloya, or the Moor and John Milton’s Paradise Lost." Literature Compass 8, no. 9 (2011): 609-19.
Clery, E. J. Women’s Gothic: From Clara Reeve to Mary Shelley. Devon, England: Northcote House, 2000.
Craciun, Adriana. ""I Hasten to Be Disembodied": Charlotte Dacre, the Demon Lover, and Representations of the Body." European Romantic Review 6, no. 1 (1996): 75-97.
Craciun, Adriana, James Chandler, and Marilyn Butler, eds. Fatal Women of Romanticism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
Dacre, Charlotte. Zofloya: Or the Moor. Edited by Kim Michasiw. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.
———. Zofloya: Or the Moor. Edited by Adriana Craciun. Ontario: Broadview Press, 2006.
Davison, Carol. "Getting Their Knickers in a Twist: Contesting the ‘Female Gothic’ in Charlotte Dacre's Zofloya." Gothic Studies 11, no. 1 (2009): 32-45.
Dunn, Jame. "Charlotte Dacre and the Feminization of Violence." Nineteenth-Century Literature 53, no. 3 (1998): 307-27.
Faxneld, Per. "Woman Liberated by the Devil in Four Gothic Novels: William Beckford’s
Vathek (1786), Matthew Lewis’ the Monk (1796), Charlotte Dacre’s Zofloya or the Moor (1806) and Charles Maturin’s Melmoth the Wanderer (1820)." In Grotesque Femininities: Evil, Women and the Feminine, edited by Maria Barrett. Oxford:
Interdisciplinary Press, 2010.
Gentile, Kathy. "Sublime Drag: Supernatural Masculinity in Gothic Fiction." Gothic Studies 11, no. 1 (2009): 16-31.
Gilbert, Sandra, and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination. 2nd ed. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000.
Jones, Anne H. "Charlotte Dacre." In Ideas and Innovations: Best Sellers of Jane
Austen's Age. New York: AMS Press, 1986.
Mellor, Anne K. Romanticism and Gender. New York: Routledge, 1993.