Close Reads Podcast: Recent Episodes
Goldberry Studios
Close Reads is a book-club podcast for the incurable reader. Featuring David Kern, Tim McIntosh and Heidi White, alongside a couple of other occasional guests, we read Great Books and talk about them. This is a show for amateurs in the best sense. We’re book lovers, book enthusiasts. This is not an experts show and it’s barely literary analysis in the way that literary analysis is commonly understood. Instead it’s a show about experiences with literary urge. Join us!
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It’s time for a new series, this time on one of Sean’s very favorite authors, Graham Greene! So join in as we dig into the origins of this “elevated entertainment,” the way the book explores the plight of modern man, the important role of the protagonist’s daughter, the book’s treatment of espionage, and much more. Happy listening!
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What makes The Odyssey difficult to adapt? Which parts of Homer’s story are most essential to include? In what ways does Christopher Nolan’s adaptation work (and not work)? Writer, teacher, and film-lover Joshua Gibbs joins the show to discuss in this special episode.
What did you think of the film? Let us know in the comments. We’d love to hear.
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As we come to the end of our reading of Beloved we dig into some listener questions. We talked about a variety of topics, including the book’s ending and some characters we haven’t covered in depth yet. And coming up in a few weeks we’ll have a very special guest on to discuss the book’s legacy. Thanks for joining us for this series!
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This week we’re digging into the complicated way that Toni Morrison presents Sethe’s tragic choice here in the middle of the book and especially the psychological implications and ramifications—both character-wise and aesthetically. Plus: Paul D’s response and Beloved’s haunting. There's a lot to dig into here so join the conversation! Happy listening!
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe
Welcome back to our series on Toni Morrison’s novel. In this episode we focus on Morrison’s engrossing prose, including the way she uses threaded metaphors and symbols, and how it enhances the pathos of the story. Plus, the trauma narrative and whether or not the novel is experimental. As always, happy listening!
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe
Welcome to our new series on Toni Morrison’s modern classic! In this first episode, we dig into the book’s complicated narrative structure, Morrison’s use of POV, the feminine nature of the story and writing, whether it’s a novel of advocacy, and much more! Happy listening!
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Welcome to the conclusion of our series on Margaret Kennedy’s novel as we dig into a bunch of listener questions! Thanks for tuning in to these conversations and thanks to everyone who posted a question. Happy listening!
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe
Welcome to the conclusion of our series on Margaret Kennedy’s novel! This week we discuss justice and mercy, the meek inheriting the earth, the various ways the end ties into the beginning, and much more. Happy listening!
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Welcome back to our series on Margaret Kennedy’s The Feast! We begin by answering a couple of listener questions, before discussing the fascinating “symposium” at the heart of this section (“what is wrong with this country!?”), Nancibel’s lovely conversation with her mother, and the Cove girls’ tragic conflict with their mother. Happy listening!
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Welcome back to our series on Margart Kennedy’s novel. This week we’re discussing Bruce’s confession, Hebe’s adventure (and insight into people), Siddal’s perceptions despite his sloth, patience and the spiritual life, patience vs wrath, and much more. Happy listening!
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Welcome back to another conversation about Margaret Kennedy’s The Feast. This week we begin by discussing some audience comments, then we discuss a number of topics, including poor Bruce and his bad decisions, Mrs Gifford vs Mrs Cove, and the difference between subtly and cleverness in literature (and whether either are artistic virtues), and more. Happy listening!
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And then it was Monday in Margaret Kennedy’s The Feast.
This week topics of discussion includes the way the various characters may (or may not) represent the seven deadly sins, which characters we root for the most (and which we despise the most), the question of hope in the story, and much more, as usual. Happy listening!
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Welcome to the first episode of a new series on Margaret Kennedy’s novel, The Feast. We discuss the book’s allegorical bent (and how it’s different than most allegorical novels), the role of each of the main characters, the unique structure of the book (and it’s early reveals), and much more. Happy listening!
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You have questions, we did our best to answer them. Thanks for tuning in to this series on Steinbeck’s classic novel and happy listening!
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So about that ending . . . We discuss (from a variety of angles). Happy listening!
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This week’s episode is dedicated entirely to the lengthy chapter 26 so we have a chance to discuss poor Casy’s complicated arc and the Christ-like allusion in his demise and whether the novel present’s Tom’s killing of Casy’s murderer as justified (and what justice is in this story). Plus we hear from a few listeners and much more. As always, happy listening!
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Is ma emerging as Steinbeck’s new protagonist? Does the “grapes of wrath” chapter work? And what of the book’s evolving view of religion? We discuss these and several topics on this week’s episode. Happy listening!
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Welcome to another episode of our new series on classic short stories! This month, it’s Tolkien’s beloved story about creativity, hope, and the finitude of life. It’s also a little bit about Dante and Virgil, maybe a bit auto-biographical, and the perfect story to discuss during the Easter season. We discuss. Happy listening!
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Does Casy redeem himself with his heroic action? Does this this book live too much in the realm of artifice? Does this book, like East of Eden, feature the idea of timshel and in what ways is his view of human nature different in this novel. Also: Tom as microcosm. These and many other topics are on this episode’s rundown. Happy listening!
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Is Steinbeck an American Dickens? Does this book have a villain/antagonist? What role do each of the tertiary characters play? And does Steinbeck take his particular use of symbolism too far? These are the sort of questions we’re discussing on this week’s show! Thanks for joining the conversation and happy listening!
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It’s time to really discuss it: Do Steinbeck’s interstitial, alternating chapters work? We dig in—with differences of opinion. Plus we discuss the dramatic chapter 13, think about when Steinbeck’s use of symbolism works best, and chat about the 2026 Close Reads literary bracket (with a little help from an unusual friend). Happy listening!
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Welcome to the beginning of a new series as we dive into John Steinbeck’s classic novel. In this episode we discuss Steinbeck’s unique use of alternating chapters, his desire to make a political statement, the intensity of his prose, which characters we are supposed to sympathize with, and turtles. Happy listening!
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Welcome to the conclusion of our series on Niall William’s novel, as we do our best to answer your questions!
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Welcome back to our ongoing series on Niall Williams’ novel! This we discuss whether the novel has a “happy” ending, its final verdict on what happiness is, Williams’ subtle use of symbolism, Noe’s vocation, and much more.
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Welcome back to our ongoing series on Niall Williams’ novel, This Is Happiness. This week we discuss some audience comments, the book’s examination of the relationship between poetics and rhetoric, the difference between nostalgia and sentimentality, look at the way Noe and Christy are merging as the story goes on, and much more. Happy listening!
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Welcome back to our ongoing series on Niall Williams’ lovely novel. This week we discuss what this book has to say about happiness, the themes of hope and cynicism, Christy the romantic, coming of age, and our favorite passages in these chapters. Hope you enjoy and thanks for listening!
To learn about The Tapestry, the new curriculum from the CiRCE Institute click here! It’s available to pre-order now.
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Welcome to the start of a new series! Over the next several weeks we’ll be digging into Irish writer, Niall Williams pastoral novel, This Is Happiness. This week we’re discussing the proverbial nature of the narrator, the memory novel framing of the story, the way the place comes alive throughout the book, and much, much more. As always, happy listening!
To learn about The Tapestry, the new curriculum from the CiRCE Institute click here! It’s available to pre-order now.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe
As always, we conclude our series on Edith Wharton’s classic novel by answering your questions. There were a lot of good ones and we did our best to answer as many as we could. Sometimes, of course, you just have to look at it. Happy listening!
To learn about The Tapestry, the new curriculum from the CiRCE Institute click here! It’s available to pre-order now.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe
Welcome back to our series on Edith Wharton’s very complex (and wonderful) novel. This week, in discussing the ending, we find ourselves at, well, a loss for words. Nevertheless, we persist. We attempt to reckon with the complicated nature of May’s character, Newland’s fatalism and paralyzed life of the mind, the question of whether he’s a tragic character, how we may or may not re-think the countess in light of the ending, and much more! As always, happy listening!
To learn about The Tapestry curriculum from the CiRCE Institute click here!
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Welcome back to our ongoing series about The Age of Innocence! This week we’re discussing when a thought becomes a sin in this book, whether there’s enough substance in Newland for a woman like Ellen to fall in love with him, Newland’s obsession with fate (even if he has manufacture some), Ellen as representative of European culture for Newland, and much, much more. Happy listening!
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Welcome back to our series on Edith Wharton’s excellent novel. This week we talk about the way the two main female characters have emerged, how we respond to Newland’s dilemma, the moral conditions of the novel’s world, and much more. Happy listening!
To learn about The Tapestry curriculum from the CiRCE Institute click here!
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Welcome to our first series of the new year, as we jump into Edith Wharton’s novel of the Gilded Age, The Age of Innocence. This we discuss the way Wharton uses Newland Archer’s unique point-of-view, the nature of the Countess’ role in the story (and in Newland’s life), the book’s contemplation of the changing society, and much much more. As always, happy listening!
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Welcome to our longest episode of the year, during which we discuss our favorite reading experiences of the year, share our individual top five books, and drop some news about HQ books for 2026. Happy new year from all of us at Close Reads!
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You had questions, we had answers, so join us for the final conversation about Shakespeare’s classic comedy! We talk about Margaret’s culpability, Don Pedros rejections, Claudio’s turn, Dogberry’s wisdom, and much more! Happy listening!
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For your errand-running, long drive, baking, cleaning, or lounging listening, we present a Christmas mailbag in which we answer your questions about traditions, books, characters in the Nativity story, and much more! Happy listening and Merry Christmas!
Image credit: 1953, Man Tangled Up in Christmas Decorations by Al Brule
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Welcome back to our series on Much Abo About Nothing! This week we're discussing Hero's role in the story, which characters have a positive transformation, what makes Beatric and Benedick's relationship so delightful, and much, much more. As always, happy listening!
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In this week’s conversation about Shakespeare classic comedy, we discuss the famous “kill Claudio” demand from Beatrice: How it opens up the drama of the play and brings Benedick and Beatrice together. Plus, Benedick’s transformation, the true cost of love, Don Pedro the man of causes, and much more. Happy listening!
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Welcome back to another conversation about Shakespeare’s delightful comedy. This week we discuss the differences between “noting” and investigating, Dogberry the wise fool who sees but nonetheless can’t communicate clearly in contract with the characters who can communicate but don’t have vision, the question of who the play’s hero is, and much, much more. Happy listening!
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Welcome back to another conversation about Shakespeare’s wonderful comedy. The best bit: this week we’re joined by the one-and-only Tim McIntosh! Topics of conversation include the famous “gulling” scene, the difference between Benedick and Claudio, Don Pedro the schemer, and some more on “noting.” As always, happy listening!
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Welcome to a new series on one of Shakespeare’s most delightful and brilliant plays! In this episode, which is about act one, we discuss why it’s so beloved, the way Shakespeare’s unfurls the story while also offering complex layers of humor, whether you can tell when characters are being honest, Don Pedro’s scheming, and much more! Happy listening!
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It’s Q&A time. You’ve got questions; we have answers. So join in as we conclude our conversation on Hemingway’s classic novel. Happy listening!
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Is A Farewell to Arms pure tragedy? Is there any hope in the denouement? What should we do with Hemingway’s alternate endings? These and many other questions are the focus of this week’s episode. Happy listening!
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Sean calls this the happy section of the book, so in this episode we discuss the book’s conception of happiness, engage in a close reading of the scene between Frederic and an old billiards player, and contemplate the question of cynicism in this book. Happy listening!
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After an unfortunate delay, we’re back with further conversation about Hemingway’s twentieth century classic. This week we discuss the harrowing nature of this section, the bad moral luck of the characters, the rich spiritual contemplations at the heart of the novel, and much more. Happy listening!
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Welcome back to our ongoing series on Hemingway’s classical novel. This week we discuss the turn the book takes in book two, the nature of Hemingway’s contemplation of love, and a couple of key scenes that reveal his genius as a storyteller. As always, happy listening!
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Welcome to our new series on Ernest Hemingway’s modern classic. For this first episode we chatted about Heidi’s deep love of the book, the subtly of Hemingway’s prose, the role of faith and confession in the story. whether it’s melodramatic, and much, much more. Happy listening!
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This week is one part Q&A about The Princess and the Goblin, one part ask-us-anything. That means we’re discussing George McDonald’s plot devices, Irene’s grandmother, and goblins but also cooking, Shakespeare, new book releases, and the Muppets. Happy listening!
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This week we discuss the delightful conclusion to George McDonald’s classic children’s novel, how it compares to classic fairy tales, why books like this matter more than ever, and much more. Happy listening!
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Over the next few weeks we’ll be discussing George Macdonald’s delightful nineteenth century children’s story, The Princess and the Goblin. In this episode we discuss its similarities to (and influence on) Lewis and Tolkien, why books like this matter more than ever, and where it’s most delightful. As always, thanks for tuning in and happy listening!
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It’s that time of year! You’ve probably seen the posts revealing the books we’ll be discussing on the show in 2026 , but now you can tune into the process of making those determinations. Happy listening!
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You had plenty of great questions; we did our best to answer them. So join in as we conclude our series on Emily Bronte’s classic novel. Happy listening!
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We’ve come to the end of Emily Bronte’s novel and so we’re here to discuss, well, how it ends. Up first: Sean’s opinion. Then we discuss the impact of the late-stage POV-shift, whether this is a ghost story, the fun-to-discuss questions at the core of the book, and much more. Happy listening!
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Welcome back to our ongoing conversation about Emily Bronte’s novel! This week we discuss whether it’s too melodramatic, Heathcliff’s malevolence, Cathy’s kindness to pathetic Linton, and much more. Happy listening!
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Welcome back to our ongoing series on Emily Bronte’s novel! This week we’re discussing the degree to which the book is a love story, the strange circumstances of a particular character’s death and another character’s birth, the inevitability of the narrative (and it’s structure), and much more! Happy listening!
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Ten years ago, on the first ever episode of Close Reads, we discussed “A Good Man Is Hard To Find,” the famous story by Flannery O’Connor. Last weekend, at our tenth anniversary party, we revisited it and we’re excited to share that discussion with you now. So whether you’ve been listening all along or whether it’s first time, thanks for tuning in and happy listening!
Thanks so much to everyone who has helped shape the show for so long, from co-hosts and guest hosts to listeners from all over the world—and, of course, Logan! We couldn’t do it without you. Cheers!
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Welcome back to our ongoing series on Emily Bronte’s classic novel. This week we discuss the roots of the characters’ various issues, Cathy’s and Heathcliff’s sense of connection to one another, the profound sense that there is nothing solid upon which the characters can stand, Nelly’s seeming disdain for Cathy, and much more! Happy listening?
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Welcome back to our ongoing series on Emily Bronte’s classic novel. This week we’re discussing whether the book includes either a protagonist or an antagonist, how we should interpret the narration of Nelly, who we most sympathize with, and much more. Happy listening!
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Welcome to a new series! As we kick off our conversations on Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, we discuss the genius of the Bronte sisters, the somewhat disorienting nature of the book’s framing device, the way Bronte creates atmosphere, and much more. Happy listening!
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As always, you had plenty of great questions about our current book and on this episode we did our best to answer a bunch of them. Thanks for tuning in to and participating in this series. Happy listening!
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It’s a bit late, but better late than never, right? Apologies for the delay! The upload speeds weren’t great in the English countryside. All the same, we’ve come to the end of The Great Gatsby, which means it’s time to talk about some of the most memorable passages in American literature. Join us as we dig in. Happy listening!
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Welcome back to our series on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, in which we discuss his best novelistic skills, including his ability to deal in subtext while also creating mood. Plus: the way the book explores the dissonance between desire and reality, whether any of these characters have any interest in (or capacity to see) higher things, and much more. Happy listening!
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Welcome to a new series of episodes on another wonderful book. It’s our first re-read here on Close Reads and it’s timely, too, since The Great Gatsby just turned 100 years old! So join in as we discuss what’s made F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel last a century, what makes Nick Carraway a compelling narrator, the tragic longing at the nostalgic core of the story, and much more. Happy listening!
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We’re in between books so we answered as many of your questions as we could—which is to say, this is one of those wide-ranging episodes on a variety of topics. Snack foods, book organization, novels we wish we wrote, protecting the canon, Lewis or Tolkien, and much more. Hope you enjoy! Until next time, happy reading.
Up next: Chapters 1-3 of The Great Gatsby.
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You had questions; we did our best to answer them. It’s the Piranesi Q&A episode. Happy listening!
Up next: An ask-us-anything mailbag episode, then we’ll be kicking off a new series on The Great Gatsby.
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We’ve come to the end of Susannah Clarke’s novel, which means it’s time to discuss whether the somewhat controversial ending is ultimately satisfying, different ways of interpreting the book, the way it presents it’s myriad philosophical contemplations, and much more. Happy listening!
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Wikipedia rabbit holes. Peacefulness or lack thereof in the world of Piranesi. The source of human goodness and morality. Sudafed fever dreams. These and many other topics are discussed on this week’s discussion of Susannah Clarke’s novel. Happy listening!
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Welcome back to our ongoing conversation on Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi. This week we’re discussing the book’s genre-bending nature, Clarke’s extremely allusive approach (from Coleridge to Lewis and others in between), whether the house of a dark place or a peaceful place, and much more. Happy listening!
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Welcome to a new series! It’s time to dig into Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi, a book that’s been requested many times since its release in 2020. In this episode, we’re previewing things and thinking about how to read it before discussing part 1. Happy listening!
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You had questions; we did our best to answer them. It’s the final episode on O Pioneers!, and we’re sad to see it go. Happy listening!
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This week, Sean describes how he wasn’t prepared for the ending of this book and we discuss the precision of the writing in some of the key scenes. Plus: Is it more tragic or comic (in the literary sense), what does the book have to say about justice, and much more. Happy listening!
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What do we make of Carl’s choices (and semi-pursuit) of Alexandra? Does he have anything to offer her? What makes Marie such a compelling character? Plus, how Marie and Emil are counterpoints to Carl and Alexandra. This and much more are topics of discussion on this week’s discussion of Willa Cather’s modern classic. Happy listening!
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Welcome to a new series on another great novel, Willa Cather’s O Pioneers!. This week we’re discussing Cather’s instinctive yet precise writing, the book’s contemplation of imagination and vocation, the relationship between the characterization and the land, and much more. Plus we discuss our 2025 literary bracket. Happy listening!
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You had questions; we did our best to answer them. It’s another Q&A and it’s all yours now . . . or as soon as you hit the play button. Happy listening!
Note: no video for this one.
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Welcome to the Jane Austen heist draft, in which each of us will build a six-member crew of Jane Austen characters to perpetrate a heist, Oceans 11 style. In this case, we’re stealing back a long lost Turner painting from Captain Rushworth, who has (wrongly) claimed it as his own. Who has the best crew? That’s up to you. Happy listening!
Note: The Q&A for A Tale of Two Cities will run next Monday.
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And so we come to the end of Charles Dicken’s A Tale of Two Cities! In this episode, we discuss the sometimes complicated nature of reading and writing historical fiction, the way Dickens ratchets up the drama in the section, the wonderful confrontation between Miss Pross and Madame Defarge, and much more! As always, thanks for listening and happy reading!
Want to ask a quesiton for next week’s Q&A? You can do so here.
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In this very special episode we go behind-the-scenes with Heidi on her forthcoming book! What’s the origin story? Why is the topic so important to her? What was it like to write? How’s she feeling now? Plus Tim’s here! What a momentous day. Happy listening!
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Welcome back to our ongoing series on Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities! This week we’re chatting about scenes that make this section exciting, the political context of the story, what Dickens’ worldview seems to be based on some of the metaphors he uses in the book, and much more. Happy listening!
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Welcome back! It’s French Revolution time (i.e., Dickens does history). Also, Lucy and Darnay discuss Sidney’s sadness, Lucy and Darnay have children, and ultimately Darnay leaves. We discuss. Happy listening!
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It’s the episode in which we dig into the ways Dickens uses different tones of voice in various sections, the way his writing creates a tableau-like effect, how the serialization of the story should impact our reading, and question on morality that the book’s introduction of the French Revolution raises. In other words, it’s another conversation on A Tale of Two Cities! Thanks for tuning in and happy listening!
NOTE: VIDEO COMING LATER
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Welcome back to our ongoing conversation about Charles Dickens’ classic novel! In this episode, we discuss what the book is revealing itself to be about, the question of villainy in the story, the importance of the historical context, the differences in the various men who love Lucie, Dickens use of symblism, and much more. Happy listening!
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We’re back with another conversation on Charles Dickens’ classical novel, and this time we discuss the introduction of Sidney Carton and Charles Darnay—and the way Dickens employs doubling to develop them as characters alongside the key themes of the book. Plus: a great Dickens-ism, a few wonderful scenes, chat on Dickens and dialogue, questions about how Dickens writes women, and much more. Happy listening!
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Over the years, many of you have asked us to discuss a Dickens novel and it’s finally time! Over the next several episodes we are going to dig into A Tale of Two Cities. But fair warning: as we get into the book we do spend some time explaining why we’re not necessarily Dickens enthusiasts, before getting into what really works well. (Don’t worry, we won’t dwell further on the things we don’t love, but it would be strange to not address it given our collective reputation on this count). Happy listening!
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You had questions about The Bridge of San Luis Rey; we did our best to answer them. Thanks for tuning in to this series!
Up next: A Tale of Two Cities.
Please note: no video for this episode.
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It’s time to dig into the end of Thornton Wilder’s lovely novel and in this episode we’re discussing the impact (and epilogue-like nature) of the final chapter, the spiritual contemplations inherent in the narrative, the way Wilder manages to say something powerful about the nature of love, and much more. Happy listening!
Video editionA quick note on video: some listeners have requested that we post videos of the show. We’re open to this and will try it, since it does seem to be the future of podcasting, whatever that means. But many video podcasts can get quite performative; video can change the tone of a show. After all, it’s weird to sit and look into the camera; it’s weird to be conscious of the fact that people are watching you have a conversation as opposed to just listening to it. Some people get anxious about lighting and hair and makeup and all that. We aren’t going to worry about any of that. We are just going to post our Zoom calls as they are. If they look bad or poorly lit, so be it. If they seem awkward, oh well. If it’s for you, great. If you just want to roll with audio, that’s great too. However you tune in, thanks for doing so!
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Welcome to the first episode of 2025 here on Close Reads! Our first book of the year is a short but powerful contemplation of , well, the meaning of life and death. Great way to kick off a new year . . .
Topics of conversation include whether this is an unbearably sad book, the complex (mirrored) relationships at the core of the story, the nesting doll structure of the narrative, the echoes of Jesus’ teaching that show up, and much more. Happy listening!
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We’ve come to the end of our series on James Runcie’s novel, The Great Passion, which (as usual) means it’s time for a Q&A episode and this time we have a very special guest: our friend Greg Wilbur, who happens to a conductor and composer who has also authored a biography of Bach himself. Greg joined us to chat about his experience with The Great Passion and to answer some of your questions. Happy listening (and happy new year)!
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Merry Christmas from all of us at Close Reads! In this episode we’re chatting about the final chapters of James Runcie’s lovely novel, The Great Passion. Topics of conversation include the way this book is perfect for the Christmas season, how Runcie portrays the performance of the Passion in the book, what the epilogue accomplishes, and much more. Happy listening!
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It’s that time of year! In this annual tradition we’re sharing our top five reads of 2024 (as well as a slew of honorable mentions). Happy listening!
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Welcome back to our ongoing conversation about James Runcie’s The Great Passion. In this episode we discuss the book’s ongoing contemplation about the way platitude’s rarely can solve the problem of real grief; how it explores spiritual questions; the complicated nature of Catharina’s relationship with Stefan; and much more. Happy listening!
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Welcome back to Close Reads as we continue our discussion of James Runcie’s The Great Passion. Topics of conversation include the way Runcie introduces the book’s tragedies, how Bach teaches both the protagonist and the reader, how to tell the difference between true wisdom and pithy sayings in the story, and much more. Happy listening!
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We’re on to a new book: James Runcie’s The Great Passion, a contemporary book that blends a variety of genres in a really delightful fashion. On this episode we discuss how he pulls it off. Plus: the way music is an ongoing motif in the construction of the story, why it’s such a re-readable book, how Bach is portrayed, and much more. Happy reading!
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You had questions so we answered some. It’s an ask-us-anything episode for the long holiday weekend. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here at Close Reads!
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You have questions, we have answers! So join in as Heidi and Sean dig deep into your agreements and disagreements, your concerns and displeasures, your interigations and your impressions. We hope you enjoy, even if you disagree with the takes. Happy listening!
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Welcome to the conclusion of our conversation of Emily St. John Mandel’s award-winning novel (other than the Q&A episode, which will drop next week). Topics of conversation in this one include:
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The way the book contemplates whether civilization should be saved—and the way it thinks about civilization writ-large
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the notion of re-birth and purification when things crumble
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and, of course, whether Mandel lands the plane in the end.
As always, happy listening!
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Welcome back to our discussion of Emily St. John Mandel’s award-winning, best-selling contemporary novel, Station Eleven. In this episode we discussthe characters’ longing for connection—both to their old world and to other people (and the question of hope that the book raises therein).
Happy listening!
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Welcome back to our discussion of Emily St. John Mandel’s award-winning, best-selling contemporary novel, Station Eleven.
Topics of conversation on this first episode include:
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the winding way in which the book reveals itself
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the moral universe (and telos) that the book seems to be setting forth
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Mandel’s unique ability to craft characters which seem alive
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and much, much more.
Happy listening!
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Welcome to a new series here on Close Reads, in which we’re digging into Emily St. John Mandel’s award-winning, best-selling contemporary novel, Station Eleven, a book which became eerily prescient during peak Covid days. Topics of conversation on this first episode include:
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the experience of reading a book which fictionalized events which almost seemed to actually have happened (sort of) . . .
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why this novel was so popular (including during Covid lockdowns)
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the parallels between the events of the play within the book and the events of the book itself
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and much more
Happy listening!
Close Reads Podcast HQ is a community-supported endeavor. If you like what you hear, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber to ensure we can keep making the content you enjoy.
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As is our custom here on Close Reads, we’re concluding this series on Francois Mauriac’s Vipers’ Tangle by answering some of your questions. We talk about Mauriac’s bibliography and biography, conversion stories in literature, Louis’ evolving heart, and much more! Thanks for tuning in and happy listening!
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Now that we’ve read all of Mauriac’s Vipers’ Tangle, we can discuss the details. So in this episode, we dig into the degree to which we can trust the narrator as the novel goes on, the degree to which his children are malicious, and the degree to which he’s truly changed/saved in the end. And so much more. Happy listening!
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Flannery O’Connor’s fiction has been described as “gothic,” “violent,” “unsentimental,” even “grotesque.” Yet it is also often described as funny. How can both be true? Well in this episode the whole gang is back together to discuss that very question during a live recording that took place at our recent “Close Reads on the Road” event in Concord, NC. So join us as we explore O’Connor’s famous story, “Good Country People” and try to ascertain where the humor in her work comes from and why it matters. Happy listening!
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Welcome back to Close Reads. This week we’re discussing the way Vipers’ Tangle shift gears in this section and what it means for our understanding of the characters, the goals of the book, and our interaction with it. Plus: lots of conversation about Isa and marriage. Happy reading!
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Welcome back to Close Reads! This week we discuss why Vipers’ Tangle isn’t better known, the degree to which the book wants to be sympathetic with the narrator, where we’re supposed to trust his perceptions, and some areas the book might fall short of being truly great (to David, anyway). Happy listening!
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This week we kick off a new book with some conversation about Sean’s obsession with Graham Greene, why books about spiritual struggle are so compelling, whether this book has an unreliable narrator, and the difference between a novelist who is Catholic and a Catholic who is a novelist. Happy listening!
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You had questions about Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont—we have answers. Thanks so much for participating in this series of this episodes and happy listening!
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The reading list for 2025 is officially official! After a lively nominating season and much debate (which you can hear in this episode), we have chosen nine books to discuss next year. We’re heavy on classics this year, by design—and we’re going to take our time as we read them.
If you’d like to hear how these books came to be chosen (and the books that didn’t quite make the cut), click that “play'“ button to check our “Great Winnowing” conversation. Here’s to a great year of reading together!
A few notes:
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You can click here buy these books through Goldberry Books.
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The complete schedule, with dates and number of weeks per book, will be relased later this year. We do not yet know the order in which we will read them (including which will be read first).
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The first subscriber-exclusive book for 2025 will be The Betrothed, an Italian novel by Alessandro Manzoni. We will announce the second title soon.
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The titles in our monthly series on mystery fiction will be announced in early October
Happy listening!
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As we come to the end of Elizabeth Taylor’s novel, it’s time to discuss the degree to which the ending is tragic (vs. merely melancholy). Plus: what do we make of Ludo’s storyline, Mr. Osmond’s role in the final chapters, and the moral framework of the story. Happy listening!
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Welcome back to the Close Reads! This week we discuss whether Ludo is a decent guy, compare the real Desmond to the fake one, contemplate the creeping scourge of loneliness, and dig deep into a key chapter/scene. As always, happy reading!
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We’re on to a new book here on Close Reads! So join us as we discuss the particular mix of melancholy and humor that Elizabeth Taylor manages to offer to readers, the subtleties of the book’s central relationships, the crisis of loneliness in the story, and why this is one of David’s favorite kinds of book. Also, Heidi makes predictions. Happy reading!
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We’ve come to the end of another book and this time we are discussing the supernatural and spiritual implications of the final pages, the modern vision of hope the book seems to hew close to, Kayla’s role in the final scenes, and much more. Thanks for tuning in and happy listening!
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“What’s with all of the vomit?”, Heidi asked, and thus we were off. But, dear listener, we talked about so much more than that. We discussed the degree to which this novel offers signs of hope (and where they show up), the purpose of the supernatural in the story, the collison of generations at the heart of the narrative, and much more. Happy listening!
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Welcome back to Close Reads as we discuss justice, point-of-view, ghosts (and much more) in Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing! Happy listening!
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Jesmyn Ward’s 2017 novel, Sing, Unburied, Sing, has quickly emerged as one of the most highly regarded books of our young century, so on this episode we dig into what makes it so interesting. Plus we discuss why it’s a fruitful double feature alongside To Kill a Mockingbird. As always, happy reading!
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You’ve got questions about To Kill a Mockingbird, we’ve got conversation. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions and happy listening!
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And so we’re at the end of another book. In this one, Boo Radley appears, Jem is a hero, Atticus faces a dilemma, and Scout begins to see things for herself. Join us as we dig in. Happy listening!
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This section of To Kill a Mockingbird includes some of the most memorable scenes in all of American literature. Join us as we dig in! (And happy listening!)
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During these chapters Harper Lee begins to shift gears, subtly expanding the thematic world of To Kill a Mockingbird, while also introducing us to both new characters and new plot. We discuss. Plus: more on Atticus, a reading of the church scene, and much more! Happy reading!
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Welcome back to a new series of discussions on another beloved novel, this time on one of the best American novels ever written. In this episode, we talk about Harper Lee’s use of voice in telling the story (and why it’s somewhat similar to Jane Austen), the importance of the character of Jem, the Southerness of the book, and much more.
Happy listening!
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What’s your favorite book from the 1860s? Something by Tolstoy or Dostoevsky? Dickens or Alcott? This week on Close Reads we’re drafting books from this very important decade in several categories—and you’ll get the final say on whose “roster” of titles is best. So click play and get ready to vote (poll coming soon). Happy listening!
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Join us as we dig into the second half of Tove Jansson’s delightful novel, The Summer Book. We discussed whether this is a fundamentally feminine book, the fascinating (and moving) absence of the father throughout, the complex presentation of the grandmother as a character, Jansson’s masterful ending, and much, much more.
Happy listening!
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Summer is nearly here, so it’s the perfect time to dive into Tove Jansson’s cult classic, The Summer Book, a delightful but melancholy story about the relationship between a young girl and her grandmother and their life on an island. In this episode we chatted about Jansson’s attention to the details of island itself, the unique perspectives of the two main characters, the episode nature of the story and the unique humor in each, and much more. Happy listening!
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As always, we’re concluding a series by answering you questions. And, while it may have taken two different recording sessions, we answered as many as we could. Thanks so much to everyone who sent in questions—and happy listening!
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We can finally talk about the whole book, which really means we can finally debate all the things we want to debate! So click play and listen in as we argue (sorta) about who can actually be trusted in this book and which theories are actually most . . . trustworthy. Happy listening!
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Part three of Hernan Diaz’s novel is quite different than its two predecessors. On the one hand, it shifts the point-of-view away from the Bevel family and offers us a look at them through a regular person, a civilian, if you will. On the other hand, Diaz seems to complicate the book even more in making that choice. So in this episode, we debate what his goals are, whether our narrator in this section can be trusted, and how it deepens (but also clarifies) the mystery at the heart of the book. And we continue dancing around the big reveal to come (and much more, as always). Happy listening!
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We’re back to discuss part two of Hernan Diaz’s award-winning novel. In this episode we chat about whether we can really know anything about its narrator (and how he might be related to the protagonist in part one), whether he’s a bad guy or just a small-soul, the metafiction of it all, and more. Happy listening!
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The gang is all back for this new series on Hernan Diaz’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Trust! Join as we try not to spoil the rest of the book, discuss what makes Diaz’s approach so compelling, contemplate who part one is most sympathetic toward, and much more. Happy listening!
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Once again, it’s time to answer your questions! So join us as we discuss Tolkien’s many choices, some differences between this book and the main trilogy, his various influences, teaching it, and much more. Happy listening!
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Bilbo’s journey is over and he’s home, which means there’s plenty to talk about. So this week we’re discussing the role of luck in Tolkien’s stories, the book’s subtle moral vision, Bilbo’s transformation, Arkenbread, and much more. Happy listening!
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Bilbo, Thorin, and co. are well on their way, but are they actually good at their jobs? We discuss. Plus: Beowulf, The Hobbit and the question of heroism. Happy listening!
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Welcome to a new series here on Close Reads! We’re talking Tolkien, we’re talking Hobbits, we’re talking rings and dwarves and wizards, and (this week anyway) we’re talking first lines. So join us as we dig into what makes The Hobbit both so fun and so brilliant, what is has to say about heroism, whether our riddle game is strong, and much more. Plus, at the end, we discuss the annual Close Reads literary bracket, which is on great opening lines in literature. Happy listening! Preorder LUMEN Volume One: www.goldberryarts.com
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We’ve come to the end of the line discussing another book and that means it’s time to answer your questions! A lot of questions came in for this one, and we did our best to get to the bottom of as many as we could. Thanks so much to all who posted questions. Happy listening!
Up next: The Hobbit, chapters 1-6
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This week we begin with a brief “Posts for the Hosts” segment before diving into conversation about the final passages in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. Topics include passages that are most moving to each of us, whether the final pages are truly hopeful, the archetypal nature of the story, the question of God in the book, and much more. Happy listening!
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The gang’s all back to discuss Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. This week we contemplate the gruesome nature of some of the scenes and images in this section, the anagogical core of the book (with a nod to McCarthy’s original working title), the arrival of the mysterious stranger, and much more. As always, happy reading!
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Welcome to our new (and long-awaited) series on Cormac McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic novel, The Road. All four of us are here for this one and here in the first episode conversation explores what it is like to read (or re-read) this book as a parent, McCarthy’s unique approach to world-building and language, why people should read this book even if it’s hard, and much more. Happy listening!
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And so we come to the end of our conversations on Anthony Trollope’s The Warden, focusing, as always, on your questions. Join us as we dig into Trollope’s thoughts on the nature of the novel, whether he was doing theological commentary or social commentary, whether the novel works on all four levels of interpretation (and much more!). Happy listening!
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Welcome to our conversation on the concluding chapters of The Warden, in which the Close Reads team discusses whether this books ends in anti-climax, whether Trollope is actually poking more fun at Harding himself than it seems at first, the anti-Dickensian nature of the story, the book’s unique moral vision, and much more. Happy listening!
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This week’s episode features a new occasional segment tentatively called “Letters to the Editors” (help us come up with something better!). So click play and tune in as we give the floor to a few listeners who disagree with us . . . and then let conversation flow, of course. Happy listening!
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This week on the show, Sean is forced to confront some . . . questions . . . about The Warden presented by David and Heidi (and David suggest a narrative theory that is definitely worth taking seriously). Happy listening!
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Welcome to conversations on a new book, which is in a genre we seem to turn to at least once a year: a novel about (or from the perspective) of a clergyman. We’ve done books on Catholic priests, country ministers, Orthodox monks, and others. In Anthony Trollope’s The Warden, we encounter a warden that is connected to the Church of England and who is thus caught between two sides in a war of Victorian Social Justice. So join in as we kick off this series by discussing it’s representation of competing duties pitted against each other, what makes the warden a compelling protagonist, and Trollope’s approach. Happy listening!
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It’s Q&A time! This week David, Heidi, and Sean discuss the end of Wodehouse’s Summer Lightning, then dig into some listener questions. Topics of conversation include Shakespeare’s influence on Wodehouse, his “formula", and much more. Happy listening!
Up next: The Warden, chapters 1-5
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Welcome back to Wodehouse Wintertime here at Close Reads, where David, Heidi, and Sean are discussing Summer Lightning. And in this episode—after sharing some favorite passages—conversation gets into how to discuss and think about a writer like Wodehouse on a podcast that takes reading seriously. Happy listening!
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It’s Wodehouse season here at Close Reads! Kick off 2024 by joining David, Heidi, and Sean for a deep dive into the world of Blandings Castle—of scorned lovers, scorned aunts, and scorned appetites; of best-laid plans and foiled plots; of butlers and bad actors and bumbling misanthropes. Live, laugh, love, or whatever. Happy reading and happy new year!
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In our final episode of 2023 David, Heidi, and Tim attempt to answer your questions about Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. Happy listening—and Happy New Year!
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Billy Wilder’s The Apartment is one of the great holiday movies, one of the great romantic comedies, and one of the great screenplays, so here at the end of the year we offer up our favorite film to watch between Christmas and New Years. We’re making this one available to all, so we hope you enjoy—listening-wise. Happy new year!
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Our annual holiday tradition is back! Join us we share our respective top five favorite reading experiences of the year. Some of them are new books, some are classics read with a fresh perspective (or for the first time), but all of them are the kind of books we are excited to discuss and share. And we hope this episode adds to your Christmas cheer during this delightful (but busy) weekend. Merry Christmas from all of us at Close Reads!
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As we come to the end of China Achebe’s novel, we’re discussing whether it ends in a satisfying fashion, contemplating the POV shift in the final chapter, and thinking about the complex role of both the Church and the civil authorities that infiltrate the villages as the story comes to an end.
Next week: We share our favorites reading experiences of 2023!
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Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is one of the most influential and important examples of world literature in the twentieth century, so we’re very excited to dig in over the next few weeks. In this episode, we’re talking about Achebe’s lovely prose, his high wire act protagonist-wise, how books like this can open our eyes, and much, much more. Oh—and this is one of those special episodes featuring all four of us. Happy listening!
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What’s your favorite book from the 1920s? There are certainly plenty to choose from. Maybe it’s a book by Fitzgerald or by Hemingway or even Cather? Maybe it’s a classic mystery or an essential children’s title? Well this week on Close Reads we’re drafting books from this very important decade in several categories—and you’ll get the final say on whose “roster” of titles is best. So click play and get ready to vote (poll coming soon). Happy listening!
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We’ve come to the end of another book which means it’s time to dig into to some of your questions. So click that play button and join us as we discuss the final paragraphs of the book, whether it all ends on a hopeful note, the importance of the memorabilia itself, the mysterious Rachel character, and more! As always, happy listening!
Up next: A very special one-off episode which will air 12/4.
On 12/11 we will discuss part one of China Achebe’s Things Fall Apart.
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As we come to the end of the fascinating book, we’re discussing the change in the authorial voice, the various enigmatic figures of part three, and whether this is a novel which ends in notes of hope or notes of despair. So hit that play button and join us as we discuss the final section of Walter J. Miller’s novel! Happy listening!
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We’re deep into Walter J. Miller’s classic dystopian novel, so welcome to our discussion of this middle section, one in which characters believe they’re on the verge of a “renaissance” and are coming out of a dark age. Conversation touches on the thematic uses of light and the function of the monks as a conscience as well as memory. Happy listening!
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This section of Walter M. Miller’s novel spans two sections, so in this week’s episode we discussed the tightrope walk that is abandoning one now-beloved character in the middle of a book and asking readers to grasp onto a completely new set of characters. Plus: How to think about the time jumps, the differences between the protagonists we are given, and the many subtleties of this work. Happy listening!
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Once more into the breach of a new book! We haven’t done many science fiction titles on the show (Lewis’ Ransom Trilogy notwithstanding and that certainly not post-apocalyptic sci-fi), so this week we discuss how it was conceived, why it’s readable (and even pleasurable) despite it’s dark circumstances, and why the ideas in this book matter. Happy listening!
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Thanks to the nature of the questions submitted, this particular Q&A episode ended up taking the form of a romp through the genre. So if you like mysteries, this one’s for you. Happy listening!
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As we come to the end of our brief series on Edmund Crispin’s mystery novel, it’s time to discuss the puzzle (as it were). Does it work? How does it stack up? And then once that's out of the way, David, Heidi, and Sean dig into what really works in this book, whether it has anything serious to say, why there are so many Alexander Pope references, and much more! Happy listening!
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Ekstasis magazine which helps a generation of Christians admire beauty and tune their spiritual and aesthetic affections. Check them out at ekstasismagazine.com!
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Edmund Crispin’s The Moving Toyshop is one of David’s favorites, so this conversation touches on why that is, what makes Crispin’s mysteries different, what makes a good mystery novel in general—plus there’s plenty of conversation on some of the funniest lines in the books. Happy listening!
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Ekstasis magazine which helps a generation of Christians admire beauty and tune their spiritual and aesthetic affections. Check them out at ekstasismagazine.com!
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As is our custom here at Close Reads, we’re here to answer your questions. So in this episode, David, Heidi, and Tim discuss questions about hope in Ivan Denisovich; the value of work in the story; the book’s structure; and much, much more. Happy listening!
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Ekstasis magazine which helps a generation of Christians admire beauty and tune their spiritual and aesthetic affections. Check them out at ekstasismagazine.com!
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Our 2024 book list is here! We have chosen twelve books to discuss next year, all of which we’re very excited about. We included a few beloved novels for readers of all ages, a couple of contemporary novels which offer much to discuss, some lesser known classics from the last century, books which explore deep theological questions, and—well, yes—our beloved P.G. Wodehouse.
If you’d like to hear how these books came to be chosen (and the books that didn’t quite make the cut), click that “play'“ button to check our “Great Winnowing” conversation, which took place in front of a live audience at our Close Reads on the Road event in August.
To buy these books through Goldberry Books, please go here: https://bookshop.org/shop/GoldberryBooks
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What is the purpose of Alyosha? Is Shukov a hero? Is there a specific moral vision at the core of this story? What is the nature of symbolism in the narrative? Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dig into these (and other) questions about Alexksandr Solzhenitsyn’s important novel. Happy listening!
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Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dig into Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s classic prison novel—one of the most influential books of the last century. This week we chat about the context of the book, the way Solzhenitsyn manages to create stakes even though the reader knows the ending, the way everyday things become beautiful, and much more. Happy reading!
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You have questions—we try to answer them. So join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss such things as the degree to which Basil deserves blame in Dorian’s fall, whether Wilde wants us to sympathize with his protagonist, whether Lord Henry is a good “villain,” and much more. Happy listening!
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Normally, we would be dropping a new subscriber-exclusive episode today, but since Monday was Labor Day we took the day off which means the newest episode on That Hideous Strength will come next week. Instead, we’re sharing a special treat: Heidi’s talk from the recent Close Reads on the Road event we hosted in August. So whether you were there and get to hear it again or you’re checking it out for the first time, happy listening!
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The final pages of The Picture of Dorian Gray are pretty wild, packed full of famous scenes and images, so join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss the demise of several characters, the question of conscience in the end of the story, and what the prologue can tell us about the conclusion. As always, happy listening!
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It’s time for more Oscar Wilde talk. This week, the conversation explains how this section made Tim a fan of the book, digs into Dorian’s psychological complexity, and explores the role external and internal factors played in Dorian’s decline. Happy listening!
This episode is made possible by our friends at CLT. You can check out what they’re up to at cltexam.com/closereads.
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Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss the introduction of Sibyl Vane and her family, Dorian’s infatuation and un-infatuation with her, and the picture’s emerging frowny face. (To list just a few topics of conversation).
This episode is made possible by our friends at CLT. You can check out what they’re up to at cltexam.com/closereads.
If you would like to learn more about any of CiRCE’s Atrium courses, including Heidi’s on Shakespeare, please click here.
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Tim’s back, friends—and it’s time for a new book! So join us as we dig into Oscar Wilde’s infamous novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Discussion this week focuses on questions of biographical criticism with a book like this, the role that the character of Lord Henry plays in the structure of the novel, what the book does well and where its shortcomings might be, and much more! Happy listening!
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We’re mixing things up this week! Join David, Heidi, and Sean as they draft the great cinematic adaptations ever made. And be sure to let us know who picked the best roster of films. Happy listening (watching)!
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It’s time to answer listener questions about Everything Sad Is Untrue and we have the great honor of doing that alongside the man himself, Daniel Nayeri. So press play and listen as we chat about Daniel’s mom, the way the story evolved, his journey in writing it, deckled edges from the author’s perspectives, and much more! Happy listening!
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And so we come to the end. Join David, Heidi, and Sean as they dig into Daniel Nayeri’s novel as a whole (but especially the final passages, of course), the way book pays homage to the narrator’s mother, the complexity of his father’s visit, and much more. Happy listening!
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This section of Daniel Nayeri’s novel included a lot of . . . well . . . poop. So on this week’s episode David, Heidi, and Sean discuss how Nayeri manages to make that topic funny and sad and profound all at once. Plus: the book’s great respect for the narrator’s mother. As always, happy listening!
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Daniel Nayeri’s Everything Sad is Untrue may be listed as a middle grade novel by its publisher, but it’s unlike almost any other novel in the category. So in this episode David, Heidi, and Sean discuss its unique stylistic approach and the way it conceives of stories as essential to culture, with a foray into some discussion about memory novels. Happy listening!
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Here we are at the end of our conversation on Hawthorne’s novel, which means it’s time to answer your questions. As always, you sent in lots of great ones and we did our best to answer as many as we could. Thanks for participating in the conversation—and thanks to Karen coming on the show these last six weeks!
Be sure to check out her forthcoming book, which you can find here.
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In this episode, Sean and Heidi join David and get their say about the legacy of Cormac McCarthy—and what makes his work sublime.
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The great Cormac McCarthy died last week, leaving behind a canon of brilliant, challenging novels that will be long-remembered. So this week we’re sharing two episode remembering the man, discussing his work, and sharing what he means to us. In this first episode, David and Tim sit down to make a Mount Rushmore of McCarthy’s work and to discuss how his work will be remembered.
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And so we come to the end of another novel! Join David, Heidi, and Karen as they dig into the ending of Hawthorne’s novel, with special attention paid to Pearl’s role. Plus: how does the genre play into the end of the book, what do we do with Dimmsdale’s demise, and how does Hawthorne want us to respond to their plot to escape? Happy listening!
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Heidi is in Greece this week (!), but David Kern and Karen Swallow Prior are back to continue this series on The Scarlet Letter. Topics of conversation include the way Hawthorne uses the setting to triangulate the characters, Hawthorne’s vision of the Good, Hester’s defense (as it were) of her affair with Dimmsdale, Hawthorne’s slippery tier of virtues, and comparing Hawthorne with Jane Austen. Happy listening!
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Does this book offer an alternative vision to the spiritual corruption that it criticizes? How would it be different if Hawthorne was lest on-the-nose with his metaphors and character names? Join David, Heidi, and Karen as they explore these (and other) questions from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel. Happy listening!
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Join David, Heidi, and special guest, Karen Swallow Prior, for a conversation about this very famous and much-taught novel. Conversation touches on why this book has such a significant role in American English classrooms; Chillingsworth’s, well, chilling role; little Pearl’s emergence as a meaningful character; and much more. As always: happy listening!
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It’s become an annual tradition to invite the one-and-only Karen Swallow Prior on the show to discuss a classic novel, and this time around it’s Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter. In this first episode of the series, we chatted about that difficult opening section, “The Customs House”; why Karen chose to include this book in her series of annotated classic novels for B&H Publishing (alongside Austen, Hardy, Conrad, Bronte, etc.); ways Hawthorne seems to be working out his connection to his family’s long and fraught history; and much more! Happy listening!
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You have questions, we’ve got thoughts! So click that play button and dig into this conversation on The Optimist’s Daughter!
Please note: next week we will be off, but after that we will begin conversations on The Scarlet Letter with very special guest Karen Swallow Prior!
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What’s up with the birds? Is Fay even more despicable than we initially considered? Is the ending hopeful? Join David, Heidi, and Sean as they discuss these—and many other—questions on this week’s discussion of Eudora Welty’s The Optimist’s Daughter. Happy listening!
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Welcome to a new series of episodes on a new book! This week David, Heidi, and Sean are digging into Eudora Welty’s Pulitzer Prize winner, discussing such topics as the book’s similarities to Jane Austen’s work, whether Faye is purely an antagonist, the very Southern sense of humor in the story, and much more! Happy listening!
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Join Heidi and Sean as they answer your questions about Georges Bernanos’ novel! Thanks so much for participating in the conversation and happy listening!
Up next, we’ll be discussing Eudora Welty’s The Optimist’s Daughter, starting with parts 1 and 2.
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This week Sean & Heidi discuss the priest’s last days, his four final encounters, the purpose of the diary, and the mingling of grace and suffering that pervades the novel.
JOIN US FOR “CLOSE READS ON THE ROAD” IN AUGUST, IN ATLANTA!
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David’s sick, so this week Heidi and Sean discuss letting go of worldly attachments, the value of the priest’s weakness, his first spiritual successes, and his changing relationship with the diary.
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Join David, Heidi, and Sean as they discuss insomnia, despair, the spiritual dark night of the soul, and much, much more found in Bernanos’ deeply contemplative novel.
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We’re on to Georges Bernanos’ contemplative novel, The Diary of a Country Priest, and in this episode David, Heidi, and Sean discuss the fascinating narrative approach Bernanos employs, what themes seem to matter most, the notion of contemplation in the book, and how to approach a book in which very little happens (on the surface).
Future schedule:
Episode 2 (March 27): Chapters 3-4Episode 3 (April 3): Chapters 5-6Episode 4 (April 10): To the endEpisode 5 (April 17): Q&A
Click here to check out the upcoming CiRCE conference referenced at the top of this episode.
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Join David and Tim as they welcome back special guest Jessie Turpin to read a scene from the play and answer your questions. Conversation touches on topics like Shaw’s extreme stage directions, the didacticism of the play, and much more. Happy listening!
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Join David, Tim, and Sean as they discuss the 2023 Close Reads Bracket: Awesome Adaptations. They predict winners, make their own picks, and discuss the bracket-making process.
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We’ve been circling this one for a long time. It’s finally time to discuss George Bernard Shaw’s famous play, Pygmalion. In this episode we discussed the originally source material (briefly), Shaw’s thematic interests, the complex dilemma he’s setting up for himself, Higgins as a character, and so much more. Plus, with the help of special guest, we present a “table-read” of a key scene. Happy listening!
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If you’re a longtime listener of this podcast, you know that Sean Johnson has recently joined our crew to help give Tim some time off here and there (what with Tim’s new job and growing family). Of course, Sean is a worthy contributor all in his own right. But we didn’t know that right away. At first, he was just one of many interviewees we considered (#230 to be precise). And although it took some time to get aligned on some key metrics, we feel really good about his role on our show now.
Since Sean’s been a part of things for a few months at this point, we feel like this is a good time to share a peek into his interview process, to reveal what he had to go through to make it on the show. We think you’ll appreciate this look behind the curtain and enjoy getting to know him a bit. Happy listening!
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The Netanyahus is a bit of a confounding book, so naturally there were lots of questions and we did our best to answer as many as we could as thoroughly as possible. We discussed the complicated nature of writing fiction about real/living people, Blum’s relationship with his daughter, whether the book has a moral center, nihilism, and much more.
Thanks for listening!
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Okay, so that ending? What’s the deal. Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they try to understand what Cohen is doing. Lots of conversation about nihilism in this episode.
Thanks for listening!
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This week we’re discussing whether Joshua Cohen’s approach to exploring Jewish culture works in the ways that he seems to hope it will, whether the book is too sad to be truly funny, whether the story has finally revealed what it is, and much more.
Don’t forget to weigh in on this episode’s question. Let us know what you think in the comments!
Question of the Week: Is the big Judy scene funny?
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We are on to Joshua Cohen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Netanyahus, a book that is clearly different in tone (and content) than most of the titles we traditionally discuss on this show. So in this episode David, Heidi, and Tim (he’s back!) contemplate the book’s sense of humor, Cohen’s remarkable prose, and what makes it memorable and worth reading. Happy listening!
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It’s that time, when we’ve come to end of another episode and we turn to your questions about it. This time we’re contemplating topics from Persuasion such as Wentworth’s affection for Anne, Lady Russell’s role in the book, Mrs. Smith’s virtue (or lack thereof?), wine and cheese pairings, fan-fiction, Mr. Elliot the villain, and so much more. Thanks for listening!
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Finally, we can speak more freely about all of Persuasion, so this week David, Heidi, and Sean are discussing Wentworth’s love letter, Ann’s assessment of her own choices, the melancholy nature of this book, the differences between Eliot and Wentworth, the pantheon of Austen men, and much more.
Don’t forget to answer this week’s question of the week below, What is the greatest love letter in any novel?
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This week we’re discussing Mrs. Smith’s sudden appearance (and her role) in the book, whether the book considers all of Anne’s various perspectives and actions as virtuous, whether Anne made the wrong choice in rejecting Wentworth way back when, and much, much more. Happy listening!
Plus, we are introducing a question of the week so you can participate in the conversation. Here is this weeks: Should Anne have turned down Wentworth?
What do you think? Let us know in the chat below!
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This section ends with a dangerous fall, but in the meantime we sure get a lot of scenes with people talking in rooms. So this week David, Heidi, and Sean are discussing Anne’s interiority and self-awareness and whether Austen portrays her self-sympathy as virtuous. Plus, discussions touches more on Austen’s complex (and amazing) approach to narrative voice. As always, happy reading!
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It’s on to another great novel, this time by Jane Austen, so this week David, Heidi, and Sean discussed Austen’s unique use of free indirect discourse and other formal flourishes in this book, similarities and differences between this book and Austen’s other novels, and much more. Happy listening!
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It’s the most wonderful time of the year, which means it’s also the time of the year when we’re talking about our favorite reads of 2022! We each have our own strategy for making these lists and inevitably the books we discuss on this episode are oddly specific, wonderfully fascinating, and always worth reading. So grab something to take notes, get ready to add to your TBR list, and settle for a long winter’s podcast on books, books, and more books.
Happy listening and merry Christmas!
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It’s Q&A time, so join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dig into a bunch of great questions from the Close Reads community. Topics of conversation include orange juice, opportunistic agents, German philosophers, and much more!
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What a book! This week you can tune in as David, Heidi, and Tim continue to rave about Chaim Potok’s skill, a few particularly miraculous passages, and the culmination of Asher’s coming-of-age.
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This week David, Heidi, and Tim are discussing Jacob Kahn. Does the book view him as an arbiter of wisdom? Is he an antagonist of sorts? Also, can Asher be a unifier between two traditions? And how does the book reveal Asher’s individual healing? Happy listening!
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As we dive further into Chaim Potok’s wonderful novel, this week’s episode contemplates how dark this book really is, whether we should read it psychologically, whether Aryeh and Rivkeh are good parents, and much more.
Happy listening!
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Chaim Potok’s novel, My Name Is Asher Lev, is one of Tim’s favorite books, and its also one that has been nominated by listeners for a long time. So we’re thrilled to be digging into it. Here in episode one of this series, David, Heidi, and Tim discuss the way Potok skillfully reveals his protagonist’s unique gift; the questions the book asks about identity and family; and, naturally, a bit about the Jewish-American experience during the twentieth century. Happy listening!
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In which we answer your questions about Amor Towles’ novel!
Up next: My Name Is Asher Lev, chapters 1-2.
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We have come to the conclusion of Amor Towles’ novel, so this week David, Heidi, and Ian discussed the Casablanca of it all, whether the book ends in a satisfying fashion, and the count’s trajectory of growth.
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The Rings of Power season one is over and it’s time to take stock. So join Ian and David as they discuss what worked, what didn’t, and what may be next in this controversial new take on Tolkien’s work.
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This week David, Heidi, and Ian discussed whether the Count has changed over the course of the story, whether he is a “whole” character, David’s wild (pretend) theory about this book, and more on Towle’s approach to POV.
Happy listening!
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This week David, Heidi, and Ian discussed whether this book is up to the ideas that it is asking us to contemplate, the meta elements of its presentation, the way this section knocks the count off his equilibrium, and much, much more.
Happy listening!
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This week David, Heidi, and Ian discussed the fascinating nature of the Count’s relationship with Anna; the book’s preoccupation with skill and craft; the way Europe hovers over the themes of the books; and much more.
Happy listening!
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This week David, Heidi, and Ian discussed virtue, vice, and wine in A Gentleman in Moscow. Is that enough to prompt you to click play?
Happy listening!
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Now that we’ve come to the end of book one of Amor Towles’ very popular novel, its time to reset and consider what key questions and themes this book is asking us to contemplate. What does this book have to say about modern man? Is it perhaps darker than our initial response would indicate? Why does Towles pepper the book with so many literary references? The and other questions are the subject of this week’s show!
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Amor Towles’ 2016 novel is one the most requested books in the history of the Close Reads community, so it’s only fair that we finally dig in! Join David, Heidi, and special guest, Ian Andrews of the Center for Lit, for an initial discussion of the themes of the book, what Towles does well, a bit on the historical context, and a whole bunch of wine talk at the end. Happy listening!
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The discourse around Amazon’s Rings of Power has been fraught. So in this special crossover episode between Close Reads and Bibliophiles, David Kern and Ian Andrews try to figure out what works, what doesn’t, and why the conversation has been they way it is.
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It’s that time yet again — when we answer your questions! As usual, you gave us plenty to talk about. So in this final conversation about Eugene Vodolazkin’s novel, we contemplate Laurus’ lack of a burial, Tim’s Protestant viewpoint of the book, obsession with the end of the world, holy fools, and much more!
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It’s been said that this is Close Reads Christmas.
The last two days we have been revealing (on the Close Reads Facebook group and on the Goldberry Studios Instagram page) the books we will be discussing on the show in 2023. And now that the whole list has been unveiled it’s time to share them all in one place. So jump in your car, grab your running shoes, start the laundry . . . prep for whatever you do when you’re listening . . . and click play, because on this episode you can listen in as we decide what to listen to, winnowing the list from 35 finalists to 12 winners.
Or just scroll down and check out the list. Either way, we’re excited about this list and can’t wait to dig into the books with you.
Want to buy the books through Goldberry? Here’s the list all in one place.
Note: If you want to discover the list by listening don’t read below this point.
The List
Please note this list is not the order in which the books will be discussed, which is still being determined.
The Scarlet Letter / Nathaniel Hawthorne
This first book won't surprise you, if you've been paying attention. It's a bonafide classic of American Lit. A book ruined by many a bad high school English class. It's one of those books that is outshined by its reputation far too often. We will be using Karen Swallow Prior's lovely edition--and, yes, she will be joining us!
Persuasion / Jane Austen
This book is a classic, beloved for nearly two hundred years for its wit and wisdom. It's hilarious. It's poignent. And it features one of the great female characters in English literature.
The Picture of Dorian Gray / Oscar Wilde
This book has been requested many times over the years. It's a complex and mildly controversial example of a gothic novel. It's got it's detractors; it's got its super fans. It's super literary; it's pretty campy. It's a great novel for debate.
Pygmalion / George Bernard Shaw
You might primarily know our next book as the inspiration for a movie starring Audrey Hepburn, but it's great in its own right. It's our annual dive into a play. It's inspired by Greek mythology. It's absurdly readable.
The Optimist’s Daughter / Eudora Welty
Original Close Reader, Mary Jo Tate, has been singing the praises of our next author for years, and you know what, it is time. It's time to do a book by one of the great Southern writers, by one of the great female writers, by the one of the great American writers period. It is time to do a Eudora Welty novel.
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich / Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Our next book is Tim' personal choice--and it's a worthy one. A book that is important for more than its literary merit, it also played a key role in revealing (and even changing) history. It isn't always easy to read, but it's a necessary inclusion in any list of the most essential books of the twentieth century.
The Diary of a Country Priest / Georges Bernanos
One of our favorite recurring genres here at Close Reads is what I will just call the Great Religious Novels of the twentieth century. Think, say, The Power and the Glory. The 2023 example of that is perhaps best known for being the inspiration for one of the great religious movies ever made (same name). It is French. It is pretty Catholic. It's lyrical.
Things Fall Apart / Chinua Achebe
This book may be relatively slight in terms of page count. It's one of the shorter novels we've done on Close Reads (although not the shortest we will read next year!). But it packs a literary punch in the form of a profound and influential historical novel.
The Moving Toyshop / Edmund Crispin
Every year we try to read a mystery of some kind, typically during the dreary winter months. Well this year's mystery is a bit of a cult classic, a hilarious and fun murder mystery with a clever puzzle, delightful characters, and dazzling proze. It is one part Wodehouse, one part Dorothy Sayers.
Everything Sad is Untrue / Daniel Nayeri
Every year we give each of our contributors the opportunity to choose a book. We also like to do a children's novel every now and then. Well our next book for 2023 is Heidi White's choice, a delightful young adult novel that has been getting more buzz in this group than a post criticizing Keira Knightly.
The Netanyahus / Joshua Cohen
David’s choice, this 2021 novel is a strange, hilarious, melancholy, brilliant, bizarre, philosophical novel that some of you may find confounding but, hey, it DID just win the Pulitzer prize. It's about history. It's about Jewish culture. It's about America. It's a contemporary novel that offers a lot to think about.
A Canticle for Liebowitz / William M. Miller Jr.
Next year, our friend Sean Johnson, who has been on the East of Eden episodes, will be helping us out here and there, so we felt it was only right to let them him choose a book, too. Luckily, he chose a fascinating book that has been nominated a number of times over the last few years. It's a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel about monks in the American Southwest who are working to rebuild culture. It's an award-winning classic of the genre, that some critics claim is as good as Graham Greene and Evelyn Waugh.
Click here to claim your copies of these titles today through Goldberry Books.
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While Tim explores the Scottish Highlands in a kilt (we presume), David and Heidi are discussing the final pages of Laurus. Conversation touches on the cyclical nature of the story and its themes, the downfall (and rehabilitation) of Laurus’ reputation, his late-in-life second chance, his death/falling asleep, and much more.
Thanks so much for listening!
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This week its Tim’s turn to be in Europe, so David and Heidi are holding down the podcast fort. The reading took us to the Book of Repose, so conversation touches on the untimely and fairly gruesome demise of Ambrogio, the book’s contemplation on the nature of time, the way the book is a form hagiography, and much, much more. Happy listening!
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During this week’s episode, Heidi was off on an adventure in Switzerland, so David and Tim held down the Close Reads fort, which just means they discussed Ambrogio the Italian, his strange visions, and his role in the book; the way the book layers deep philosophical questions into the narrative (including on the question of time); Tim’s grand theory for this book; and more.
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Arseny has a new name and is on a new journey, so on this week’s episode David, Heidi, and Tim dig into Ustina the miracle worker, the self-awareness of the book, reading it from a theological perspective, why David has some reservations about it, and much more.
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This section of Laurus is fairly traumatic—so traumatic, in fact, that Heidi says she can barely bring herself to re-read it. So naturally David, Heidi, and Tim discussed what its purpose is, what Vodolazkin seems to be after, how they read this book, a few deep theological questions the book raises, and much more. Happy listening!
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It’s time to launch our voyage into a new book. Over the next six weeks or so we’ll be traversing with Arseny across medieval Russia, contemplating all the while matters of history, faith, mysticism, wonder, beauty, tragedy, sin, repentance, guilt, love, and much more. Here on this first episode, David, Heidi, and Tim explain why they love this book so much, discuss what makes Vodolazkin such a gifted writer, contemplate the way the book approaches bodies and physicality, and offer some tips for reading the rest of the book. Happy listening!
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As always upon reaching the end of a book, it’s time for a Q&A episode. And, of course, you delivered plenty of great questions worthy of contemplation. So in this week’s episode David, Heidi, and Tim discussed the place of Moon (and his secret) within the narrative, the storyline of the falling man, why Kathy and Tom get on so well, and much more.
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In which David and Sean make Heidi endure the slings and arrows of the new adaptation of her favorite Jane Austen novel—all for your entertainment. Along the way they discuss the way the filmmakers seem not to have read the book but also have a good eye for wardrobe (but again, even there, seem unfamiliar with when the book and ostensibly the movie itself, takes place). It’s a whole thing. Anyway, feel free to hit play on the movie at the same time we do, or to watch and then listen to our reactions later, or to just ignore the whole thing altogether and go on with your life happier in the knowledge that, well, you’re less broken inside than people who watched it.
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This week we’re discussing the second half of J.L. Carr’s A Month in the Country, which means we’re chatting about Alice Keach, Mr Moon, what the fresco in the church reveals, Tom Birkin’s past, and much more. Oh—be warned: there’s also an off-the-rails conversation about wet neckerchiefs.
(Reminder: we are away at a conference the rest of this week so there will be no episode next week. We will run the Q&A episode on July 26.)
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The gang is back together! Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they chat about one of David’s favorite books, J.L. Carr’s A Month in the Country. In this episode, they discuss what Carr does especially well, the virtues of the book being short, the story’s place in World War I narratives, and much more.
Happy listening!
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Join David, Heidi, and Karen as they conclude their conversation of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles by answering your questions. Topics include Tess’s idealization of Angel, frustrations with the end of the book, the development of the novel as an art form, Hardy’s criticisms of his culture, Hardy’s use of symbolism, and much more!
(And thanks to Karen Swallow Prior for joining us for this series!)
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Here we are at the end of another novel. Join David, Heidi, and Karen as they compare Alec’s love for Tess with Angel’s, contemplate the way justice is explored in Tess’ conclusion, discuss the nature of classical tragedy, and much more!
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Phase the fifth of Tess of the D’Urbervilles is incredibly sad, but it’s also remarkable in the way that Thomas Hardy manages to reveal the various complexities of his characters. So in this week’s episode David, Heidi, and Karen discuss the villainousness of Angel Clare, the choices of Tess, Hardy’s view of his culture, whether he gets women, and much more. Happy listening!
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Welp. It’s time for some confession. Here, right in the middle of Thomas Hardy’s masterpiece, we get a marriage followed by revelation. The courtship is over, the wedding day has arrived, and both parties bare their soul. And then we get a cliffhanger, of course. Join David, Heidi, and Karen as they discuss.
Happy listening!
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As we draw near to the middle of Thomas Hardy’s great tragic novel, join Karen and Heidi (who are holding down the fort while David is sick) as they discuss Angel’s background and family life, Tess’s passivity, Hardy’s perspective on women, and the novel’s first glimpse into Angel’s underlying hypocrisy. Thanks for listening and for supporting Close Reads!
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“Phase the Third” of Tess of the D’Urbervilles is called “The Rally” so on this week’s conversation David, Heidi, and Karen discuss why Hardy called it that and what he might be saying about Tess as a character. Plus, discussion touches on what we’re supposed to think about Angel Clare, his budding romance with Tess, and his overly idealistic perception of her.
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Tess has returned home, but now she has baby with her, leading to one of the most beautiful and famous sciences in English literature in which Tess sorrowfully baptizes the poor little one. So this week, David, Heidi, and Karen dig in that scene and contemplate what Thomas Hardy is saying through it. Plus, discussion touches on the role Tess’s mother plays in her daughter’s misfortunes.
Thanks for listening!
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In this week’s episode on Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles, David, Heidi, and special guest Karen Swallow Prior chat about artistic and naturalistic determinism in Hardy’s work, his hatred of Victorian moralism, and whether or not the novel idealizes Tess. And treacle. Definitely treacle.
Thanks for listening!
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Once again our friend Karen Swallow Prior is joining us to discuss one of her favorite books! This time it’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles and here on this first episode we discussed the ways this book is a tragedy (in the Aristotelian sense) but not nihilistic, why Karen loves it so much, what makes Hardy a great writer, and why Tess is a memorable character. Happy listening!
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This week’s episode is a special one. Our friend, Dr. Annika Prather, came on to chat about Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun. Dr. Prather loves this play and is very knowledgeable about literature and so she seemed like the perfect fit to join Tim, our drama guy, for this conversation. So tune in as Tim and Dr. Prather discuss whether Walter Jr. is a hero or a villain; whether this a play about money, family, or dignity; and whether Hansberry identified especially strongly with any particular character.
Thanks for listening!
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It’s time to answer your questions about Orwell’s 1984, and (as always) you came through with plenty of great ones. Thanks to your curiosity, we discussed what would be in our personal Room 101s, the dystopian stories we would write (if we wrote dystopian stories), Julia’s character and role in the story, 1984 vs. Brave New World, and much more. Happy reading!
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Welp, Winston Smith loves Big Brother but he doesn’t love Julia. So, in the end, do we love this book? Tune in to find out, as David, Heidi, and Tim chat about the recurring themes of the book, Orwell’s apparent goals, and the importance of his book within the culture at large. Happy listening!
This is a free episode of Close Reads, but this show is part of how we make a living, so if you’re able to support us financially here on Substack we’d sure appreciate it. And the great thing is we have lots of content available for those who do! If you’re already a supporter, thanks so much!
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Chapter nine of 1984 is one of the least dramatically compelling chapters in the book, and has even taken a fair bit of criticism over the years, so this week dig into why we think Orwell included it and whether it is necessary, with a few rabbit trails on political philosophy along the way. Thanks for listening!
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One of the reasons 1984 is such enduring book is because of the conversations it engenders and so in this episode we chatted a bit about the nature of those kinds of conversations. Plus, we discussed Winston as complicated protagonist, his relationship with Julia, and how we approach the question of morality in the story. Happy listening!
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Here we go. We’ve never done a book quite like George Orwell’s 1984 on Close Reads and it shows in this episode where we discuss whether the vibe of the book shows up in our world today and what Orwell’s goal seems to be.
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Here we are at the end of Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, which means it’s time for a Q&A episode. As always, y’all delivered with some great questions. We did our best to answer as many as we could, but we especially focused on questions about Dewey Dell’s betrayal of Darl, Anse’s teeth and second wife, whether the book is actually funny at all, and that sort of thing.
As always, thanks for tuning in and for making the CR community what it is. Happy listening.
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And so we come to the end. Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dig (no pun intended) into the fiery (pun intended) ending to this classic book. Where do the book's sympathies lie in the end? Why did Darl go mad? Who is trustworthy? These and many other questions get discussed. Happy listening!
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Join David and Heidi as they dig in to Kenneth Branagh's movie adaptation of Death on the Nile. Is the movie in on the joke? Why is there no sand? What's up with Gal Gadot? Why do mustaches need back stories? These and many other questions get contemplated.
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In which David, Heidi, and Tim discuss river crossings, which characters the books seems to have the most sympathy for, and much more.
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Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dig ever deeper into Faulkner's novel. Topics of conversation include mothers who are fish, mothers who are horses, buzzards, and Heidi's great delight in this book.
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Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dig into the first quarter of William Faulkner's infamous (and mildly inscrutable) novel, As I Lay Dying. Topics of conversation include tops for reading Faulkner, the various points-of-view that tell the story, what happens at the outset, and much more.
This episode is brought to you be BiblioFiles. Learn more at centerforlit.com.
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It's time to answer your questions about Death on the Nile, but first Tim has to answer a question from us. Then we discuss topics like movie casting, Christie's impact, Poirot's sense of justice, and much more.
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In which we discuss Poirot's decision, Christie's puzzle-making, and Tim is insufferable (and gets muted for it). And much more, of course.
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In which Tim predicts the ending of another mystery novel.
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It's time for a new book! It's time for the Queen of Crime. It's time for Hercule Poirot. It's time for some international intrigue. It's time for Death on the Nile! This week we talk about what makes Christie so good (and enduring), her approach to introducing characters in this book, and much more.
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It's time for an annual tradition! On this week's episode we're talking about our favorite reads of 2021. We each used different criteria in creating the lists you will hear here, but its a great peek into our reading lives this year.
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It's time to answer your questions about A Confederacy of Dunces! Join the David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss characters like Jones and Levy, books similar to Dunces, and much more -- plus, naturally, some Christmas chatter.
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Once more we've come to the end of another book's road. So join David, Tim, and Heidi as they unpack the wild and wacky and strange ending of A Confederacy of Dunces.
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What is the purpose of all of Ignatius' grossness? Does it have anything to do with the four humors in medieval thought? What does Ignatius actually? Close Reads considers these questions on this week's show.
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Here we are, deep inside of John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces, and this week conversation touches (once again) on Ignatius' intelligence, but then moves on to the various secondary characters that people this strange book, as well as talk about Boethius.
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Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they continue to discuss Ignatius J. Reilly and his "worldview," including some discussion about why he has to be quite so gross. Also: what's the deal with all the geometry talk?
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A Confederacy of Dunces is one of the more strange books we have ever done on this show, but over the next several weeks David, Heidi, and Tim are going to do their best to explain what makes it a worthwhile work of literature. This week they discuss the book's sad origin story, its medieval influences, its comedic core, and its outrageous protagonist.
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As usual, you asked great questions and we did our best to answer! Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they conclude their discussion of A GATHERING OF OLD MEN.
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Was justice met in the end? Why does the story end with Lou Dimes' perspective? Is the ending satisfying? Is it happy? These and other questions were address on this week's episode. Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dive into the final pages of A Gathering of Old Men.
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This week David, Tim, and Heidi discuss which characters are most villainous in Ernest Gaines' novel, and dig in to the narrative and dramatic effect of leaving the gathering of old men right in the middle of the story.
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This week we're discussing the introduction of the white characters to the story, whether the sheriff is a good or bad guy, and much more!
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It's time for a new book! Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss Ernest J. Gaines' A Gathering of Old Men. This week they dive into Gaines' use of multiple perspectives and how it helps him to explore the complex issues of race and place in the Deep South.
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This week we're answering YOUR questions about all kinds of topics. We said you could ask us anything, and you did. We got through as many as we could. So if you have always wanted to know what we are bad at, how we rank random breakfast cereals, and all sort of other similar things, then hit that play button. Happy listening!
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This week David, Heidi, and Tim take a crack at answering your many thoughtful question about Walter Wangerin Jr.'s novel.
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Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dig into the conclusion of The Book of the Dun Cow, discussing the nature of heroism in this novel and our protagonist rooster's ultimate fate.
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Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they make the final choices for the 2022 reading list!
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In which Tim has done the reading but has some problems with it while Heidi loves it unabashedly.
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It's time for a new book: Walter Wangerin Jr.'s The Book of the Dun Cow. Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss the medieval aspects of this story and the degree to which is should be read as an allegory. Also, Tim makes a blunder.
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You have questions; Tim, Heidi, and David have answers. Or try to have answers anyway. Tune in to find out if they say anything cogent.
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Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they talk about the final chapters of Zora Neale Hurston's novel. They discuss Janie's growth, Tea Cake's love, and rabies.
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We are back with more conversation about Janie and Tea Cake and Zora Neale Hurston's literary skills and approach!
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This week David, Heidi, and Tim are digging into the middle of Zora Neale Hurston's novel, talking about some of the risky creative choices she makes, Janie's silence and rage, why the book can be challenging at times, and much more.
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Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dive into a new book: Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. In this episode they discuss what makes Janie Crawford such a compelling character and Hurston's unique approach to point of view and narrative.
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Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they attempt to answer your questions about Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses!
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We have come to the end of John Grady Cole's journey -- and this episode is a doozy. It's long and it digs deep and we hope you like. So join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss their evolving perceptions of this novel, why it features the only ending it could have rightly had, the themes of justice and confession, and much, much more.
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In which the novel takes yet another turn. This week David, Heidi, and Tim discuss whether the philosophizing of this section works, what McCarthy is trying to say, and the strange appearance of numerous little kindnesses.
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Oh boy. It's time to talk about one of the most intense passages in All the Pretty Horses, a passage which also happens to be deeply beautiful. Beware: Tim and David get a little carried away in this one.
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This week David, Heidi, and Tim discuss the way All the Pretty Horses is multiple kinds of book in one, the fascinating romance at the core of the story, and the way McCarthy writes about work so poetically.
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After a delay due to some technical difficulties, we are back and on this episode David, Heidi, and Tim discuss lightening storms, horses, and orphans in Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses.
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In which Tim returns, we introduce Cormac McCarthy, and we discuss his formal genius. Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dive into All the Pretty Horses, looking at a couple of essential early passage that define the book and its themes, as well as the uniquely Old Testament formal approach McCarthy brings to his books.
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You have questions and we have answers--or at least thoughts. Join David, Heidi, and Karen as they answer your questions about Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre.
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In which St. John is persistent, Jane hears her call, and Rochester is repentant. Join David, Heidi, and Karen as they discuss the conclusion to Charlotte Bronte's novel!
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First Jane is poor, then she is rich. And along the way it's all about the friends she makes. Join David, Heidi, and Karen as they discuss compare St. John and Rochester, discuss Jane's continued evolution, and Charlotte Bronte's skill.
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In which, well, Jane's dreams are dashed and we learn that Rochester isn't exactly what she thought. Join David, Heidi, and Karen as they discuss Jane's virtue, Rochester's complicated nature (and situation), and much more.
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In which Jane is sad. Then surprised. Then relieved. Then spoken-for. Join David, Heidi, and Karen Swallow Prior as they discuss the famous proposal scene, Jane's assertion of self, Rochester weirdo-factor, and much more.
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In which Jane falls in love, Rochester gets weird, and a mystery is introduced. Join David, Heidi, and Karen as they continue their conversation about Charlotte Bronte's classic novel.
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It's time to meet Rochester. In this episode, David, Heidi, and Karen (our very special guest) discuss the way Bronte introduces the Gothic hero of the story, the fascinating conversations that Broke and Jane share, and much more.
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In this bonus episode, which was recorded live with our Patreon supporters, David, Heidi, and Tim chatted about the two most primary cinematic adaptations of Rebecca; Alfred Hitchcock's version from 1940 and the 2020 Netflix version.
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Join David, Heidi, and very special guest Karen Swallow Prior as they discuss Helen Burns, Charlotte Bronte's strategy for naming characters, the confluence of Bronte's life and Jane's experiences, our introduction to Ye Olde Mansion, and much more.
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Our old friend Karen Swallow Prior is back to discuss one of the great book in Western literature, Charlotte Bronte's gothic novel, Jane Eyre. In this episode, she joins David and Heidi to discuss the context of his novel, its historical place, Jane's unique voice, Charlotte Bronte's life, and much more!
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It's time to answer your questions about Rebecca. Opinions flowed freely, much debate was had. You know, it's a Close Reads episode.
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In which a court case takes over the podcast and your friendly neighborhood hosts take up rhetorical arms against each other.
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The episode in which Tim is surprised.
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Let's talk about un-named narrators and their problems, young women coming of age, old(er) women who are skeletal, and other things you find in Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca.
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This week we invited Patreon supporters to join us for a special live episode and here it is! Join David, Heidi, and Tim (and the live audience) for a discussion of the first seven chapters of Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca. Topics of conversation include the gothic nature of the novel, Du Maurier's unique writing style, and (as usual with mysteries of this sort) the question of who the antagonist is.
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Let's answer your questions! Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss such things as what the landscape means in the book, the seven deadly sins in the book, the role of the Prologue, and much more!
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In which death finally does comes for the Archbishop, after all. Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss Bishop Latour's life work, his relationship with Vaillant, and Cather success as a storyteller.
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In which an old woman prays in a church with the Bishop, vanity is tested, and we learn about the prequel years.
Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they march on with Willa Cather.
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Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they compare the four priests at the core of these sections, discuss the notion of subtly in the book, and talk a bit about colonialism (sort of).
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In which the hero gets attacked by an evil man called Scales, a priest gets thrown off a cliff, and the writing is still painfully lovely.
Join David, Tim, and Heidi as they dive deepening into Willa Cather's classic novel (with a little digression into some history).
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The whole gang is back together and it's time for a new book! Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dig into Willa Cather's 1927 novel ,Death Comes for the Archbishop. In this episode they compare a few early passages, discuss the undulating rhythms of Cather's prose, and consider the episodic nature of the story.
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In this annual episode, David, Heidi, and Tim share some of their favorite books of 2020.
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In this episode, Tim and Heidi answer your questions about Walker Percy's strange novel.
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In this episode Heidi and Tim wrap up up their conversation about Walker Percy's award-winning debut novel.
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In this episode, Tim and Heidi conclude their conversation about Walker Percy's novel (while David gets his bookstore going).
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David is off getting his bookstore going, so Tim and Heidi are holding down the fort as they continue to discuss Walker Percy's strange novel, The Moviegoer. They're in it deep now, so you might as well work your way out with them.
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Join Tim and Heidi as they dig ever-deeper in Walker Percy's novel (while David is working at his new bookstore).
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Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dive into Walker Percy's The Moviegoer. Topics of conversation include the book's particular vibe, its plotlessness, the uniquely Southern AND catholic perspective of Percy, and much more.
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As usual, your many questions were delightful, thoughtful, and challenging. We took a crack at answering them.
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Here we are at the end of another book. The big question of this episode is whether the book ends in a satisfying way (the answer depends on the contributor) -- and whether it matters. Join us!
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In this episode David, Heidi, and Sarah-Jane discuss catharsis, resolution, and changing-minds.
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This week David, Heidi, and Sarah-Jane discuss intense theological conversations, Jack's faith (or lack thereof), Boughton's role on contract with Glory's, and much more.
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Join David, Heidi, and Sarah-Jane for a conversation about uncomfortable dinners, age-old rivalries, baseball, and the Queen's physician's house.
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Join David and Heidi as they discuss sadness, Calvinism, hope, pleasure, and memory in Home.
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In this week's episode David and Heidi discuss the themes of forgiveness and repentance in Home, the way Boughton's preserve's memory in the house, the association of silence and memory, the way Glory and Jack are reaching towards one another (especially outside the house), and much more.
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And suddenly your friendly neighborhood podcasters were on to a new adventure! In this episode, David and Heidi dive into Marilynne Robinson's novel, Home. They discuss the serious nature of her work, the complicated strcutures of the book, and the pathos at the core of the story.
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Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they answer a whole bunch of listener questions on a wide variety of topics, from where to go next with Hemingway to the word choices in the final sentence. It's comprehensive, with a dash of disagreement for good measure.
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This week David, Heidi, and Tim discuss the final chapters of Hemingway's novel. They chat about whether the book is fundamentally hopeless, whether Hemingway was a nihilist, church scenes vs bull fights, Jake's injury as a red herring, and much more.
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This week David, Heidi, and Tim discuss bull fighters, boxers. Brett Ashley, bad relationships, and barrels of vino.
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This week David, Heidi, and Tim dive into the middle of Hemingway's novel. Topics of discussion include the strange organization of the book, Hemingway's subversion of traditional tropes, the famous church scene, and fishing in Spain.
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Welcome to a new series of episodes on Ernest Hemingway's classic novel, The Sun Also Rises! In this episode David, Heidi, and Tim discuss Hemingway's famous style and his unique talent for capturing human experience. Plus, they discuss some key passages, the book's context in twentieth century lit, and the troubles that are haunting these memorable characters.
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In this final episode of our series on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, David, Heidi, Karen, and Joshua answer your questions. There's no point in trying to summarize everything this episode covers. You'll just have to listen. insert shrug emoji.
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In this episode, David, Heidi, and special guests Karen Swallow Prior and Joshua Gibbs discuss the final pages of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Topics of conversation include whether justice was served in the story, whether the ending is satisfying, the eery similarities between Shelley's life and the book's ending, and much more!
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David, Heidi, Karen, and Joshua are back with more discussion of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. In this episode they discuss Frankenstein's relationship with his father, whether the monster had to turn out evil, whether Frankenstein did the noble thing in not creating the "bride," and much, much more.
If you like this episode be sure to rate and review wherever you get podcasts.
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Once again David and Heidi are joined by Karen Swallow Prior and Joshua Gibbs as they discuss questions of virtue in Mary Shelley's classic novel, the monster's self-education, neo-classicism vs romanticism, the place of Paradise Lost in the story, and the differences between this narrative and the Adam and Eve story in Genesis.
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This week David, Heidi, Karen, and Josh discuss the monster's ability to speak so eloquently and his unique form of self-education (and a bunch of other stuff, of course). If you like this episode please do rate and review wherever you get your podcasts.
Don't forget you can join the conversation at closereads.substack.com or @closereadspodcasts on Instagram.
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David and Heidi are back with very special guests Karen Swallow Prior and Joshua Gibbs with more discussion of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.They discuss the degree to which we ought to be consumed by the unreliable narrator as readers, whether Victor Frankenstein is a scoundrel, some differences between the 1831 and 1818 editions, Victor's unnatural interest in science, and much more.
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And we are on to a new book! Join David, Heidi, and very special guests Karen Swallow Prior, author of On Reading Well, and Joshua Gibbs, host of Proverbial, for a discussion about Mary Shelley's legendary novel, Frankenstein. In this episode they chat about the story behind the book, Shelley's wild and sad life, the differences in the editions, some preliminary themes, and more.
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As always, the crew finishes a book by answering your questions. You had good ones, and we tried to answer them.
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Tim is back and he joins David and Heidi for a conversation about the final pages of Graham Green's novel, The End of the Affair. They discuss Henry's invitation to Maurice, the book's approach to the concept of salvation, whether the ending is believable, and much more.
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Time flies when you're having fun (is not the lesson of this book). We are plowing our way through The End of the Affair and the end of the book is near. This week Tim is away (at sea, we think), so Heidi and David chatted about Sarah's death, Henry's invitation to Maurice, Maurice's hatred of God, and the way the book's writing shifts a bit during this section.
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On this week's episode, David, Heidi, and Tim chat about the challenges that this section of the book presents for discussion, as well as the deeply profound reflections found in Sarah's letters to God. Plus, there's some chatter about the different ways each of them read and approach books like this. You know, the normal stuff.
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In this week's episode, David, Heidi, and Tim discuss the likability (or lack thereof) of Maurice Bendrix, the protagonist of The End of the Affair; the way the book demands empathy from its reader; Green's consideration of sex, lust, and sin; and much more, of course.
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And so it was time to begin a new book . . . Join David, Tim, and Heidi as they dive into the world of Graham Green's twentieth classic, The End of the Affair. They chat about the likability of the narrator, the mystery of Sarah Miles, the technical skill of the author, and the fascination of those first few lines. And much more, of course.
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You had many (great) questions about Anne of Green Gables and David, Hieidi, and Tim made an attempt at answering as many of them as we could. They chatted about Gilbert's cuteness, the difference between drunkenness and rabies, and some other very serious things. If you like this episode remember to rate and review where you get podcasts.
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And so we come to the end of yet another book. In this episode, David, Heidi, and Tim discuss Matthew's death, Gilbert's action, Anne's growth, Marilla's illness, Lucy Maude Montgomery's skill, and a bunch of other stuff (including cereal, Yeoman's work, Michael Jordan, and Avocado toast).
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In this episode David, Tim, and Heidi, chat about the melancholy that sets into the book during this section, Anne's increasing maturity, the "boat springs a leak" scene, the "lessons" and morals Anne has learned, and much more.
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In this episode David, Heidi, and Tim chat about the goodness of Anne's imagination, whether it ever serves negative purposes, and a whole bunch of about kinds of reading. Also other stuff.
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Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss Anne's continued adventures with Diana, the way the book changes structurally during these chapters, and Lucy Maud Montgomery's view of Anne's imagination.
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There's a new movie version of Emma out now, and we're here to break it down. It stars Anya Joy-Taylor and Johnny Flynn, and is directed by Autumn deWilde and it's fascinating and we've got thoughts. So join us as we talk casting, adaptation, filmmaking, acting, and how we rate movies.
It's a bonus episode just for you.
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Self-isolate along with David, Heidi, and Tim as they chat some more about that delightful Anne with an "E." This week they discuss the introduction of Gilbert Blythe and the famous "carrots scene, Anne's particular brand of drama, the unique stakes of the novel, and much more.
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Chatting from their Covid-19-related self-isolation, David, Heidi, and Tim discuss the unique nature of Anne of Green Gables, the delightfulness of Anne, Anne's relationship with Marilla, the similarities between Anne and Rachel Lynde, and much more.
If you like this episode, please be sure to rate and review wherever you get podcasts.
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It's time to make friends with Anne with an E. In this episode, Heidi explains why this book changed her life (she's read it soooo many times), David explains why Matthew and Anne's relationship is meaningful, and Tim dives into a story that's new to him.
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It's that time again: let's answer YOUR questions. Join David, Tim, and Heidi as they contemplate topics like Salinger geeks, Holden's affection for the nuns, the ugly vandalism at Phoebe's school, Holden Caulfield on screen, DB's role, and much more.
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Once again we've come to the end of a book, so join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss whether Holden Caulfield is a cynic at the end of the book, the creepy scene with Mr. Antolini, the hopeful denouement, and the complicated nature of the book's legacy.
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Back again the gang is. This week David, Heidi, and Tim chatted about Holden's diction and choice of words, the red hunting hat, the ducks on the lagoon, and much more.
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It's a surprise bonus episode with the one-and-only Leif Enger! David chatted with him recently about the inspiration for Peace Like a River, his early days as a writer, the choices he makes as a writer, his process, his love of western novels and movies, and much, much more.
If you like this episode please be sure to rate and review wherever you get podcasts.
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And just like that we're on to J.D. Salinger's controversial novel, The Catcher in the Rye. Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss why this book is so loved and yet so hated and why it's taught so often. Plus, they discuss the foul language problem, Holden's cynicism, whether they would let their kids be Holden's friend, and much more.
Remember, if you like this you can rate and review it and spread the word.
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It's time for your questions here! We did our best to answer as many questions about Peace Like a River as we could, as well as we could. We talked about the title of the book, the nature of symbolism and allegory, the problem of Davy, the Westernness of this story, Swede's name, Jeremiah's pneumonia, and Andreeson conundrum, and much more.
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Here we are at the end of Leif Enger's Peace Like a River. In this episode David, Heidi, and Tim discuss the denouement (and overall structure) of the story, Rueben's fate, Davy's choice to leave (again), and much more.
If you like this episode, be sure to rate and review wherever you listen to podcasts!
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We're back with more conversation about Leif Enger's Peace Like a River. In this episode David, Heidi, and Tim discuss the nefarious Jape Waltzer, Andreeson's changing role, the story's budding romance, and much, much more. It's a long one, so buckle up.
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And so the odyssey into Leif Enger's Peace Like a River continues. In this episode, the crew chats about magical realism as a genre, Roxana as Beatrice figure, the Land family's descent into the underworld, and much, much more.
If you like this show please make sure to rate and review the show wherever you get podcasts!
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We're back with more conversation about Leif Enger's Peace Like a River! In this episode, David, Heidi, and Tim discuss the Fairy Tale elements of the story, the question of realism, what the story is ultimately about, Swede's preciousness, and much more.
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Welcome back! Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dive deeper into Leif Enger's Peace Like a River. They talk about whether Davy's actions were justified and how the novel treats them, the lack of a mother-figure in the story, and much more.
And remember: when you rate and review it helps out a lot!
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And we're on to another book! Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dive into a new book, Leif Enger's novel, Peace Like a River. In this episode they chat about the first 50 pages (aka: the first four chapters).
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It's time for one of our favorite annual traditions . . . Join David, Heidi, Sarah-Jane, and Tim as they share some of their favorite fiction reads of 2019 (check out the Patreon page for our non-fiction choices!).
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It's time to answer listener questions about Norman Maclean's A River Runs through It. David, Heidi, and Tim give their best effort at answering a slew of really tough, thoughtful questions. Bravo to everyone who contributed!
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Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they chat about the second half of Norman Maclean's beloved novella, A River Runs through It. They chat about whether the story is a tragedy, the way the end recalls the beginning, the theme of union in the story, and the way it explores the complicated nature of human relationship (and much more, of course).
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And we're off. It's time for Norman Maclean's A River Runs through It. On this episode, David, Heidi, and Tim discuss roughly the first half of the story. They chat about the central metaphors in the book, Maclean's craftsmanship as a prose writer, the subtly of the characterizations, the relationship between the brothers, and much more. Remember, if you like this show, your ratings and reviews (wherever you get podcasts), go a long way in helping the show longterm.
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It's time to answer your questions. Join David, Sarah-Jane, and Matt as they dive into the many great questions listeners submitted, included questions about the Griscam men, Prescott's failures and successes, Charlotte Mason and this book, Prescott's idealism, whether we're overrating the book, lessons for educators from Justin Martyr, and more.
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And here we are at the end. Join David, S-J, and Matt as they chat about the conclusion of The Rector of Justin. They chat about the outsized figure of Prescott, the narrator as mentee, Shakespeare in this book, and the thematic payoff of the novel.
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David, Sarah-Jane, and Matt are back and diving into the meaty middle part of the book. They discuss the reliability of the narrators, psycho-analysis as a theme in the book, whether Prescott treated Jules Griscam justly, and much more.
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Join David, Sarah-Jane, and Matt as they continue their discussion of The Rector of Justin. It's a long episode, so get ready for a deep dive into some of the themes that make this book what it is, with a little bit of friendly disagreement thrown in.
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We're back, chatting about chapters 6-9 of Louis Auchincloss' The Rector of Justin. Conversation explores the connections between Frank Prescott and Hamlet, his quixotic nature, the book's female characters, and much, much more.
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After a one-week hiatus due to some scheduling issues, we are back! In this episode David is joined by Matt and a new contributor to the network, Sarah-Jane Bentley, who teaches at Eton College in England. They chat about the unique structure of the book, the myriad of intertextual references (and whether they matter), the similarities between the various narrators, and much more.
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Unfortunately we had a scheduling snafu with recording for this week, so we are sharing a bonus episode that we sent to our Patrons a few months back. It's a conversation between David, Tim, and Heidi about Hemingway's famous story, "A Clean Well-lighted Place." Conversation touched on the difficulty with Hemingway and his particular craftsmanship in this short story.
Thanks for your patience! The regular show will be back soon.
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It's time for listener questions! In this episode, David, Tim, and Heidi answer your questions about topics like why Athena is gray-eyed, other great translations, whether Odysseus broke the hospitality code when visiting the cyclops, what first-time readers should glean from this epic poem, and much, much more.
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Join David, Tim, and Heidi as they arrive at the end of the Odyssey. Conversation touches on Telemachus' evolution, the way the various themes come together, the stories behind stories, modes of reading, and much more. Don't forget to send in your questions for next episode!
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It's time to discuss the battle and the bloodshed. In this episode, David, Heidi, and Tim chat about whether Odysseus is after justice or revenge (and all the ramifications of that question) . . . and much more, of course.
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And we're back with more conversation about Homer's famous epic poem. This week, David, Heidi, and Tim discuss Penelope's evolving character, the way the poet is comparing Odysseus and Penelope in the text, the building tension, and much more. Remember: if you like this show you can help spread the word by rating and reviewing it.
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The saga continues. On this week's episode, David, Heidi, and a very special guest discuss books XVII and XVIII of the Odyssey. Conversation touches on the patience of Odysseus and Telemachus, Athena's role in the story, whether the suitors are worthy adversaries, and Penelope's beauty.
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And we're back with more discussion of Homer's Odyssey! David, Heidi, and Tim explore the fascinating character of Eumaeus the swineherd; Poseidon, the anti-xenia god; the Western-y nature of the second of half of the poem; and much more.
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Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they continue their journey with Odysseus. In this episode they discuss books XI and XII, focusing on Odysseus' virtues, the allegorical aspects of the poem, the popularity of the story of the sirens, and much more.
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It's time for books IX and X of Homer's Odyssey! Join David, Heidi, and Tim for a discussion about the cyclopes, Circe, and the degree to which Odysseus is truly virtuous. And, remember, it helps the show out a whole lot when you leave reviews on whatever app you use to listen to podcasts.
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David, Heidi, and Tim are back with more conversation about The Odyssey. They discuss the question of Odysseus' faithfulness, they compare Nausikaa and Calypso, and they discuss the role of this section in the grand scheme of the poem.
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Join David, Heidi, and Tim for more conversation about Homer's classic epic poem. in this episode they chat about the role of the gods in the story, the complicated nature of ancient Greek paganism, whether the characters in the book have "faith," and much, much more.
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It's time for a new book! Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dive into Homer's Odyssey, books one and two. Discussion touches on the purpose of these early books, Telemachus' journey, the relationship between the gods and humans, Penelope's wisdom, and much more.
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Join David, Heidi, and Karen Swallow Prior as they answer your questions about Jane Austen's novel. And if you like this episode be sure to leave a review. Those 5-star reviews go a long way.
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Join David, Heidi, and special guest Karen Swallow Prior as they discuss the final chapters of Sense and Sensibility. Conversation touches on whether Edward deserved Elinor, Marianne's evolution, Elinor's most of catharsis, and the reversal of the book's beginning.
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Join David, Heidi, and special guest Karen Swallow Prior for a conversation about Marianne's growth, Willougby's villainy, Edward's issues, and the balance of satire and pathos in a book like this.
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Join David, Heidi, and very special guest, Karen Swallow Prior, as they chat about volume 2 of Jane Austen's classic novel. Conversation focuses on which character most bears the essence of the novel, whether there are any ideal types in the book, and the characterization that makes Austen so important (and amazing).
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David, Heidi, and special guest, Karen Swallow Prior are back with more conversation about Jane Austen's Sense & Sensibility. Conversation touches on the differences between Elinor and Marianne, the similarities in their situations and responses, Edward and Willougby, and much more.
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This week, David, Heidi, and special guest, Karen Swallow Prior, dive ever-deeper into the world of Jane Austen's classic first novel. Discussion touches on the languid pacing of this middle section, the question of stakes, the various binaries Austen asks us to consider, and much more.
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Further up and further (as they say)! Join David, Heidi, and special guest Karen Swallow Prior (author of the much-loved book, On Reading Well) as they continue their discussion of Jane Austen's classic novel. Topics of conversation include: How the irony and satire in the book ought to be read for each character, how Jane Austen portrays her male characters, the question of making judgments as readers, and much, much more.
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Join David, Heidi, and special guest, Karen Swallow Prior (author of the much-loved book, On Reading Well) for this new series of shows about Jane Austen's classic novel. In this episode they discuss Austen's use of irony and satire, her genius point-of-view techniques, the purpose of a comedy of manners, and much, much more.
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It's question and answer time! Join David, Adam, and Heidi as they answer your questions about Little Britches.
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It's time for the final chapters of Ralph Moody's Little Britches! In this episode, David, Heidi, and Adam discuss the denouement of Ralph's journey to manhood (and cowboyhood), the relationship between Ralph and his mother, the poignent moment in the finale, and much more!
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Welcome back! In this episode, David, Heidi, and Adam discuss the culmination of Ralph's story arc, parenting lessons from Little Britches, the important role of the horse/boy relationship in this book, the Cowboy dream, and much more.
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Welcome back! In this episode David Kern, Adam Andrews, and Heidi White discuss Ralph Moody's stated intentions for this book, what we as readers (and parents/teachers) ought to do with those intentions, and how those intentions impact the book's literary place. Plus some other stuff, of course.
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David, Heidi, and Adam are back with further discussion about Ralph Moody's Little Britches. Conversation touches on the dangers of romanticizing or idealizing the past, the difficulty of parenting, the key moment in Ralph's journey to get Two Dog, and the ongoing saga of the water rights.
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Conversation in this week's episode touches on the theme of parenting in the book, Ralph Moody's drive and desires, Western archetypes at play in the section, how Ralph's parents should have responded to his behavior, and more.
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And we're back to kick off a new series, with Ralph Moody's Little Britches! Joining David and Heidi is Adam Andrews, from the Center for Lit. Conversation touches on the comparison between Little Britches and Little House on the Prairie, what Homer and Plato have to do with this story, Western stories in American lit, Moody's portrayal of his parents, and much more.
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Join David, Heidi, and Tim for an in-depth time of answering listener questions! They talk heroism, other spy novels, the ambiguity of the ending, and much, much, much more.
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Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss the final chapters of John LeCarre's The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Conversation explores the novel's payoff, Liz and Leamas' relationship, good guys and bad guys, the complicated philosophies embedded in the book, and much more.
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Welcome back! This week David, Heidi, and Tim are chatting about chapters 13-20 of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, with an especially deep dive into chapter 13, which is the thematic and dramatic core of the story. Watch out for the moment when Tim drops a fantastic new metaphor. Plus they offer a grateful farewell to a longtime contributor to the show.
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Welcome back! In this episode David, Heidi, and Tim discuss John LeCarre's classic spy novel some more, with a particular focus on the value of genre fiction in contemporary times, the concept of anti-heros, LeCarre's subtly, and much more,
This episode is brought to you by New College Franklin! Learn more at newcollegefranklin.org.
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Welcome back! It's time to start a new book and we're finally diving into John LeCarre's The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Discussions touches on the value of genre fiction, LeCarre's story, his artistry, the way he sets up his themes, and more.
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We're back and we're answering YOUR questions about The Remains of the Day. We answer questions about the scene with the doctor, the root of Stevens' blindness, the duty/desire dichotomy, the role of food in the book, and much more!
This episode is presented by New College Franklin. Learn more at newcollegefranklin.org.
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In which David, Heidi, and Tim discuss the ending to Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day. They discuss the heartbreaking nature of the book, what to make of Steven's final conversation with Mrs. Benn, whether he changed in the end, and much more.
This episode is presented by New College Franklin. Learn more at newcollegefranklin.org.
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Welcome back. In this episode David, Heidi, and Tim continue their discussion of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, Remains of the Day. Conversation some of the unique ways the novel's structure changes in this section, whether Stevens is a good butler, whether he has changed at all, the confessional nature of this chapter, and much more.
This episode is brought to you by New College Franklin. Check them out at newcollegefranklin.org.
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We're back with more discussion about Kazuo Ishiguro's Remains of the Day. This week's conversation touches on Stevens' inner-turmoil, the complicated social changes at work in the novel, the interesting structural choices Ishiguro makes, and much more.
This episode is brought to you by CLT, the classically-based alternative to the SAT and the ACT. Learn more at clt.org.
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Welcome back to Close Reads. In this episode David, Heidi, and Tim continue their discussion of Kazuo Ishiguro's Remains of the Day. Conversation explores the way Stevens' various personal relationships mirror the international politics in the story, Ishiguro's gift for subtext, the history of the age in which the story takes place, the ongoing theme of "professionalism", the American's place in the story, and much more.
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Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they kick off discussion of a new book: Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day. Topics of conversation include the expectations of a road novel, the book's treatment of dignity, why professionalism is so important to Stevens, the questions of culture the book raises, key scenes, and more.
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The gangs all here for a fun conversation about our favorite books of 2018, what we're planning to read in 2019, and much, much more.
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David, Angelina, and Adam are back with more conversation about F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby! In this episode, they answer your questions.
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David, Angelina, and Adam are back more conversation about F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby!Conversation touches on Gatsby's demise, Nick's departure, Fitzgerald's worldview, and (of course) the famous final passage.
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This episode is presented by our friends over at New College Franklin - check them out at NewCollegeFranklin.org.
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David, Angelina, and Adam are back more conversation about F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby! Conversation touches on Jay Gatsby's dream-based Platonic ideal, the clash between Tom and Gatsby, Daisy's choice, Eckleburg's vigil, and much more.
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Welcome back to Close Reads! This week David, Angelina, and special guest Adam Andrews (of Center for Lit) chat about chapters 4 and 5 of F. Scott Fitzgerlad's novel, The Great Gatsby. Topics of conversation include several minutes on the first sentence of chapter 4, the question of the "debauchery" in the story, Gatsby as a hero, the book's place in the canon, and much more.
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Join David, Angelina, and guest of honor, Adam Andrews (of the Center for Lit) for a rousing discussion about F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Topics of conversation include whether there is a hero in this book, whether the narrator (Nick Carroway) is trustworthy or as honest as he claims he is, the key themes the early chapters set forth, the book's treatment of the American dream, the importance of place in the book, and much more!
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In this Thanksgiving week bonus episode, David goes on The Bookening podcast to discuss Flannery O'Connors "Good Country People."
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Join Heidi, Tim, and David as they answer listener questions about Graham Green's The Power and the Glory.
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Join David, Tim, and Heidi as they discuss the final chapters of Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory, focusing on whether the priest is a hero and the lieutenant is a villain, characters who have conversions, the saintly characteristics of the whiskey priest, the chiastic structure of the novel, and much more.
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Welcome back to Close Reads, where David, Heidi, and Tim are discussing Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory. Conversation in this episode centers primarily on the image of the dying dog - including a long discussion of the nature of images and symbols in literature (how to approach them, in what ways they matter, the difference between an image and a symbol, and more).
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Welcome back to Close Reads, where David, Heidi, and Tim are discussing Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory. Topics of conversation on this episode include Graham Greene's opinion that these were the greatest pages he ever wrote, the pace of these chapters, the contrast between the two chapters. the whiskey priests' transformation, the lieutenant's inability to recognize the priest, the whiskey priest vs Padre Jose, and much more.
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This episode is brought to you by the honors program at Belmont Abbey College.
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Welcome back to Close Reads, where David, Heidi, and Tim are discussing Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory. Topics of conversation on this episode include whether the whiskey priest is noble, the various character doubles in the book, the theme of faithfulness in this section, the idea of judgment, and the concept of plausibility structures in making a revolution happen. Typical Close Reads.
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Welcome back to Close Reads, where David, Heidi, and Tim are discussing Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory. Topics of conversation include Coral Fellow's entrance into adulthood and corresponding conversion (?), the faith of the stranger priest, Padre Jose's despair, little Luis' abandonment, and more.
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In this special crossover post from The Play's the Thing, a podcast dedicated to an ongoing examination and celebration of Shakespeare's entire canon, David, Angelina, and Andrew Kern discuss Act I of Much Ado About Nothing. PLEASE NOTE: To access the rest of the shows in this series make sure you have subscribed to The Play's the Thing's feed.
Topics of conversation include the multiple meanings of the titles, Renaissance cosmology, order and chaos, music and harmony, triangles, and Love and War. And a lot more.
This episode is brought to you our friends at St. John's College - the perfect place for lovers of Shakespeare to take their next academic steps.
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Welcome back to Close Reads, where David, Heidi, and Tim are kicking off a discussion of Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory. Topics of conversation include Green's deft use of subtext, the setting as character, the sadness/hopefullness of the novel, and much more.
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In this episode David, Angelina, and Heidi answer listener questions about Wallace Stegner's Crossing to Safety. Topics of conversation include the stuttering son-in-law, Larry's choice to tell this story, the role Charity's death played in the various characters crossing to safety, the Frost poem in the epigraph, and much more.
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Welcome back to Close Reads. In this episode, David, Angelina, Heidi, and Graeme chat about the final chapter of Wallace Stegner's Crossing to Safety. Discussion touches on the conflict between the Mogan's and Lang, what makes the ending moving, whether the ending was unexpected, the loveliness of the final two lines, the book's ambiguity, and much more (plus, Graeme tells a story about Halloween candy, in a call back to an old episode).
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Welcome back to Close Reads. In this week's episode David, Angelina, and Heidi continue their discussion of Wallace Stegner's Crossing to Safety. Conversations touches on the theme of ambition in the book (and in life), Larry's ongoing contemplation of "going somewhere," Sally's wise view of the world even in the midst of her suffering, and much more.
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Join David, Heidi, and Angelina as they continue their conversation about Wallace Stegner's novel, Crossing to Safety. Topics of conversation include the difference between a personal and transcendent experience with art, the bottomlessness of Great Books and Good Books, a comparison between the first chapter of part one and the first chapter of part two, and much, much more.
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Join David, Heidi, and Angelina, as they continue their conversation about Stegner's modern classic, Crossing to Safety. Topics include the strange mystery of reading, the similarities between Charity and Larry, Stegner's playful approach to subverting archetypes, and much more.
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Join David, Heidi, and Angelina, as they continue their conversation about Stegner's modern classic, Crossing to Safety. Topics include Sally's characterization, the likability of the various characters, Charity's overbearing nature and Sid's vows to her, the archetypes in the boat scene, and much, much more.
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This first episode of The Play's the Thing is a preview. For future episodes, please subscribe to The Play's the Thing's own feed.
Welcome to the premier episode of The Play's the Thing, a podcast dedicated to an ongoing examination and celebration of Shakespeare's entire canon. In this episode, David Kern, Matt Bianco, and Tim McIntosh dive into act I of King Lear, focusing primarily on scene I. Topics of conversation include: the Mount Rushmore of Shakespeare's plays, what makes a good Shakespearean tragedy so good, whether Lear should have divided his kingdom the way he did, how to read Cordelia's response, and much, much more.
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Join David, Heidi, and Angelina, as they continue their conversation about Stegner's modern classic, Crossing to Safety. Topics include the kind of emotional responses this book elicits, what we mean when we say a book "feels well-crafted," the way Stegner plays with memory in the first person voice of the narrator, how much we should "believe" Larry's recollections, and much more.
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It's Wallace Stegner time! Join David, Heidi, Angelina, and Stegner aficionado, Graeme Pitman, as they kick off a conversation about Stegner's modern classic, Crossing to Safety. Topics include Stegner's poetic prose and unique metaphors, the way the story introduces and explores characters, Stegner's literary impact, and much more.
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Join David Kern, Tim McIntosh, and special guest Adam Andrews (of Center for Lit) for an exploration of Shirley Jackson's harrowing short story, "The Lottery." Conversation touches on the crazy initial response the story received, the way Jackson manages to point her critique at contemporary life and not just the ancient pagans, best practices for teaching this story, why Jackson doesn't reveal the reason for the brutal tradition at the heart of the story, and much, much more.
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Join David Kern, Heidi White, and guest Jonathan Rogers for an exploration of William Faulkner's short story, "A Rose for Emily." Discussion touches on the pedagogy of teaching literature, Faulkner's customary obtuseness, the purity of the narrative of this story, what it says about Southern culture, and much, much more.
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Join David Kern, Angelina Stanford, and Heidi White, for an exploration of Susan Glaspell's short story, "A Jury of Her Peers." Topics include the possible feminist ideas in the story, the question (or non-question) of justice, how the men in the story should be read, the private vs public lives of the women in the story, and much more.
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Join David Kern, Angelina Stanford, and Heidi White, for an exploration of Kate Chopin's short story, Desiree's Baby. Topics include the story's fairy tale nature, the way it touches on matters of race and gender, its structural genius, and much, much, much more.
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Join David Kern, Tim McIntosh, and very special guest Jonathan Rogers (author of The Wilderking Trilogy and The Terrible Speed of Mercy: A Spiritual Biography of Flannery O'Connor,among other books), for a deep-dive into Ambrose Bierce's famous short story, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." Discussion touches on whether Bierce's "gotcha" moment is a flaw in the story, the idea of the unreliable narrator, Bierce's wild biography, where his skill most shows up in the story, and more.
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Join David Kern, Heidi White, and very special guest Jonathan Rogers (author of The Wilderking Trilogy and The Terrible Speed of Mercy: A Spiritual Biography of Flannery O'Connor, among other books), for a deep-dive into Washington Irving's famous short story, "Rip Van Winkle." Topics include the place of this story in the American literary tradition, Irving's craftsmanship, the conceit/framing device Irving employs, and a whole lot more.
This episode is brought to you by Augustine College in the US.
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Join David, Tim, and Heidi for some more lively discussion as they conclude their conversation about Tennessee Williams' award-winning and much-beloved play, The Glass Menagerie. Topics of conversation include the glass unicorn, the value of tragedies, the challenges of reading a play (vs. seeing it performed), and much, much more. Plus, David explains some exciting new changes for the Close Reads brand - and the short story the show will cover next week.
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Join David, Tim, and Heidi (Angelina is away for work) for a lively discussion about Tennessee Williams' award-winning and much-beloved play, The Glass Menagerie. Topics of conversation include the differences (and unique challenges) between play writing and novel writing, who plays are written for, how to read plays, why this play has been so popular for so long, Williams' creative genius, and much, much more.
This episode is brought to you by Augustine College in the US.
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Join David, Tim, Angelina, and Heidi as they conclude their conversation about Wendell Berry's novel, Hannah Coulter, by answering listener questions. Topics include the Okinawa chapter, whether Berry is preachy, whether his work will be remembered in a few hundred years, and much more.
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Join David, Tim, Angelina, and special guest Heidi White as they continue their discussion of Wendell Berry's 2003 novel, Hannah Coulter. They discuss the ways this book impacts each of them, the character of Hannah, why men love this book, and much, much more.
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Join David, Tim, Angelina, and special guest Heidi White as they continue their discussion of Wendell Berry's 2003 novel, Hannah Coulter. Conversation touches on Berry's emphasis on the values of rural life, whether Berry's ideals can be applied anywhere, Nathan Coulter and Burley Coulter as embodiment of those ideals, and much more.
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Join David, Tim, Angelina, and special guest Heidi White as they begin their discussion of Wendell Berry's 2003 novel, Hannah Coulter. Conversation touches on first impressions, the book's epitaph, Hannah's unique voice, the poetic rhythms of Berry's writing, whether this is a sad book, and much, much more.
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Join David, Tim, and Angelina as they conclude their conversation of P.G. Wodehouse's novel, The Code of the Woosters, by answering listener questions.Topics include Bertie's thickness, Jeeves' genius, the percentage of allusions that the hosts got when reading this book, and much more.
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Join David and Angelina as they continue their conversation of P.G. Wodehouse's novel, The Code of the Woosters. This week - sans Tim - discussion touches on, well, the code of the Woosters. Plus, Graeme Pitman makes an appearance and conversation goes far afield.
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Join David, Tim, and Angelina as they kick-off their conversation of P.G. Wodehouse's novel, The Code of the Woosters. This week's discussion touches on whether Wodehouse had serious intentions when he wrote this novel and why so many people consider him funny over multiple generations and in various places. Plus, they do a close read of a specific scene, just for the sheer pleasure of it.
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Join David, Tim, and Angelina as they kick-off their conversation of P.G. Wodehouse's novel, The Code of the Woosters. Focusing on their favorite passages in the first four chapters they discuss what makes Wodehouse so funny, the deeper themes in his work, and the consistent presence of irony in the story. Plus they laugh a ton.
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Join David, Tim, and Angelina, as they answer listener questions about Charles Portis' novel, True Grit.
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Join David, Tim, and Angelina for the conclusion of their conversation about Charles Portis' masterpiece,True Grit. Conversation touches on who the book's hero is, whether justice is served in the end, Rooster's tragic ending, and much more.
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Join Angelina, Tim, and David for the beginning of their conversation about Charles Portis' masterpiece,True Grit. Topics of conversation include the effects of the civil war on the characters in the book, the complicated character of Rooster Cogburn, the differences between Rooster and LeBeouf, and much more.
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Join Angelina, Tim, and David for the beginning of their conversation about Charles Portis' masterpiece,True Grit. Topics of conversation include whether Mattie is worth imitation, the humor in Rooster Cogburn, Mattie's infatuation with LaBeouf, and Charles Portis' light but skilled touch.
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Join Angelina, Tim, and David for the beginning of their conversation about Charles Portis' masterpiece, True Grit. Topics of conversation include the place of the Western genre in American literature, True Grit's unique approach the Western protagonist, and much more. Plus, they chat about the next few books and the Literary Leading Ladies Bracket.
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Join Angelina, Tim, and David for the conclusion of their conversation about E. M. Forster's Howards End as they answer a plethora of listener questions (and discuss this year's Close Reads' literature bracket). Topics include Tibby's role, Leonard's fate, what Forster means by "connection," and much, much more!
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Join Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue their conversation about E.M. Forster's novel, Howards End. Topics of conversation include whether the ending is satisfying, Forster's preachiness, Margaret's threat to leave Henry, Henry's redemption, and much, much more.
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Join Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue their conversation about E.M. Forster's novel, Howards End. Topics of conversation include the ways place = character, whether Margaret was wrong to side with Helen over Henry, Margaret fighting for woman-kind, whether Henry deserves any sympathy, fallen sisters in literature, and much, much more.
PLEASE NOTE: This episode contains a brief discussion about Victorian perspectives on sex so please be discerning if your children are listening.
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Join Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue their conversation about E.M. Forster's novel, Howards End. Topics of conversation include Margaret's response to Henry's past indiscretions, Helen's protection of the Basts, whether Henry is truly repentant, and much more!
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Join Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue their conversation about E.M. Forster's novel, Howards End. Topics of conversation include the differences in liking and appreciating a good book, Romantic (big "R") literature and the Romantic period of art, whether Margaret is a true Romantic, and much more!
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Join Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue their conversation about E.M. Forster's novel, Howards End. Topics of conversation include the differences between Mr. Wilcox and Margaret, capital "R" Romance vs. lower-case "r" romance, Forster's energetic writing, the awkward Wilcox-Shlegel kiss, and much more. If you like this show please consider supporting it on Patreon.
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Join Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue their conversation about E.M. Forster's novel Howards End. Topics of conversation include whether this book is about anything, Forster's instance on keeping his characters at arms-length, an Angelina reversal, Margaret's affection for Mr. Wilcox, the Downton Abbey-ness of the story, and much more.
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Join Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue their conversation about E.M. Forster's novel Howards End. Topics of conversation include whether Mrs. Wilcox is meant to a type of a mystic character, the odd relationship between Mrs. Wilcox and Margaret, Leonard's strange chapter (and role in the book), and much, much more.
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Join Angelina, Tim, and David as they kick off their conversation about E.M. Forster's novel Howards End. Topics of conversation include Angelina's secret sports-life, which Schlegel sister Tim and Angelina see most in themselves, 19th-century European politics, the Bloomsbury group that Forster was a part of, his interesting use of pace and voice, and much more.
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Welcome back to Close Reads, where David, Angelina, and Tim are discussing their 2017 in reading and their reading goals for 2018. Plus, Angelina gets ambushed by a special guest.
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Welcome back to Close Reads, where David, Angelina, and Tim are discussing listener questions about Twelfth Night. Topics include lots of talk about Feste, strong women in Shakespeare, whether the ending is satisfying, the alternate title, Shakespeare as political rabble-rouser, and, of course, some Christmas-themed banter.
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Join Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue to discuss William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.Topics include where Twelfth Night belongs in Shakespeare's canon, the somewhat abrupt ending, the lack of change in the characters, the subtitle, and the poem that ends the play.
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Join Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue to discuss William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.Topics include Shakespeare's innovation (and subversion) of dramatic form, the Shakespearean authorship question and whether it matters, the way the shape of the stage comes alive in the play, and much more.
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Join Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue to discuss William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.Topics include Shakespeare's approach to structure, identity (and the motif of disguise), and comedic reversals. Plus, Tim tells another story about classroom hijinks.
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Join Angelina, Tim, and David as they continue conversation on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.Topics include the number of lines dedicated to the "foolish" characters, the nature of Soliloquy in Shakespeare, and much, much more.
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Join Angelina, Tim, and David as they kickoff conversation on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.Topics include different approaches to Shakespeare, Renaissance metaphors that are key in the play, and much, much more (this episode is long!).
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It took a few takes (and some persistent in the face of tech issue), but Angelina, Tim, and David are back with another episode of Close Reads. This week they discuss Kenneth Branaugh's film adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express.
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Join Angelina, Tim, and David for another episode of literary debate, witty banter, and all around frivolity as they answer several listener questions and debate the overall artistic quality of Agatha Christie's "masterpiece."
Topics includes (more on) justice, considering literary world's for their own sake, P.D. James take on Christie (and other mystery writers), the grandeur of red-leafed trees, and much more.
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On this episode of Close Reads Angelina, Tim, and David discuss the finale of Agatha Christie's beloved mystery story, Murder on the Orient Express.
Topics include: The Great Candy Wars of 2017, the detective as a trope, the question of justice in the ending, Poirot's punting, Tim's inner struggle.
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On this episode of Close Reads Angelina, Tim, and David discuss part two of Agatha Christie's beloved mystery story, Murder on the Orient Express.
Topics include: Some (fascinating) listener theories on the book, Poirot's approach and personality, the role of the reader in a good mystery, Tim shenanigans, and much more.
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On this episode of Close Reads Angelina, Tim, and David kick off their discussion of Agatha's Christie classic mystery story, Murder on the Orient Express. This week they chat about part one. Topics include the way Christie plays with the form of the mystery story, Hercule Poirot's character, the nature of justice in the story, and MUCH more.
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On this episode of Close Reads, Tim and David conclude their discussion of Marilynne Robinson's beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gilead. include whether Jack should have left town, whether Jack is a bad guy, and much, much more. This episode covers pages 215 through the end of the book.
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Marilynne Robinson's beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gilead. Topics include Angelina's strong feelings about the book (and David's pushback), whether Robinson misfired with the Boughton/Ames scene, and much more. This episode covers pages 188-215.
This episode is brought to you by our good friends at New College Franklin. Set up a campus visit now!
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Marilynne Robinson's beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gilead. Topics include ways the parable of the prodigal son show up in the book, Jack Boughton's concerns about being "elect," rejection vs. restoration, Jack's loneliness, and much more. This episode covers pages 160-188.
This episode is brought to you by our good friends at New College Franklin. Set up a campus visit now!
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On this bonus episode of Close Reads, David discusses Marilynne Robinson with poet, teacher, and speaker Christine Perrin, who explains why it took her a while to learn to love Gilead, why Lila is her "heart book," and much, much more.
This episode is brought to you by our good friends at New College Franklin. Set up a campus visit now!
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Marilynne Robinson's beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gilead. Topics include how easy it is to focus on the wrong things when you read, the mystery of reading a book, the lack of a problem to be solved in this book, the Jack Boughton revelation, and much more. This episode covers pages 128-160.
This episode is brought to you by our good friends at New College Franklin. Set up a campus visit now!
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Marilynne Robinson's beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gilead. Topics include all the baseball in the book, the mystery of Jack Boughton, the remembrance of sorrow, and much more. This episode covers pages 97-128.
This episode is brought to you by our good friends at New College Franklin. Set up a campus visit now!
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim (from Aruba), and David continue their discussion of Marilynne Robinson's beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gilead. Topics include the book's lack of plot, the various father/son relationships, more conversation on theology and suffering, and more. This episode covers pages 68-97.
This episode is brought to you by Schole Academy from Classical Academic Press, featuring new literature courses taught by Close Reads co-star, Tim McIntosh.
It's also brought to you by our good friends at New College Franklin. Set up a campus visit now!
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina and David continue their discussion of Marilynne Robinson's beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gilead (while Tim vacations in Aruba). Topics include John Ames' observations of humanity, the goodness of growing old, contemplation of heaven (and the beauty of perishability), and more. This episode covers pages 37-68.
This episode is brought to you by Schole Academy from Classical Academic Press, featuring new literature courses taught by Close Reads co-star, Tim McIntosh.
It's also brought to you by our good friends at New College Franklin. Set up a campus visit now!
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David kick off their discussion of Marilynne Robinson's beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gilead (2004). Topics include whether this is a sad book, a bit on Robinson's biography, John Ames's joy in the face of suffering, and more.
This episode is brought to you by Schole Academy from Classical Academic Press, featuring new literature courses taught by Close Reads co-star, Tim McIntosh.
It's also brought to you by our good friends at New College Franklin. Set up a campus visit now!
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, David, and Andrew conclude their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel Brideshead Revisited,answering listener questions.
Topics include:
- The BBC miniseries and Jeremy Irons' audio book
- The effect of Charles immaturity on his perspectives
- Whether it's a true conversion story
- Which characters display true faith
- Symbolism and conversion
- and much more
This episode is brought to you by Schole Academy from Classical Academic Press, featuring new literature courses taught by Close Reads co-star, Tim McIntosh.
It's also brought to you by our good friends at New College Franklin. Set up a campus visit now!
***
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On this special LIVE episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, David, and their special guest conclude their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel Brideshead Revisited,focusing on the final chapters.
This episode was recorded at the 2017 CiRCE Conference.
Topics include:
- The love story
- Whether this story is tragedy
- Whether people wanted Julia and Charles to stay together
- The sign of the cross and aesthetic theology
- The ongoing thread twitches
- Listener comments
- and much more
This episode is brought to you by Schole Academy from Classical Academic Press, featuring new literature courses taught by Close Reads co-star, Tim McIntosh.
***
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel, Brideshead Revisited,focusing on chapter 9.
Topics include:
- Julia's prescience
- Julia's guilty conscience
- Bridey's strong words
- Ryder's skepticism
- and much more
This episode is brought to you by Schole Academy from Classical Academic Press, featuring new literature courses taught by Close Reads co-star, Tim McIntosh.
***
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel, Brideshead Revisited,focusing on chapter 9.
Topics include:
- The interesting structure of the chapter
- Celia's infedelity
- Much more on perspective
- The metaphor of the storm
- Characters repeating patterns
- Whether this first chapter where anything actually happens
- and much more...
This episode is brought to you by Schole Academy from Classical Academic Press, featuring new literature courses taught by Close Reads co-star, Tim McIntosh.
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel, Brideshead Revisited,focusing on chapter 7.
Topics include:
- Getting to know Julia
- Rex's ignorance
- Why Charles is attracted to Julia
- "Modern" education
- Perspective and Waugh
- and more...
This episode is brought to you by our friends at the Institute for Excellence in Writing, purveyors of Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization. Learn more here.
This episode is brought to you by Schole Academy from Classical Academic Press, featuring new literature courses taught by Close Reads co-star, Tim McIntosh.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel, Brideshead Revisited,focusing on chapter 7.
Topics include:
- Getting to know Julia
- Rex's ignorance
- Why Charles is attracted to Julia
- "Modern" education
- Perspective and Waugh
- and more...
This episode is brought to you by our friends at the Institute for Excellence in Writing, purveyors of Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization. Learn more here.
This episode is brought to you by Schole Academy from Classical Academic Press, featuring new literature courses taught by Close Reads co-star, Tim McIntosh.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, David, and a special guest continue their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel, Brideshead Revisited,focusing on chapter 6.
Topics include:
- The greatest sentence of the 20th century
- What's wrong with Sebastian
- Whether Sebastian's family is being fair
- More on the aesthetic theology of the book
- and much, much more...
This episode is brought to you by our friends at the Institute for Excellence in Writing, purveyors of Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization. Learn more here.
This episode is also brought to you by Schole Academy from Classical Academic Press, featuring new literature courses taught by Close Reads co-star, Tim McIntosh.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel, Brideshead Revisited,focusing on chapter 5.
Topics include:
- Charles' father
- Sebastian's malaise
- The fate of young men during the era
- Religion at Brideshead
- More on the aesthetic theology of the book
- and more...
This episode is brought to you by our friends at the Institute for Excellence in Writing, purveyors of Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization. Learn more here.
This episode is brought to you by Schole Academy from Classical Academic Press, featuring new literature courses taught by Close Reads co-star, Tim McIntosh.
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel, Brideshead Revisited,focusing on chapters 3-4.
Topics include:
- Tim's upcoming vacation
- A comparison of Charles family and Sebastian's family
- Sebastian's faith and Charles lack thereof
- Sebastian and Charles' youth and what it means
- The aesthetic theology of the book
- Aesthetics as a road to faith
- and more...
It's also brought to you by Schole Academy from Classical Academic Press, featuring new literature courses taught by Close Reads co-star, Tim McIntosh.
***
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David kick off their discussion of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel, Brideshead Revisited, focusing on the prologue and chapters one and two.
Topics include:
- First experiences with Waugh
- Waugh's nostalgia
- The prologue
- The book's various juxtapositions
- The sacred and the profane
- The book's spiritual hauntings
- 3 key decaying institutions
- and more...
This episode is brought to by our friends at Roman Roads Media, purveyors of the Old Western Culture series, featuring Wes Callihan.
It's also brought to you by Schole Academy from Classical Academic Press, featuring new literature courses taught by Close Reads co-star, Tim McIntosh.
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe
On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David discuss C.S. Lewis's classic, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and it's victory in our Great Books Bracket this spring.
Topics include:
- Why the Narnia stories have maintained their reputation for so long
- The differences in reading it for the first time as a child as opposed to as an adult
- Which Narnia book should be read first
- Lewis's philosophies on reading
- and more...
Plus, they kick the show off by discussing how to know if dislike of a book is because of the book itself or because of the reader.
This episode is brought to by our friends at Roman Roads Media, purveyors of the Old Western Culture series, featuring Wes Callihan.
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe
On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David conclude their conversation on Flannery O'Connor's collection of stories, Everything That Rises Must Converge, by answering listener questions.
Topics include:
- How O'Connor's contemporaries viewed her work
- Angelina and Tim's Amazon-style reviews of O'Connor
- Anagogical/allegorical reading
- O'Connor's appeal to non-Christians
- Rapid-fire questions
and much more...
This episode is brought to by our friends at Roman Roads Media, purveyors of the Old Western Culture series, featuring Wes Callihan.
***
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their conversation on Flannery O'Connor's collection of stories, Everything That Rises Must Converge, with "Judgement Day".
Topics include:
- The next book we'll be reading on Close Reads
- The complicated nature of this story
- It's serious flaws
- Comparing The Geranium with Judgement Day
- Is it confusing on purpose or because of bad writing?
- The weird glasses scene
- The good and bad of the "southern code"
- Coleman's wisdom and loyalty
- Tanner's pride and bigotry
This episode is brought to by our friends at Roman Roads Media, purveyors of the Old Western Culture series, featuring Wes Callihan.
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe
On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their conversation on Flannery O'Connor's collection of stories, Everything That Rises Must Converge, with "Parker's Back".
Topics include:
- The differences between "Parkers' Back" and her other work
- The theatrical nature of the story
- Parker's awe
- The deeper meaning of the characters' actions
- Reading Sarah Ruth
- Parker's image (and its all-seeing eye)
- Why O'Connor chose to use a Byzantine icon
This episode is brought to by our friends at Roman Roads Media, purveyors of the Old Western Culture series, featuring Wes Callihan.
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their conversation on Flannery O'Connor's collection of stories, Everything That Rises Must Converge, with "Revelation."
Topics include:
- Whether this is a good story to use to introduce stuents to O'Connor
- The racism of characters in the story
- Mrs. Turpin's gradual openness
- Mrs. Turpin's Christ-haunted-ness
- Seeing ourselves in Mrs. Turpin
- Judging Mrs. Turpin
- Mrs. Turpin's avenging angel of judgment
- Mrs. Turpin's mystical vision
This episode is brought to by our friends at Roman Roads Media, purveyors of the Old Western Culture series, featuring Wes Callihan.
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe
On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their conversation on Flannery O'Connor's collection of stories, Everything That Rises Must Converge, with "The Lame Shall Enter First."
Topics include: whether this story is less grotesque, the clinical-ness of the prose, psychology vs spiritual in the story, whether Shepherd repents, O'Connor vs the enlightenment, Norton as Shepherd's mirror, Norton's loneliness, faith like a child, and O'Connor the smuggler
This episode is brought to by our friends at Roman Roads Media, purveyors of the Old Western Culture series, featuring Wes Callihan.
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their conversation on Flannery O'Connor's collection of stories, Everything That Rises Must Converge, with "The Comforts of Home."
Topics include: the theatrical nature of O'Connor's work, this story vs. the others in this collection, whether the mother is right to take an interest in Sarah, common critical readings that emphasize sexual tension, the opening paragraphs, Thomas as pharisee, the absence of dark grace, and more.
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their conversation on Flannery O'Connor's collection of stories, Everything That Rises Must Converge, with "The Enduring Chill."
Topics include: O'Connor's sense of humor, the autobiographical nature of the story, the meaning of the names, where Asbury's illness came from, the work of the Holy Spirit in the story, and much more.
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On this episode of Close Reads, David chats with Dr. Ralph Wood, author of Flannery O'Connor and the Christ-Haunted South, about Flannery O'Connor's reputation for grimness.
Topics include: When Dr. Wood heard O'Connor give a reading live in 1962, O'Connor's sense of humor, the scandalousness of the gospel in O'Connor's canon, Julian's mother in Everything That Rises Must Converge, A View of the Woods' lack of quality, and much, much more.
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their conversation on Flannery O'Connor's collection of stories, Everything That Rises Must Converge, with "A View of the Woods."
Topics include: Whether Mary actually exists, Mary as mirror of her grandfather, O'Connor's mysterious use of pronouns, the battle between Fortune and Pitts, the story's comments on modernism, and the damnation of Fortune.
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their conversation on Flannery O'Connor's collection of stories, Everything That Rises Must Converge, with "Greenleaf."
Topics include: The romance of the bull, the bull as Christ-figure, O'Connor's commentary on Southern Christianity, sympathy for the Greenleafs, class differences in the story, Mrs. May's irreligion, Mrs. May's disdain for the bull, and the medieval theme of ecstasy in the story's ending.
PLEASE NOTE: STARTING AT ABOUT 49 MINUTES SOME THEMES THAT MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN ARE DISCUSSED. PROCEED WITH CAUTION IF LISTENING WITH YOUR KIDS.
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David begin their conversation on Flannery O'Connor's collection of stories, Everything That Rises Must Converge, beginning with the titular story.
Topics include: The 2017 Close Reads literature bracket, first experiences with O'Connor (18:10), O'Connor's "metaphysical realism" (26:40), story summary (37:11), the real racist in the story (41:50), the effect of coming home in O'Connor's work (51:40), the coin (62:45), the ambiguity of the end (70:00).
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David answer listener questions about Dorothy Sayers' classic mystery novel, Murder Must Advertise, one of the Lord Peter Wimsey stories.
Topics include: More on how to say "Sayers", Wimsey vs Darcy (12:20), Miss Meteyard as representative of Sayers (19:25), Current states of mystery stories (21:55), Says on good Christian art (38:55), Wimsey's sorrow at the end of the book (51:40), and what Sayers to read next (57:00).
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David conclude their ongoing discussion of Dorothy Sayers' classic mystery novel, Murder Must Advertise, one of the Lord Peter Wimsey stories.
Topics include: Who else the murderer could have been (6:45), whether Justice was served in the end (14:00), whether Wimsey was actually a good detective in this book (36:30), Tallboy's possible redemption (45:00), and the book we'll read next on the show.
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Click here to join the Close Reads Facebook group.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their ongoing discussion of Dorothy Sayers' classic mystery novel, Murder Must Advertise, one of the Lord Peter Wimsey stories.
Topics include: Comparisons between this book, Netflix's The Crown, and BBC's Downton Abbey;class issues between characters; the lack of appeal in the evil in the book; the slow burn tensions; and how Greek (the language) can help us pronounce "Death Bredon."
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their ongoing discussion of Dorothy Sayers' classic mystery novel, Murder Must Advertise, one of the Lord Peter Wimsey stories.
Topics include: Why Tim isn't overly excited about this book, what about it people most like, the modernism of the prose, the various jumping perspectives, and the theme of phantasms.
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their ongoing discussion of Dorothy Sayers' classic mystery novel, Murder Must Advertise, one of the Lord Peter Wimsey stories.
Topics include: How to say "Death Bredon," how Sayers ups the stakes and tension in these chapters, the role of young Ginger Joe, Lord Peter as Bertie Wooster, and similarities with Brave New World.
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their ongoing discussion of Dorothy Sayer's classic mystery novel, Murder Must Advertise, one of the Lord Peter Wimsey stories.
Topics include: the anxiety and cultural malaise of post-WWI Europe, the liturgy of the mystery story, why Angelina loves Lord Peter Wimsey more than Mr. Darcy, Sayers/Wodehouse comparisons, the in-media-res start of the book, and the nature of the advertising in the book.
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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David kick off their ongoing discussion of Dorothy Sayer's classic mystery novel, Murder Must Advertise, one of the Lord Peter Wimsey stories.
Topics include: The value of mystery stories as literature, Lord Peter vs Sherlock Holmes, Dorothy Sayers biography, and Sayers' rules of mystery writing.
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On this episode of Close Reads, Tim, Angelina, and David discuss some of the books that excited them most in 2016.
Titles include a difficult Great Book, a fantastical novel about a runaway slave, and several books of culture criticism.
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