Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchThe Hound of the Baskervilles: Mystery, Folklore, and Sherlock Holmes
Episode 11
The Hound of the Baskervilles: Mystery, Folklore, and Sherlock Holmes
What is the true story that inspired Arthur Conan Doyle's best-seller? Why have …
10 hours ago
East Of Eden: Steinbeck, Sin, and Redemption
Episode 10
Why did Steinbeck consider East of Eden his magnum opus? What does the novel reveal about human nature? How did Steinbeck interrogate early 20th cen…
1 week ago
Normal People: Class, Ireland, and Heartbreak
Episode 9
Is Sally Rooney's hit novel really a love story? How does class division impact the love Marianne and Connell feel for each other? Is Rooney creating…
2 weeks ago
Northern Lights: Dogma, Destiny, and Dæmons
Episode 8
To what extent is Pullman’s novel a critique of organised religion? How was Northern Lights inspired by Milton's Paradise Lost? And, did Northern Li…
3 weeks ago
Frankenstein: Horror, Humanity, and Hubris
Episode 7
Did Mary Shelley create the first true science fiction novel? Is Frankenstein a philosophical fable? How did Frankenstein inspire countless more horr…
4 weeks ago
The Secret History: Dark Academia, Greek Myth, and Murder
Episode 6
How does Donna Tartt combine gothic academia and greek mythology in her captivating debut novel? What do the characters tell us about the dark side o…
1 month ago
Nineteen Eighty-Four: Big Brother, Surveillance, and Fear
Episode 5
Why is 1984 as relevant today as when it was published? Who is Big Brother, and why is he so powerful? What was George Orwell's intention when creati…
1 month, 1 week ago
Hamnet: Love, Grief, and Motherhood
Episode 4
How does Maggie O'Farrell create the historical figures of William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes Hathaway, in her novel Hamnet? What does the film …
1 month, 2 weeks ago
The Great Gatsby: Old Money, Murder, and the American Dream
Episode 3
Was Daisy Buchanan, the object of Jay Gatsby’s obsessive love in the novel, inspired by the author’s own love life? What window does The Great Gatsby…
1 month, 3 weeks ago
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro: Cloning, Free Will, and Soulmates
Episode 2
What inspired Kazuo Ishiguro’s timeless story about mortality, growing up, and the human condition? How are its characters so relatable, and yet enti…
2 months ago