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Vipers' Tangle: To the End
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…
1 year, 8 months ago
Live Episode: Is Flannery O'Connor Funny?
Flannery O’Connor’s fiction has been described as “gothic,” “violent,” “unsentimental,” even “grotesque.” Yet it is also often described as funny. Ho…
1 year, 8 months ago
Vipers' Tangle: Chapters 11-15
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…
1 year, 8 months ago
Vipers' Tangle: Chapters 6-10
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 th…
1 year, 8 months ago
Viper's Tangle: Chapters 1-5
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 compelli…
1 year, 8 months ago
Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont: Q&A Episode
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 lis…
1 year, 8 months ago
Announcing the 2025 Book List (AKA: The Great Winnowing)!
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 chos…
1 year, 9 months ago
Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont: The Final Chapters
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 …
1 year, 9 months ago
Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont: Chapters 7-12
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 creepin…
1 year, 9 months ago
Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont: Chapters 1-6
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 offe…
1 year, 9 months ago