Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchNorthern 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…
2 months, 1 week 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…
2 months, 2 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…
2 months, 3 weeks 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…
3 months 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 …
3 months, 1 week 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…
3 months, 2 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…
3 months, 3 weeks ago
Wuthering Heights: Passion, Violence, and Revenge on the Moors
Episode 1
Why does Emily Brontë's novel, Wuthering Heights, have such an enduring romantic association? Is Heathcliff a romantic lead, or an abusive antihero? …
4 months ago
The Book Club - Trailer
Do you want to learn more about some of the greatest stories ever told? Join Dominic Sandbrook, co-host of The Rest Is History, and Tabitha Syrett as…
4 months, 1 week ago