Flannery O’Connor, The Lame Shall Enter First. Sheppard is a high-minded liberal. Norton is his disappointing young son, who seems indifferent to Sheppard’s moral crusades. In the opening paragraphs of this short story Flannery O’Connor presents the two of them at breakfast. Every detail of the depiction alludes to just what is wrong within this little f ... Show More
Mar 2024
EP17 – Bred in the Bone | Auden, September 1, 1939
On the day the Nazis invade Poland, beginning the Second World War, a poet nurses a drink in a New York bar. The unwarlike Auden has just immigrated to the United States from England, yet he feels a shadow rising behind him in the east that no one will be able to escape. Auden lo ... Show More
1h 19m
Apr 2024
EP18 - The Numb Fingers | Keats, “The Eve of St. Agnes” (Part One)
John Keats, “The Eve of St. Agnes” (Part One). The first of a two-part episode that considers John Keats’ gorgeous poem. Set in a dreamy medieval world of castles, blood feuds and esoteric folk rituals, Keats gives us a love story with some of the lushest and most opulent imagery ... Show More
1h 14m
May 2024
EP19 - Into the Storm | Keats, “The Eve of St. Agnes” (Part Two)
John Keats, “The Eve of St. Agnes,” (Part Two). Today we conclude our examination of Keats’ poem, looking at three pairs of stanzas that describe the strange courtship of Porphyro and Madeline and their escape from the castle.We love hearing from all of you. Please email us at Pr ... Show More
1 h
Nov 2015
Ep 146 - A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories, by Flannery O'Connor
Flannery O'Connor was a master of the Southern Gothic short story. Her characters are vivid, her turns of phrase equal parts memorable and chilling. These stories make you laugh, make you cringe, and sometimes make you wish you could forget how they end. This week we chat about t ... Show More
1h 3m
Feb 2024
ICARUS AND DAEDALUS, THE SWORD OF DAMOCLES, THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE, AND A LETTER TO MY DAUGHTER BY F, SCOTT FITZGERALD
We bring you four stories today: Icarus and Daedalus- James Baldwin- an ancient Greek tales about a son who forgets his father's instructions; The Sword of Damocles- about the close friend of a wealthy man who wishes he could spend one day in his friends place living the good lif ... Show More
21m 52s