Shelley’s angry, violent poem was written in direct response to the Peterloo Massacre in Manchester in 1819, in which a demonstration in favour of parliamentary reform was attacked by local yeomanry, leaving 18 people dead and hundreds injured. The ‘masque’ it describes begins with a procession of abstract figures – Murder, Fraud, Hypocrisy – embodied in mem ... Show More
Apr 13
Narrative Poems: ‘The Rape of the Lock’ by Alexander Pope
Sometime in 1711, a twenty-year-old aristocrat, Lord Petre, snipped a lock of hair, without permission, from the head of Arabella Fermor, a celebrated beauty. The incident caused an irreconcilable rift between the two families, who were both Catholic. Shortly afterwards, the youn ... Show More
15m 7s
Mar 30
Who’s afraid of realism? Three stories by Anton Chekhov
‘Instead of sheets – dirty tablecloths.’ The notebooks of Anton Chekhov are full of enigmatic observations such as this, the unexplained details that suggest a whole scene, short story or character. When asked by an actor how he should play the role of Trigorin in The Seagull, Ch ... Show More
23m 50s
Aug 2023
Stephanie Barczewski, "How the Country House Became English (Reaktion, 2023)
How the Country House Became English (Reaktion, 2023) by Dr. Stephanie Barczewski is an exploration of the evolution of the quintessentially English country house.
Country houses have come to be regarded as quintessentially English, not only in terms of their architectural style ... Show More
57m 29s
May 2019
E30. Andrew Doyle Discusses the Dangers of Well-Intentioned Authoritarianism
Andrew Doyle is the man behind satirical Twitter account Titania McGrath – a radical intersectionalist, feminist, and slam poet, who is constantly telling people how oppressed she is – and author of Woke: A Guide to Social Justice. He and Bridget have a fascinating and important ... Show More
1h 29m
Jan 2024
The Trial of a New Society by Justus Ebert ~ Full Audiobook [philosophy]
The Trial of a New Society by Justus Ebert audiobook. Genre: philosophy In 1912 textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, mostly immigrants, went on strike in response to a pay cut, speedups, and unsafe working conditions. Representatives from the Industrial Workers of the Worl ... Show More
3h 37m
May 2021
A Desperate Writer Steals 'The Plot'
<p>Jake Bonner, the protagonist of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/10/books/the-plot-jean-hanff-korelitz-group-text.html" target="_blank">Jean Hanff Korelitz’s “The Plot,”</a> writes a novel based on someone else’s idea. The book becomes a big hit, but Jake has a hard ti ... Show More
1h 4m
May 2011
May 30, 2011 Alan Watt "Cutting Through The Matrix" LIVE on RBN: "Signs are Ominous, Sans Battle Drums, Something Wicked This Way Comes" *Title/Poem and Dialogue Copyrighted Alan Watt - May 30, 2011 (
--{ Signs are Ominous, Sans Battle Drums,
Something Wicked This Way Comes:
"The State of the Union's a Sorry Mess,
Bullies Curse Public in Battle Dress,
The U.S. Flag Once Caused a Tear,
Now Pushing Institutionalized Fear,
Post-Democratic and Authoritarian,
Uniforms Have Gone Wag ... Show More
46m 46s