Close Reads Podcast

Welcome back to our series on Wallace Stegner’s novel of friendship, marriage, and the intellectual life. This week we discuss Charity’s motivations, the novel’s shifting focus from marital tension to Sally’s illness, and the four friends’ temperaments. Plus, we consider how compassion, restraint, and the limits of idealism shape the characters’ relationships. Happy listening! This is a public epi...

Welcome back to our discussions on Wallace Stegner’s lovely novel. This week we explore Charity’s upbringing, Sid’s contradictions, and what makes their relationship compelling and complicated. Plus we examine how the novel portrays the complicated marriage of Charity and Sid, whose generosity and virtues can also become sources of control and conflict. We also contrast the couple’s competing visi...

In this episode, we explore the enduring themes of friendship, virtue, and the search for home in Wallace Stegner's Crossing to Safety. Our discussion delves into how the novel's subtlety and depth resonate across different stages of life, revealing universal truths about human relationships. Topics include: * The Personal and Literary Significance of the Novel * Themes of Friendship, Virtue, and...

As we come to the end of our series on Mark Twain’s classic novel, it’s time to answer your listener questions. Hopefully we did them justice! Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

Join in for annual tradition as we winnow down a long list of nominees and choose what books to discuss on the show in 2027! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

We’ve come to the end of Mark Twain’s classic novel so this week we dig into the final chapters: * The significance of Tom Sawyer’s return * The river as a symbol * The ending as a reflection of Huck’s moral journey * Jim as hero * T. S. Eliot’s take * and much more! Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, vis...

Hello and welcome back to our series on Mark Twain’s classic novel! This week we discuss: * Huck’s crisis * The conscience vs the heart * Twain’s critique of American religion and hypocrisy * The role of individual conscience versus societal norms * The symbolism of Providence and divine watchfulness * Twain’s use of humor and absurdity to critique society * Whether great regional novels can be su...

Welcome back to our ongoing conversation about Mark Twain’s classic novel. This week we discuss faux Dukes and Dauphins, satire and allegory, local conflicts and civil wars, and much more, including the protean nature of the book. Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to our series on Mark Twain’s most essential novel. This week we discuss: * The development of Huck Finn’s conscience * Jim’s character development * The river as a symbol of journey and uncertainty * The expurgated passage * Twain’s homage to the Odyssey * Jim’s humanization and moral integrity * Twain’s technique of withholding information * The significance of the Mississippi River...

In this second tribute episode to Wendell Berry, Martin Cothran and Alan Cornett join the show to share what it was like to know Berry the man, not just the great literary figure. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

One of our literary heroes, the great Wendell Berry, died this week at the age of 92 and we’re here to pay tribute. In this episode, we consider his influence on literature, agriculture, and culture, plus share some personal stories, favorite passages, and insights into what makes Berry a timeless writer and thinker. Thanks for tuning in. We’d love to hear what Berry meant to you! This is a public...

Welcome to our new series on Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ! This we’re discussing its literary significance, controversial language, and the themes of race, trauma, and storytelling. Key Topics * The significance of the Mississippi River in American culture and literature * The role of race and language * The challenges of teaching and interpreting Huck Finn in modern education...

Welcome to the conclusion of our conversation on Graham Greene’s novel. This week we’re answering your questions and topics include: * The difference between a Catholic novel and a novel with Catholic characters * Green’s personal faith and its influence on his writing * The book’s depiction of religion and piety * The conflict between the Catholic moral vision and modernity * Humor, satire, and i...

Close Readers, I’m thrilled to present this very special episode on Beloved with Dr. Angel Adams Parham, a professor at the University of Virginia and the co-author of The Black Intellectual Tradition: Reading Freedom in Classical Literature. We chatted about the literary tradition at the heart of the book, Morrison’s aesthetic choices, the concept of re-memory and its significance in the story, i...

As we get to the end of Graham Greene’s novel it’s time to discuss such things as whether the book has a happy ending, who the villain of the book is, the spiritual underpinnings in the story (and Milly’s role therein), the madness Beatrice refers to in the final passage, and much more. Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to...

Welcome back to our series on Graham Green’s “Our Man in Havana!” This week we’re discussing Wormold and Beatrice’s relationship, the symbolism of masks and shadows, Greene’s commentary on bureaucracy and truth, the role of marriage and domestic life, and much more. As always, happy listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus epi...

It’s time for a new series, this time on one of Sean’s very favorite authors, Graham Greene! So join in as we dig into the origins of this “elevated entertainment,” the way the book explores the plight of modern man, the important role of the protagonist’s daughter, the book’s treatment of espionage, and much more. Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other...

What makes The Odyssey difficult to adapt? Which parts of Homer’s story are most essential to include? In what ways does Christopher Nolan’s adaptation work (and not work)? Writer, teacher, and film-lover Joshua Gibbs joins the show to discuss in this special episode. What did you think of the film? Let us know in the comments. We’d love to hear. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss...

As we come to the end of our reading of Beloved we dig into some listener questions. We talked about a variety of topics, including the book’s ending and some characters we haven’t covered in depth yet. And coming up in a few weeks we’ll have a very special guest on to discuss the book’s legacy. Thanks for joining us for this series! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with oth...

This week we’re digging into the complicated way that Toni Morrison presents Sethe’s tragic choice here in the middle of the book and especially the psychological implications and ramifications—both character-wise and aesthetically. Plus: Paul D’s response and Beloved’s haunting. There's a lot to dig into here so join the conversation! Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to di...

Welcome back to our series on Toni Morrison’s novel. In this episode we focus on Morrison’s engrossing prose, including the way she uses threaded metaphors and symbols, and how it enhances the pathos of the story. Plus, the trauma narrative and whether or not the novel is experimental. As always, happy listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get...

Welcome to our new series on Toni Morrison’s modern classic! In this first episode, we dig into the book’s complicated narrative structure, Morrison’s use of POV, the feminine nature of the story and writing, whether it’s a novel of advocacy, and much more! Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closere...

Welcome to the conclusion of our series on Margaret Kennedy’s novel as we dig into a bunch of listener questions! Thanks for tuning in to these conversations and thanks to everyone who posted a question. Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to the conclusion of our series on Margaret Kennedy’s novel! This week we discuss justice and mercy, the meek inheriting the earth, the various ways the end ties into the beginning, and much more. Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to our series on Margaret Kennedy’s The Feast! We begin by answering a couple of listener questions, before discussing the fascinating “symposium” at the heart of this section (“what is wrong with this country!?”), Nancibel’s lovely conversation with her mother, and the Cove girls’ tragic conflict with their mother. Happy listening! If you enjoy Close Reads please consider subscribing...