Beyond the Walls Book Chat

Sir P. G. Wodehouse has been called the most accomplished prose writer of the 20th century. But who was this man with the verbal dexterity, bottomless bag of improbable plot twists, and an army of aunts hounding him at every turn? Tonight's episode covers the life and times of Pelham Granville Wodehouse in all his residences from Hong Kong to America and all the places in between. Send us Fan...

Nestled in an Illinois valley upriver of the Mississippi River lies a quaint village blooming with 19th century architecture and beautiful terraced views. It's a town frozen in time and the perfect place to rest and relax and escape the modern rush. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

The first and easiest steps to grow your memory library. Commonplace book - Wikipedia   Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

It's time to level up our reading.  Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)  is still funny after 100 years. How does a simple trip up the Thames gain so much attention and fame? Map of Journey Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

A random book club choice leads to two excellent summer reads. Find out why Graham Greene is the master of his craft. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

Tonight is the conclusion of Postman's 1992 book, Technopoly . In the final chapter he lays out his suggestions for resisting the encroachment of technopoly over our lives. Link to the Memoria Press article: Rare Moments: Rare Moments - Memoria Press: Classical Education Link to Dorothy Sayers's essay: The Lost Tools of Learning - by Dorothy Sayers Link to C.S. Lewis's Abolition of...

In 1992 Neil Postman sent out a warning about America's pursuit of new technology. Is it too late to heed his message? Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

What do we lose when symbols disappear from the narrative? Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

Can a heroine be an everyman? Using Dr. Leta Sundet's article from The Classical Teacher , tonight I evaluate the three books we've covered this season and decide whether our heroines, Anne, Lizzy, and Jane, can be called universal heroes. Read Dr. Leta's article here:  Why Heroines Matter - Memoria Press: Classical Education NB: In the episode I mistakenly say Dr. Lena rather than...

Jane and Rochester are reunited. All questions are answered. And we learn what makes a lasting relationship and a classic book. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

Of all the villages in all the shires in all the counties Jane manages to wander into the one place where she finds what's she's been looking for her whole life. The story is winding down and coming to a close.  Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

We can look at the meaning of a book with one eye closed, or we can open both and look at the full story. Tonight I cover the modern method of studying a book myopically and then compare it to the more classical style of looking over the broad canvas of time and existence where we can meet the past where the past still lives. Videos by Tristan and the Classics that I reference in this episode: WOR...

Relationships resolved and mysteries unlocked. There are spoilers ahead, but the book is only half-through. Jane has much to learn and far to go. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

After 4 months as a governess at Thornfield Jane meets her employer Mr. Rochester for the first time. A relationship starts developing but the cards are stacked against them. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

The symbolism in Jane Eyre runs deep and wide. One symbol might have many meanings or representations. Symbols give life to a story when they are connected to truth and reality. This novel is saturated with truth and we're here to drink it all in. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

Our childhoods form us, but they don't define us. Tonight we talk about the childhood of Jane Eyre and the life-road she travels from Gateshead Hall to Lowood school. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

Though it was originally published under a male pseudonym the novel Jane Eyre grabbed the Victorian imagination due to its passionate revelations about the inner workings of the female mind. Readers today are still captivated by the conflict of duty and desire fighting within Jane's young heart. This episode covers the mood, tone, and conflicts written into a masterpiece of gothic literature....

From a traumatic boarding school to an imaginary childhood world Charlotte Bronte lived all the extremes. She was raised on the moors of Yorkshire at their mystery inspired one of the greatest British novels. Tonight let's look at the life of Charlotte Bronte, the tragedy and triumph, as we prepare to read Jane Eyre . Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbook...

There is an unexpected and slightly unbelievable plot device that brings a resolution to all things for Elizabeth and Darcy. Was this intentional or did Austen write herself into a corner? How will we ever know? Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

Austen lived in a time where moral stories abounded and harsh punishments in literature were popular. Using her wry and clever talent she turns the tables on the moralizers and writes an ending for Lydia & Wickham that has poetic justice but with a twist of her typical ironic humor. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

All plans and hopes take a nosedive for Elizabeth when her sister Lydia's poor judgment and decision-making skills embroil the family in a ruinous scandal. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

Sometimes our timing is bad and sometimes we share too much. Darcy finds himself in this predicament when he reaches a point where he can hide his feelings no longer. Unfortunately, things don't go the way he hopes, but this is not the end. The truth just needs a little time to reveal and heal so both Lizzie and Darcy can find a middle meeting ground. Send us Fan Mail For questions and commen...

One of Austen's best skills is writing beautiful prose laced with tender irony. Tonight is pause in the plot while we take a look at what irony is and how Austen is using it in Pride & Prejudice . Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

Tonight we get into the storyline of Pride & Prejudice and look at each character's approach and attitude towards marriage. When those approaches are in conflict with one another some people can find themselves very disappointed. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com