Beyond the Walls Book Chat

Tonight's episode looks at the context for Shakespeare's Macbeth. What was happening in England around the time it was written? What's the historical source for the characters and is that source reliable? What are the questions the bard asks of humanity, and can we find his answers or opinion in the text? I'm diving into the deep end with this exploration. I hope I'm up to...

The Western canon and beyond contain the building blocks of all our stories. Tolkien called these blocks the Soup of Stories. Tonight's episode is based on this article by Angelina Stanford from The Classical Reader : "The Foundations of a Literary Education." Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

Books 10-12 of The Aeneid wrap up the great epic that is the founding of Rome. How does it all come together and what's the deal with the abrupt ending? All this is covered in tonight's final episode discussing Virgil's opus. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

Even though Aeneas has guided his men to their future home the conflict is only beginning. Rather than allowing a peaceful transition Juno goes on a rage and sets the people of Latium and their neighbors the Rutulians against the Trojans. So Aeneas must sail farther up the Tiber to forge new alliances and plan for another epic battle. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyond...

Tonight we follow Aeneas across the sea to Sicily for an entire book of games and competition, sadly followed by disaster. From there Book 6 takes Aenea into the underworld to meet with his father and see the future glories of Rome...or maybe he doesn't travel to the underworld. What was it that Virgil really wanted us to believe about this ancient obligation to travel to the world below? Sen...

Things were looking up for Aeneas. But he took his eyes off his goal with terrible consequences. Tonight's episode will stay inside Book IV of The Aeneid and explore the fate of Carthage's tragic queen, Dido. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

The first three books in the Roman epic are full of examples of Aeneas rising as a strong leader. After 2000 years how does this book hold up to our expectations of leaders today? Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

Tonight we begin an exploration into the world of Virgil and his epic poem, The Aeneid . Why did he pen this grand masterpiece? What was his inspiration for the Roman narrative? And who is the hero, Aeneus? This is only the first episode of many that will peel back the many layers of what we can learn from this leader of the ancient world. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email b...

Tonight is the last episode of Dracula . The action speeds up as our heroes hunt Count Dracula from the English Isle across Europe. They must catch him before he reaches his castle. Just when they think they've lost the trail an unexpected character steps in and makes a plan. Stoker never slows down; the tension stays to the very end. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email b...

As the tension builds and the story structure becomes more complex we as the readers have two ways of looking at this book. Tonight's episode covers what Stoker is doing to weave his storytelling and how it's important to us to slow down and let him set the pace. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

Count Dracula is arriving in England, and oh what terror there is in store for the people of Whitby! Tonight we look at the structure of this story. Stoker designs his book differently than a typical hero's journey tale. The weaving of the plots and subplots, high points and pinch points, and the personalities and backstories of the characters produces a beautiful tapestry of a gothic tale. ...

The genius storytelling of Stoker is evident as the terror builds immediately in the book as we move from foreign worlds of wildness and mystery to a crumbling castle where Jonathan Harker is held prisoner. Tonight's episode covers the imagery and sensations that Stoker uses to draw us in to the tension and captivity of the British solicitor. This lecture gives great insight into the context...

Before we get into the storyline, plot devices, and symbolism, we need to review the main (and not so main) characters. Tonight's episode reviews the cast of Dracula and looks closer at who the real heroes are. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

Kicking off season five tonight's episode begins a journey through the Victorian world of  Dracula . What's the true historical context behind the novel and what storytelling beauty are we missing when we project a 21st century face onto the text? Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

Tonight's episode is a continuation of the thoughts from last week. I've attempted to clarify better what I mean by old books, and I've also included some modern reading recommendations. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

Tonight's episode walks through C.S. Lewis's reasons to read old books followed by mine. I don't believe my argument is fully fleshed out and next week I hope to have more details, definitions, and maybe even some book suggestions, so please check back. Enjoy! Below are the videos and book I reference in the episode: the fall of book editing (why books are bad now) re: Why everyone...

Tonight we explore what C.S. Lewis says about true readers in the book  C.S.Lewis The Reading Life. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

Why do we read stories? Why are they so important to how we live our lives? Tonight's episode explores what some of the great writers thought of stories and the capability of books to enlarge our minds and souls. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

In 2002  Everything on a Waffle  was a runner up to the Newbery Medal. In tonight's episode we'll explore what makes this offbeat story of a little girl in a tiny Canadian fishing town full of quirky characters a potential classic of children's literature.  Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

We all have a growing-up journey. And some children's books capture the essence of that journey so much better than others. Bridge to Terebithia , based on a real-life experience of the author's, is one of those precious stories that fully encapsulates the experiences of grief that impact our hearts as children. What we do with those moments of grief and how we hold the friends we miss i...

The books that win the Newbery Medal are widely varied. In 1945 near the end of World War II a little book about animals and humans living in harmony won the coveted prize. Even though Rabbit Hill is geared to very young children more so than some of the others on our list, it still has great depth and, in some ways, a fanciful Disney-like worldview that speaks to the child in all of us. Send us F...

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler was one of my favorite books when I was young. The story stands the test of time, and I found it just as enjoyable to read as an adult. Tonight, I explore the relevance of this tale of two siblings who run away from home and go to live at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookc...

Caddie's story is a beautiful slice of 19th century Americana. Though she lived more than 150 years ago, tonight's episode looks at how her childhood experiences still feel relatable today. Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com

The winner of the 1990 Newbery Award was Number the Stars. While not entirely a true story, it does include the historic event of the people of Denmark protecting their Jewish friends during World War II. What was the influence behind the Danes taking this courageous step and standing out as ordinary people willing to sacrifice for others in the face of evil? Send us Fan Mail For questions and com...

The book Amos Fortune, Free Man recounts the true story an African prince, sold as a slave, who buys his own freedom, and becomes the first benefactor of his town of Jaffery, NH. What can this story reveal to us about how we need to live our lives today? Send us Fan Mail For questions and comments please email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com