Close Reads Podcast

Phase the fifth of Tess of the D’Urbervilles is incredibly sad, but it’s also remarkable in the way that Thomas Hardy manages to reveal the various complexities of his characters. So in this week’s episode David, Heidi, and Karen discuss the villainousness of Angel Clare, the choices of Tess, Hardy’s view of his culture, whether he gets women, and much more. Happy listening! Close Reads HQ is a co...

Welp. It’s time for some confession. Here, right in the middle of Thomas Hardy’s masterpiece, we get a marriage followed by revelation. The courtship is over, the wedding day has arrived, and both parties bare their soul. And then we get a cliffhanger, of course. Join David, Heidi, and Karen as they discuss. Happy listening! Close Reads HQ is a community-supported endeavor and when you subscribe y...

As we draw near to the middle of Thomas Hardy’s great tragic novel, join Karen and Heidi (who are holding down the fort while David is sick) as they discuss Angel’s background and family life, Tess’s passivity, Hardy’s perspective on women, and the novel’s first glimpse into Angel’s underlying hypocrisy. Thanks for listening and for supporting Close Reads! Close Readsis made possibly by listeners...

“Phase the Third” of Tess of the D’Urbervilles is called “The Rally” so on this week’s conversation David, Heidi, and Karen discuss why Hardy called it that and what he might be saying about Tess as a character. Plus, discussion touches on what we’re supposed to think about Angel Clare, his budding romance with Tess, and his overly idealistic perception of her. This is a public episode. If you'd l...

Tess has returned home, but now she has baby with her, leading to one of the most beautiful and famous sciences in English literature in which Tess sorrowfully baptizes the poor little one. So this week, David, Heidi, and Karen dig in that scene and contemplate what Thomas Hardy is saying through it. Plus, discussion touches on the role Tess’s mother plays in her daughter’s misfortunes. Thanks for...

In this week’s episode on Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles , David, Heidi, and special guest Karen Swallow Prior chat about artistic and naturalistic determinism in Hardy’s work, his hatred of Victorian moralism, and whether or not the novel idealizes Tess. And treacle. Definitely treacle. Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers...

Once again our friend Karen Swallow Prior is joining us to discuss one of her favorite books! This time it’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles and here on this first episode we discussed the ways this book is a tragedy (in the Aristotelian sense) but not nihilistic, why Karen loves it so much, what makes Hardy a great writer, and why Tess is a memorable character. Happy listening! If you are a fan of Clos...

This week’s episode is a special one. Our friend, Dr. Annika Prather, came on to chat about Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun . Dr. Prather loves this play and is very knowledgeable about literature and so she seemed like the perfect fit to join Tim, our drama guy, for this conversation. So tune in as Tim and Dr. Prather discuss whether Walter Jr. is a hero or a villain; whether this...

It’s time to answer your questions about Orwell’s 1984 , and (as always) you came through with plenty of great ones. Thanks to your curiosity, we discussed what would be in our personal Room 101s, the dystopian stories we would write (if we wrote dystopian stories), Julia’s character and role in the story, 1984 vs. Brave New World , and much more. Happy reading! If you like Close Reads, please con...

Welp, Winston Smith loves Big Brother but he doesn’t love Julia. So, in the end, do we love this book? Tune in to find out, as David, Heidi, and Tim chat about the recurring themes of the book, Orwell’s apparent goals, and the importance of his book within the culture at large. Happy listening! This is a free episode of Close Reads, but this show is part of how we make a living, so if you’re able...

Chapter nine of 1984 is one of the least dramatically compelling chapters in the book, and has even taken a fair bit of criticism over the years, so this week dig into why we think Orwell included it and whether it is necessary, with a few rabbit trails on political philosophy along the way. Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get...

One of the reasons 1984 is such enduring book is because of the conversations it engenders and so in this episode we chatted a bit about the nature of those kinds of conversations. Plus, we discussed Winston as complicated protagonist, his relationship with Julia, and how we approach the question of morality in the story. Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this wit...

Here we go. We’ve never done a book quite like George Orwell’s 1984 on Close Reads and it shows in this episode where we discuss whether the vibe of the book shows up in our world today and what Orwell’s goal seems to be. 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

Here we are at the end of Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying , which means it’s time for a Q&A episode. As always, y’all delivered with some great questions. We did our best to answer as many as we could, but we especially focused on questions about Dewey Dell’s betrayal of Darl, Anse’s teeth and second wife, whether the book is actually funny at all, and that sort of thing. As always, thanks for tuning in...

And so we come to the end. Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dig (no pun intended) into the fiery (pun intended) ending to this classic book. Where do the book's sympathies lie in the end? Why did Darl go mad? Who is trustworthy? These and many other questions get discussed. Happy listening! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to disc...

Join David and Heidi as they dig in to Kenneth Branagh's movie adaptation of Death on the Nile . Is the movie in on the joke? Why is there no sand? What's up with Gal Gadot? Why do mustaches need back stories? These and many other questions get contemplated. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or...

In which David, Heidi, and Tim discuss river crossings, which characters the books seems to have the most sympathy for, and much more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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 David, Heidi, and Tim as they dig ever deeper into Faulkner's novel. Topics of conversation include mothers who are fish, mothers who are horses, buzzards, and Heidi's great delight in this book. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.co...

Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they dig into the first quarter of William Faulkner's infamous (and mildly inscrutable) novel, As I Lay Dying . Topics of conversation include tops for reading Faulkner, the various points-of-view that tell the story, what happens at the outset, and much more. This episode is brought to you be BiblioFiles. Learn more at centerforlit.com . See acast.com/privacy for pri...

It's time to answer your questions about Death on the Nile , but first Tim has to answer a question from us. Then we discuss topics like movie casting, Christie's impact, Poirot's sense of justice, and much more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads...

In which we discuss Poirot's decision, Christie's puzzle-making, and Tim is insufferable (and gets muted for it). And much more, of course. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

In which Tim predicts the ending of another mystery novel. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

It's time for a new book! It's time for the Queen of Crime. It's time for Hercule Poirot. It's time for some international intrigue. It's time for Death on the Nile ! This week we talk about what makes Christie so good (and enduring), her approach to introducing characters in this book, and much more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd lik...

It's time for an annual tradition! On this week's episode we're talking about our favorite reads of 2021. We each used different criteria in creating the lists you will hear here, but its a great peek into our reading lives this year. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus epis...

It's time to answer your questions about A Confederacy of Dunces ! Join the David, Heidi, and Tim as they discuss characters like Jones and Levy, books similar to Dunces , and much more -- plus, naturally, some Christmas chatter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes,...