Fire the Canon

We read Fitt 3 of the classic English poem, Sir Gawain & the Green Knight, as translated by Simon Armitage.  Who wrote it?  We still don’t know.  In this section, Sir Gawain gets involved in a weird bisexual power trip with his mysterious hosts.  It’s odd!  Jackie gets impossible feedback. Rachel gets vaccinated and reveals a hitherto undiscovered skill!  Theo’s just doin’ his thing.  Topics i...

We read the first half of the epic Arthurian romance, Sir Gawain & the Green Knight, as translated by Simon Armitage.  (If you’re here from the movie, welcome!)  Sir Gawain plays a “game” where he cuts off a guy’s head, and then that guy gets to cut off his head a year and a day later.  Why did he agree to play that game?!  Listen to find out.  Theo creates a surprising utopia.  Jackie can thi...

We had a great time talking books with one of our favorite book YouTubers, Jess Owens!  Jess tells us how she went from a high schooler who lost her love of reading to starting her own book YouTube channel.  (She also tells us her favorite book world drama from the past year.) Topics include: Book CommuniTea, international lockdown, giant book collections, carrier pigeons, Nora Roberts, Elin Hilde...

We read the final three chapters of John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces!  Hijinks ensue.  It’s time to learn the fate of Ignatius J. Reilly (and every other named character). Jackie stays out of Nebraska - for free!  Rachel puts on her criticism hat, against everyone else’s will.  Theo secretly becomes an e-boy!  Topics include: middle-aged Amelia Bedelia, explosions, Judy Garland worship...

  We read chapters 7-11 of A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole.  The protagonist, Ignatius J. Reilly, gets a job as a hot dog vendor and continues ruining everyone’s lives.  Theo knows all the characters’ names.  Rachel revels in her non-consumption of meat.  Jackie’s valve acts up.  Topics include: hot dogs, dinosaurs, The Hunger Games, bad YA dystopias, Harry Potter, Divergent, three-...

We’ve got a little treat for you all today: short, sweet, and to the point.  The gang discusses the most famous patriotic American song written by a lesbian socialist.  Jackie scams Wal-Mart.  Theo premieres a new piece of music.  Rachel premieres an old nickname.  Topics include: Boston marriages, Pike’s Peak, pre-Christmas Scrooge, Ray Charles, Toby Keith, WAP, Coke commercials, Lin Manuel Miran...

This week, we break down the first 6 chapters of a cult classic, that great work of New Orleansiana: John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces. Get ready for some controversy, y’all!  Ignatius J. Reilly is perhaps the worst person we’ve ever had as a main character.  Theo flexes his degree.  Jackie has a hilarious disco night pratfall at a skating rink.  Rachel gets unfairly attacked by a lesbi...

We read Herman Melville’s bizarre short story Bartleby the Scrivener.  Basically, this guy prefers not to do more and more things until he dies.  Is it pro-capitalism or anti-capitalism?  Is Bartleby a pathetic loser, or is he a hero?  Find out what we think!  Jackie sings the f***ing hobbits theme. Theo comes up with a nickname for himself.  Rachel denies an unnamed company free clout.  Topics in...

Finally, the podcast name gets the appreciation it deserves! We discuss the car games we played with our dads (and one mum). Jackie’s Bob Dylan impression is back, and she gets corrected about LotR.  Theo gets a little bit nervous, for good reason.  Surprisingly, Jacob makes a dinosaur joke.  Rachel dunks on supermen.  Topics include: Alice & Sons, Kate Bush, Bible/science class, Tolkien, the...

We’ve come to the end of L. Frank Baum’s masterpiece(?), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!  Dorothy & co. finally reach the end of their journey.  Will she make it back to Kansas at last? (Yes.)  Jackie walks around and looks at stuff.  Rachel puts an end to this charade.  Theo uses friend power.  Topics include: dropping the Baum, Alice in Wonderland, Ellie and Totoshka, Balaam and his donkey, St....

We read chapters 7 through 16 of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  Dorothy and her comrades finally reach the Emerald City, and then things *really* take a turn!  Theo gets ready for Halloween.  Jackie calls shenanigans immediately.  Rachel is just a very bad wizard.  Topics include: ragged hay fingers, comradezoning, childhood nightmares, The Lion’s Cookbook, clams casino, septicles an...

We read the first six chapters of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!  The book is somehow even stranger than the famously strange film.  Come along with us and find out how that’s possible.  Jackie faces the end of childhood and BSes her way into the right answer.  Theo is put on the spot.  Rachel gets gently doxxed.  Jackie’s dog Grover makes a cameo.  Topics include: wizcraft, zards, Po...

Wow! What an ending. Come on by and listen to us discuss the final act of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. When Act 4 begins, John Proctor finds himself imprisoned in Salem as a witch. Let’s find out what happens to him together. Jackie confesses to an actual crime. Theo is walkin’ here. Rachel finally tells the tale of the time she was accused of witchcraft. Topics include: traffic stories, the devi...

Just when we thought we were out, they (witches) pull us back in. Time for Act 3 of Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible - the famous courtroom scene. Such drama! Very suspense. Rachel gives off an aura of love. Theo is the self-proclaimed potion master. Jackie knows she’s gettin’ it in somewhere, and is very hard to impress. The gang learns that life’s too short to emphasize weird things. Topics inc...

Our best episode yet, or just our episode with the most Bests? We discuss Richard Connell’s 1924 short story, The Most Dangerous Game. Big game hunter Rainsford falls off a boat in the middle of the night and manages to swim to an island where he meets the mysterious General Zaroff, hunter of the most dangerous game. Jackie unveils her Mickey Mouse impression. Bekah spills all her hottest takes. T...

We discuss Act 2 of The Crucible, by Arthur Miller. In both Salem and the pod, wild accusations fly left and right! The Proctors have a tense conversation. A weird poppet becomes significant. Abigail’s accusations start to lead to arrests. Rachel doesn’t give a *$#& and Theo can’t believe it. Jackie experiences a miraculous transformation. Topics include: 99 problems, Korean kiss cams, Chekhov...

We discuss Act 1 of The Crucible, by Arthur Miller! Abigail Williams, John Proctor, Giles Corey - the gang’s all here for this fictionalized version of the Salem witch trials. Jackie keeps insisting she’s a beautiful genius. Rachel transforms magical girl-style into Marge. Theo doesn’t like the optics on this. Topics include: Chekhov’s trip to Salem, Cueball Chandler, the hero’s journey, eyeballin...

We discuss chapters 1, 3, 5, and 16-18 of Story of the Stone (aka Dream of the Red Chamber) by Cao Xueqin, perhaps THE canonical Chinese novel. All sorts of bizarre and amazing things happen! A stone becomes a boy, a flower becomes a girl, and characters we think will be important totally disappear. We have a very special guest with us this week: Jeannette Ng, author of Under the Pendulum Sun, a b...

This week, your hosts read and discuss 6 classic springtime poems! Poems from Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Gerard Manley Hopkins, e e cummings, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Dickinson, - ever heard of them? Jackie was just born. Theo gets real hung up on mucus. Rachel knows how many legs various insects have. Topics include: puddles of goo, bears, caterpillars, butterflies, bees, rabbits, retractable c...

We finish discussing Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler.  Spoiler: this half is much more uplifting.  Your hosts and producer are trapped in separate, unique dystopias!  What an interesting occurrence that you can’t find on just any podcast.  Jackie doesn’t jump in.  Theo “enjoys” a conversation pit.  Rachel gets bothered.  Topics include: Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn, Bird Box, Lord of the Ri...

A teaser for our upcoming miniseries on the works of Lutwidge Igckens. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We discuss the first half of Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler. This week, we’re excited to talk about a topical, timely book, for perhaps the first time! For some reason, people have been very interested in reading a well-written, feminist, post-apocalyptic sci-fi book that takes place in the near future… Rachel shares the Good News. Theo saves himself for Pyro. Jackie finally makes her dad...

It’s good to be back, everyone! This week, we have a very special episode for you all - author and podcaster Lindsey Kelk joins us to discuss Pride & Prejudice, but we end up talking about everything else, too. Topics include: bluffing your way through college, rom-coms, the publishing industry, Bridget Jones, Succession, Hemingway’s Gun, bed-sharing, fan fiction, Shakespeare, professional wre...

Enjoy a new Beowulf-themed song by the Fire the Canon House Band! LYRICS: I come in the night and deliver the pain Mankind’s-enemy descended from Cain The twilight spoiler, and Grendel’s my name They set up camp and planned to stay Oh there was a man-price they’d have to pay: But then I met a man who changed my ways I had come In the night For a bite Oh you might Call that naughty Then I saw In th...

We finish our discussion of Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. Will Elizabeth and Darcy get together? Will Jane and Bingley get together? What’s going on with Lydia? Theo has some opinions! Jackie reveals her ulterior motive. Rachel reveals what a woman wants to hear. The gang suggests some modest improvements. Stephen passes judgment on a character. We regret to inform you of a disturbing acad...