The Norton Library Podcast

In Part 1 of our discussion on Apuleius's The Golden Ass , we welcome translator Ellen Finkelpearl to discuss the author's surviving and lost works, the process of translating such an ancient text, and the challenge of preserving Apuleius's rhythmic and exuberant writing style.  Ellen Finkelpearl is the Helen Chandler Garland Professor of Ancient Studies at Scripps College, and a sc...

In Part 2 of our discussion on Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment , translator Michael Katz returns to discuss the symbolic colors of the cover of the Norton Library edition, his first encounter with Dostoevsky's work and other Russian literature, and his favorite line from the novel.  Michael R. Katz is the C. V. Starr Professor Emeritus of Russian and East European Studies at Mid...

In Part 1 of our discussion on Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment , we welcome translator Michael Katz to discuss the effects of Dostoevsky's personal and family life on his writing, the "big questions of life" and morality woven into Dostoevsky's works, and the challenge of translating Dostoevsky's repetitive writing style.  Michael R. Katz is the C. V. Starr P...

In Part 2 of our discussion on Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin , editor Susan M. Ryan returns to discuss the artistic inspiration behind the Norton Library edition, her favorite scene in the book, and the essential historical context readers need to fully understand the text.  Susan M. Ryan is Professor of English and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs at the University of Loui...

In Part 1 of our discussion on Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin , we welcome editor Susan M. Ryan to discuss the author's background and politics, the book's reception as both political commentary and nonpolitical drama, and the historical and narrative significance of the "Uncle Tom" figure.  Susan M. Ryan is Professor of English and Associate Dean for Facul...

In Part 2 of our discussion on Charles Dickens's Great Expectations , editor Daniel Wright returns to discuss the appropriately rich color scheme of the Norton Library edition, his favorite awkward and heartbreaking line from the novel, and the reasons that  Great Expectations  is not a love story.  Daniel Wright is an associate professor of English at the University of Toronto. He is the aut...

In Part 1 of our discussion on Charles Dickens's Great Expectations , we welcome editor Daniel Wright to discuss the author's busy and eventful life, the historical context and social issues behind his creation of  Great Expectations , and the three entangled plots of which readers should be aware when first encountering this text.  Daniel Wright is an associate professor of English at t...

In Part 2 of our discussion on Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own , editor Dora Zhang returns to discuss the original cover and the design of the Norton Library edition, her first encounter with Woolf's writing during college, and a few of her favorite moments in the text.  Dora Zhang is Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Ber...

In Part 1 of our discussion on Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own , we welcome editor Dora Zhang to discuss the author's early life in a literary and artistic household, the enduring nature and distinctive prose of Woolf's works, and the argument of certain necessary material conditions for creating art.  Dora Zhang is Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature...

In Part 2 of our discussion on Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter , editor Justine Murison returns to discuss the cover design of the Norton Library edition, her first encounter with The Scarlet Letter in high school (and the process of coming to understand the text as an adult), and the challenging irony of Hawthorne's narrative voice.  Justine S. Murison is Associate Professor of...

In Part 1 of our discussion on Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter , we welcome editor Justine Murison to discuss Hawthorne's life and views, the iconic symbolism in the text and how to analyze it, and the lasting relevance of  The Scarlet Letter  in the twenty-first century.  Justine S. Murison is Associate Professor of English at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her re...

In Part 2 of our discussion on Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji , editor Dennis Washburn returns to discuss the importance of the colors of the Norton Library edition, the ways the text spoke to him during his translation process, and the self-evaluation that occurs through reading something unfamiliar. (P. S. Hi, Shonda Rhimes! Please, please, please work your magic with an adaptation of...

In Part 1 of our discussion on Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji , we welcome editor Dennis Washburn to discuss the life and times of Murasaki Shikibu, the process of abridging The Tale of Genji for the Norton Library edition, and the novel's celebration and satire of courtly life.  Dennis Washburn is the Burlington northern Foundation professor of Asian studies at Dartmouth College....

For our special celebration of Jane Austen's 250th birthday, we welcome editors Jenny Davidson ( Pride and Prejudice , 2023), Stephanie Insley Hershinow ( Sense and Sensibility , 2024; Emma , 2022), and Patricia Matthew ( Mansfield Park , 2026). In this extended roundtable episode, the editors discuss their personal favorites among Austen's books (and where to start as an Austen beginner...

In Part 2 of our discussion on John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism , co-editor Peter Singer returns to discuss the cover design of the Norton Library edition, the formation of an argument about a philosophical thought, and a soundtrack for the book (spoiler: John Lennon's "Imagine" is involved).  Peter Singer, an Australian philosopher, is currently Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bio...

In Part 1 of our discussion on John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism , we welcome co-editor Peter Singer to discuss the author's life and other writings, to provide context on the philosophical tradition and historical era in which Mill wrote Utilitarianism , and to unpack the key arguments presented by this influential text.   Peter Singer, an Australian philosopher, is currently Ira W. DeC...

In Part 2 of our discussion on Giovanni Boccaccio's The Decameron , editor Wayne A. Rebhorn returns to discuss his first encounter with Boccaccio, the nature of translating the text's layered meanings from Italian to English, and modern film adaptations of  The Decameron .  Wayne A. Rebhorn is the Celanese Centennial Professor of English at the University of Texas, where he teaches Engli...

In Part 1 of our discussion on Giovanni Boccaccio's The Decameron , we welcome editor Wayne A. Rebhorn to discuss the author's life and historical times, similarities among Boccaccio, Petrarch, and Dante, and the use of storytelling to both distract and make meaning during catastrophic times.  Wayne A. Rebhorn is the Celanese Centennial Professor of English at the University of Texas, wh...

In Part 2 of our discussion on Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl : Written by Herself , editor Evie Shockley returns to discuss her first encounter with this text in graduate school, the book's place in the literary canon and the classroom, and her favorite passage.  Evie Shockley is the Zora Neale Hurston Distinguished Professor of English at Rutgers University and...

In Part 1 of our discussion on Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl : Written by Herself , we welcome editor Evie Shockley to discuss the author's family background, lively language as a storyteller, and influence on Shockley's own creative process as a poet.  Evie Shockley is the Zora Neale Hurston Distinguished Professor of English at Rutgers University and the a...

In Part 2 of our discussion on Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms , Norton Library podcast host Mark Cirino returns to the guest seat (with producer Michael von Cannon stepping behind the microphone as host). The two discuss the cover design of the Norton Library edition, essential historical context for understanding the novel, and the ever-increasing political relevance of Hemingway's work...

In Part 1 of our discussion on Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms , we welcome Norton Library podcast host Mark Cirino to the guest seat for the first time (with producer Michael von Cannon stepping behind the microphone as host). The two discuss the balance of autobiography and fiction in the text, situate A Farewell to Arms in the establishment of Hemingway's literary reputation, and expla...

In Part 2 of our discussion on Homer's Iliad , translator Emily Wilson returns to discuss the red and gold cover design of the Norton Library edition, recount her decision to recreate a new translation of the epic, and give a performance in the original ancient Greek.  Emily Wilson is a professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She has been named a Fellow of the Americ...

In Part 1 of our discussion on Homer's Iliad , we welcome translator Emily Wilson to discuss Homer's life as an "author," the meaning of free will in the context of intervention from gods, and how the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus shapes the climax of the epic.  Emily Wilson is a professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She has been named...

In Part 2 of our discussion on Louisa May Alcott's Little Women , editor Sarah Blackwood returns to discuss the inspiration behind the cover of the Norton Library edition, the book's intended audience, and key elements of gender theory—as well as personal feelings—that Alcott incorporates into the characters and story. Sarah Blackwood is Professor of English at Pace University, where she...