Delve into the emotional depth of 'The Female Vagrant' poem by Wordsworth, exploring loss and personal exploration in the Romantic era. Reflect on a father's tragic downfall and the impact of industrialization on traditional ways of life. Witness a woman's resilience amidst adversity as she faces rejection and sacrifices for her family.

Send us a textIn this special episode I quote several passages from William Wordsworth's prefaces to the Lyrical Ballads and passages from C. Bradley Thompson's newest book "America's Revolutionary Mind."My argument is that Wordsworth, in telling people to put away their books and look to Nature is reflecting a philosophical view from Isaac Newton and John Locke.Up ! up ! my friend, and clear your looks,Why all this toil and trouble ?Up ! up ! my friend, and quit your books,Or surely you’ll grow double.There are times when we should put away our books. More importantly, there are dangers to only look in books for answers and not thinking for ourselves. Wordsworth in Lyrical Ballads and elsewhere is desperately trying to get people to look at the reality of human nature and the greater Nature that man inhabits.This is a lesson we need now more than ever, as we are turning our backs on Man, Nature and the Right morality for living on this earth.

Send us a textI am releasing this poem on Halloween, because it is indeed a horror story. In fact, it was so terrifying that when the young Mary Shelley first heard a reading of it, she hid behind a chair. Today, this poem may not terrify us in the way that it did people at the time, but I will be making two big arguments as to why you should challenge yourself to read poems like this even if you at first do not like them.Coleridge's Mariner may be one of the most influential poems of the British romantics. Not only is there a popular Iron Maiden song but much gothic literature of the 19th century, from Frankenstein and Dracula to The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The House of the Seven Gables and the Fall of Usher was inspired by this poem. In fact, Coleridge's Mariner brings a major new strain of literary experience onto the scene. In this episode I will give you the arguments to read poems you don't like, provide a summary of the poem, read a special version of the poem, give you the origin story of the poem, some ways to understand the poem as well as a breakdown of its ideology and the influence it held.So yes, this is a big episode, prepare yourselves!"Listen, Stranger! Storm and WInd,A Wind and Tempest strong!For days and weeks it play'd us freaks--Like Chaff we drove along."Do not be chaff driven along by a tempest. Understand this poem by listening to this episode.

Send us a textPaul Guay conceived and co-wrote "Liar, Liar" and co-wrote "The Little Rascals" and "Heartbreakers." We had a wonderful conversation about movies and movie making, art and culture, the changing tide of media, being a writer and the writing process, Paul's love of WWE, his filmmaking experiences, the Auteur Theory of FIlmmaking and much much more. If you are interested in how movies are made, how to make a career in Hollywood, how the landscape is changing as well as the art of cinema, novels, short stories, poems and how that culture impacts our lives and society, this is a conversation not to be missed.

Send us a textIn his conversation poem, "Expostulation and Reply," William Wordsworth brings the art of argument into poetry. A school teacher, Matthew, trained in the classical method of jamming facts into people's foreheads, admonishes young William for sitting out in nature and contemplating it. “Up! Up! and drink the spirit breath’d / “From dead men to their kind," he says. In other words, get out of nature and read your books young Willy!Well, you can imagine the young romantic poet had something to say about that!

Send us a textThe ultimate question of the sexes: Do men love women more than Women love Men?Donne argues that his masculine love is superior than the love his woman feels for him. Maybe that's why he had such trouble with women?In this (very challenging) poem we will see two major analogies: Masculine love and angels.To understand this analogy I am going to share with you some important PRE-Newtonian concepts about the world in which we inhabit.The best way to understand history is to live it and the best way to live it is through literature.

Send us a textThere is deep value in removing yourself from your own skin and entering the skin of another person. Only through poetry and literature and painting can we exercise this ability of humans. And in this poem, Wordsworth teaching you howLines Written Near Richmond, upon the Thames at EveningBy William WordworthHow rich the wave, in front, imprestWith evening-twilight’s summer hues,While,  facing thus the crimson west,The boat her silent path pursues!And see how dark the backward stream!A little moment past, so smiling!And still, perhaps, with faithless gleam,Some other loiterer beguiling.Such views the youthful bard allure,But,  heedless of the following gloom,He deems their colours shall endure‘Till peace go with him to the tomb.—And let him nurse his fond deceit,And what if he must die in sorrow !Who would not cherish dreams so sweet,Though grief and pain may come to-morrow ?Glide gently,  thus for ever glide,O Thames !  that other bards may see,As lovely visions by thy sideAs now,  fair river! come to me.Oh glide, fair stream! for ever so ;Thy quiet soul on all bestowing,‘Till all our minds for ever flow,As thy deep waters now are flowing.Vain though! yet be as now thou art,That in thy waters may be seenThe image of a poet’s heart,How bright,  how solemn,  how serene !Such heart did once the poet bless,Who, pouring here a* later ditty,Could find no refuge from distress,But in the milder grief of pity.Remembrance! as we glide along,For him suspend the dashing oar,And pray that never child of SongMay know his freezing sorrows more.How calm !  how still !  the only sound,The dripping of the oar suspended !—The evening darkness gathers roundBy virtue’s holiest powers attended.* Collin’s Ode on the death of Thomson, the last written, I believe, of the poems which were published during his life-time  This Ode is alluded to in the next stanza.

Send us a textOn this special episode I will read The Idiot Boy by William Wordsworth. This poem was published in the 1798 Lyrical Ballads and it was very controversial. Yet, it is a beautifully written poem. I spend the majority of the time simply reading the poem. I hope you enjoy the reading! At the end I give a small critique of Wordsworth's philosophy, but mostly I defend him and Romanticism from the cliche attacks toward Romanticism.THE IDIOT BOYBy William Wordsworth‘Tis eight o’clock, – a clear March night,The moon is up– the sky is blue,The owlet in the moonlight air,He shouts from nobody knows where ;He lengthens out his lonely shout,Halloo ! halloo ! a long halloo !–Why bustle thus about your door,What means this bustle, Betty Foy?Why are you in this mighty fret?And why on horseback have you setHim whom you love, your idiot boy?Beneath the moon that shines so bright,Till she is tired, let Betty FoyWith girt and stirrup fiddle-fiddle;But wherefore set upon a saddleHim whom she loves, her idiot boy?There’s scarce a soul that’s out of bed;Good Betty! put him down again;His lips with joy they burr at you,But, Betty! what has he to doWith stirrup, saddle, or with rein?The world will say ’tis very idle,Bethink you of the time of night;There’s not a mother, no not one,But when she hears what you have done,Oh! Betty she’ll be in a fright.But Betty’s bent on her intent,For her good neighbour, Susan Gale,Old Susan, she who dwells alone,Is sick, and makes a piteous moan,As if her very life would fail.There’s not a house within a mile,No hand to help them in distress:Old Susan lies a bed in pain,And sorely puzzled are the twain,For what she ails they cannot guess.And Betty’s husband’s at the wood,Where by the week he doth abide,A woodman in the distant vale;There’s none to help poor Susan Gale,What must be done? what will betide?And Betty from the lane has fetchedHer pony, that is mild and good,Whether he be in joy or pain,Feeding at will along the lane,Or bringing faggots from the wood.And he is all in travelling trim,And by the moonlight, Betty FoyHas up upon the saddle set,The like was never heard of yet,Him whom she loves, her idiot boy.And he must post without delayAcross the bridge that’s in the dale,And by the church, and o’er the down,To bring a doctor from the town,Or she will die, old Susan Gale.There is no need of boot or spur,There is no need of whip or wand,For Johnny has his holly-bough,And with a hurly-burly nowHe shakes the green bough in his hand.And Betty o’er and o’er has toldThe boy who is her best delight,Both what to follow, what to shun,What do, and what to leave undone,How turn to left, and how to right.And Betty’s most especial charge,Was, “ Johnny! Johnny! mind that you“Come home again, nor stop at all,“Come home again, whate’er befal,“My Johnny do, I pray you do.”To this did Johnny answer make,Both with his head, and with his hand,And proudly shook the bridle too,And then! his words were not a few,Which Betty well could understand.And now that Johnny is just going,Though Betty’s in a mighty flurry,She gently pats the pony’s s

Send us a textAh to love is to be a fool, to tell your love is to be a double fool. But to be  a triple fool? How does one do that?John Donne will show you how.In this special episode I go in to this poem with no prep. That means you will experience a live analysis and exploration of this poem. There will be times when I say "oh I was wrong about that interpretation, I'm quite sure it means this." And, "hmm what does this mean!?" I hope by the end you will see that there is intense exercise for the mind in exploring great poetry.

Send us a textWhat is the purpose of a penal system? Is it strictly to punish or can it be to reform? If it can reform what are the best methods of accomplishing this?The romanticist Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote a poem called The Dungeon, which is a soliloqouy from a man who resides in a medieval dungeon. He is lamenting more than his own personal situation, but the idea of what man has made of man. Do dungeons and prisons truly work for the guilty? Or do they make their souls even more rotted than when they entered? And, of course, in the heart of a romanticist is an answer to the proper way to reform those souls plagued from within. Listen to find out Coleridge's proposed solution.