Critical Readings
CriticalReadings.com
Critical Readings examines key literary texts using close reading and critical analysis, and explains these approaches in discussion. Listeners will learn about the texts themselves and about how to approach a text for critical analysis.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Aug 25, 2025 • 1h 21min
CR Episode 285: The Rape of the Lock, Part I
The panel discusses the first two cantos of Alexander Pope's heroi-comical peacemaker poem, with special attention to its use of foreshadowing, the style and tenor of its dialogue, and its allegedly Rosicrucian spiritology (and its textual origins).Continue reading
Aug 18, 2025 • 1h 11min
CR Episode 284: Poetry and Music
The panel is joined by the novelist H.S. Cross to discuss three poems that have been famously set to music: "The Lark Ascending" by George Meredith, "Most Glorious Lord of Life" by Edmund Spenser, and "Three Songs for St. Cecilia's Day" by W.H. Auden.Continue reading
Aug 4, 2025 • 1h 22min
CR Episode 283: Tristram Shandy, Part XIV
The panel concludes the summer reading with the ninth and final book of Tristram Shandy, compassing the manner of the liaison between Uncle Toby and the Widow Wadman, with special attention to Toby's wound, Trim's knee, and Mrs. Shandy's constant purity.Continue reading
Jul 28, 2025 • 1h
CR Episode 282: Tristram Shandy, Part XIII
The panel reads the conclusion of the eighth book, with attention to metaphorical fortifications and battle plans, a tale of one-sided love between Corporal Trim and a Nursing Nun, and a budding romance between Uncle Toby and the Widow Wadman.Continue reading
Jul 21, 2025 • 1h 16min
CR Episode 281: Tristram Shandy, Part XII
The panel discusses the books seven and eight, with particular attention to the parallel narratives used to describe the approach to Lyons, the different forms of bad luck Tristram encounters there, and the Widow Wadman's love for Uncle Toby.Continue reading
Jul 14, 2025 • 1h 7min
CR Episode 280: Tristram Shandy, Part XI
The panel discusses narrative lines straight and winding in book six, and parallel trips in France in book seven, including Tristram's three visits to Auxerre: as a child, as a young man, and in the narrative 'present' when the book is being written.Continue reading
Jul 7, 2025 • 53min
CR Episode 279: Tristram Shandy, Part X
The panel discusses the majority of the sixth book, with attention to the 'picture' of the Widow Wadman, the story of Le Fever and his orphaned son, the mode of classical dress, and the rise of the novel in both its historical and literary contexts.Continue reading
Jun 30, 2025 • 60min
CR Episode 278: Tristram Shandy, Part IX
The panel discusses the conclusion of the fifth book, with attention to how the hobby horses of Trim and Toby reappear, and what they suggest about the potential truth in ancient knowledge and the pedagogical value of learning fundamental texts by rote.Continue reading
Jun 23, 2025 • 1h 15min
CR Episode 277: Tristram Shandy, Part VIII
The discussion kicks off with the discomfort of post-chaise travel and the intriguing implications of language around desire. Tristram's unconventional circumcision becomes a humorous focal point. Diving into literary legacies, the complexities of authorship and originality take center stage. The societal meanings behind words like 'whiskers' reveal fascinating ties to masculinity. Finally, a playful analysis of Rule 34 prompts thought on creativity and inspiration, all while exploring historical narratives from Nero's Rome to the absurdities of existence.
Jun 16, 2025 • 1h 10min
CR Episode 276: Tristram Shandy, Part VII
The panel discusses the conclusion of the fourth book, including Walter and Toby stuck on the stairs amidst further discussion of the definition of a nose (or noes), and the inflexible irrevocability of all of the mishaps that occur during the narrative.Continue reading
