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
Nov 27, 2023 • 1h 18min
CR Episode 201: Dracula, Part III
The panel discusses chapters 12-14, comprising a series of false endings both literal and metaphorical, with attention given to how Stoker's overall plot structure is replicated within individual episodes, and to the combination of faith and science.Continue reading
Nov 20, 2023 • 1h 7min
CR Episode 200: Dracula, Part II
The panel welcomes guest expert Dr. Madeline Potter to discuss chapters 5–11, comprising the letters and journals of Mina Murray, Lucy Westenra, and Dr. Seward, and their observations tragic and fantastical, from giant bats to bug-eating maniacs.Continue reading
Nov 6, 2023 • 1h 8min
CR Episode 199: Dracula, Part I
The panel discusses the first four chapters of Bram Stoker's Dracula, with attention given to the history of the author and the text, the epistolary and gothic form of the novel in its Romantic context, and the narrative development of tension.Continue reading
Oct 30, 2023 • 56min
CR Episode 198: Byron’s Hebrew Melodies
The panel reads five poems from Hebrew Melodies, a cycle of poems by Lord Byron originally set to music by Isaac Nathan, including one of Byron's most-anthologised works, "She Walks in Beauty," and a companion piece to "The Destruction of Sennacherib".Continue reading
Oct 16, 2023 • 58min
CR Episode 197: Hamlet, Act V
The panel discusses the two scenes of the final act of Hamlet, with attention to the text's focus on death, the mirroring of Hamlet with Fortinbras and Laertes, Horatio's constant companionship, Ophelia's burial, and the ultimate defeat of Claudius.Continue reading
Oct 9, 2023 • 1h 9min
CR Episode 196: Hamlet, Act IV
The panel discusses seven scenes, with attention to Ophelia's innocence and madness, Laertes' hot-blooded response to the death of his father, Claudius' failure to demonstrate the wisdom and prudence of a good king, and Hamlet's apparent inscrutability.Continue reading
Oct 2, 2023 • 1h 17min
CR Episode 195: Hamlet, Act III
The panel reads Act III of Hamlet with attention to Hamlet's feigned (or semi-feigned) madness, his suicidal or existentially fatalistic attitude, and the instability and even fatal measure of his interactions with Ophelia, Polonius, and Queen Gertrude.Continue reading
Sep 25, 2023 • 1h 25min
CR Episode 194: Hamlet, Act II
The panel begins with a brief exercise in parsing Shakespearean prose, followed by a reading of Act II's scenes, with attention to Polonius' ambitious scheming, and Hamlet's feigned (or genuine?) madness with his friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.Continue reading
Sep 18, 2023 • 1h 12min
CR Episode 193: Hamlet, Act I
The panel reads the first act of William Shakespeare's Hamlet, providing an overview of the action and the textual history, with selected readings from within the five scenes paying particular attention to puns, irony, and the mirroring of characters.Continue reading
Sep 11, 2023 • 1h 22min
CR Episode 192: Frankenstein, Part III
The panel discusses the concluding volume of Frankenstein, beginning with Victor's narration of his series of personal tragedies and ending with Captain Walton's letter describing the death of Victor and the monster's final, vengeful resolve.Continue reading
