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
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
Sep 4, 2023 • 1h 2min
CR Episode 191: Frankenstein, Part II
The panel discusses the second volume of Frankenstein (chapters 8–16) focusing on the moral qualities of Victor Frankenstein and of his creature, their connexion to Paradise Lost, and the dangerous results of mankind usurping the creative place of God.Continue reading
Aug 28, 2023 • 1h 54min
CR Episode 190: Frankenstein, Part I
Dr. Madeline Potter discusses Mary Shelley's influences and the creation of Frankenstein. They analyze the framing structure, challenges in creating narrative voice, and blurring boundaries in the novel. The concept of monstrosity is explored and contrasting views on happiness and the sublime are discussed. The message of Frankenstein, its themes of responsibility and monstrous children, and the protagonist's evasion of responsibility are also analyzed.
Aug 21, 2023 • 59min
CR Episode 189: Sonnets of Gerard Manley Hopkins
The panel reads and discusses "God's Grandeur", "Thou art indeed just, Lord, if I contend", and "The Windhover", attending to their Romantic underpinnings, anticipation of modern poetic developments, and formal characteristics including 'sprung rhythm'.Continue reading
