Close Readings

London Review of Books

Episodes

Mentioned books

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Dec 18, 2025 • 16min

Fiction and the Fantastic: A Taxonomy

Join Edwin Frank, editorial director at New York Review Books and author of Stranger Than Fiction, as he dives into the thrilling world of fantastic literature. The discussion explores the flexible definitions of the fantastic, proposing categories like changes in physics and language. Edwin and the panel investigate ghostly apparitions, the chilling ambiguity in Henry James's The Turn of the Screw, and the surge of ghost stories in the 19th century. They also unveil how demonic figures can serve as sharp social critiques in fiction.
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Dec 8, 2025 • 19min

Conversations in Philosophy: 'To the Lighthouse' by Virginia Woolf

Exploring Virginia Woolf's revolutionary vision, the discussion dives into 'To the Lighthouse' as a philosophical masterpiece. The hosts analyze the vivid characters, highlighting Mr. Ramsay's satirical reflection of Woolf's father and Lily Briscoe's artistic journey. They ponder the book's tripartite structure, depicting family life, war's impact, and eventual return. With a focus on creative expression and the nature of reality, listeners are invited to consider the deep connections between art, conversation, and human experience.
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Dec 1, 2025 • 14min

Novel Approaches: ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’ by Thomas Hardy

After drunkenly selling his wife and child at auction, a young Michael Henchard resolves to live differently – and does so, skyrocketing from impoverished haytrusser to mayor of his adoptive town. Every unexpected disaster and sudden reversal in The Mayor of Casterbridge stems from its opening, in a plot which draws as much from realist fiction as Shakespearean tragedy and the sensation novel. Mary Wellesley and Mark Ford join Clare Bucknell to unpick the many strands in Thomas Hardy’s first Wessex novel. They explore how the novel – at once ‘algorithmic’, theatrical and fatalistic – is suffused with Hardy’s class anxieties, affinity with Dorset and fascination with pagan England. Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen in full, and to all our other Close Readings series, sign up: Directly in Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lrb.me/applecrna⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ In other podcast apps: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lrb.me/closereadingsna⁠⁠ Further reading and listening from the LRB: Mary and Mark discuss Hardy’s medievalism on the LRB Podcast: ⁠⁠https://www.lrb.co.uk/podcasts-and-videos/podcasts/the-lrb-podcast/thomas-hardy-s-medieval-mind⁠⁠ Mark discusses Poems of 1912-13 with Seamus Perry in Love and Death: ⁠⁠https://www.lrb.co.uk/podcasts-and-videos/podcasts/close-readings/love-and-death-poems-of-1912-13-by-thomas-hardy⁠⁠  James Wood on Hardy’s life:⁠⁠ ⁠ ⁠https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v29/n01/james-wood/anxious-pleasures⁠⁠ Hugh Haughton on Hardy’s ghosts: ⁠⁠https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v07/n21/hugh-haughton/ghosts⁠⁠ Next episode: New Grub Street by George Gissing.
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Nov 29, 2025 • 17min

Next Year on Close Readings: Realism, Nature, Narrative Poems and a history of London

Meehan Crist is a writer exploring the intersection of science, politics, and culture, while Peter Godfrey-Smith is a philosopher focusing on biology and mind. They discuss the urgent themes of their 'Nature in Crisis' series, including landmark environmental texts like 'Silent Spring' and the relevance of ecofascism. Crist and Godfrey-Smith also delve into how literature and philosophy can illuminate contemporary ecological challenges, mapping the landscape of environmental discourse and its profound implications for society.
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Nov 24, 2025 • 18min

Love and Death: Thom Gunn and Paul Muldoon

Explore the poignant elegance of Thom Gunn’s poetry, deeply influenced by the AIDS crisis and his experiences in California. Discover his unique blend of Elizabethan style and contemporary themes, as well as his rejection of confessional poetry. The discussion shifts to Paul Muldoon’s playful and rich elegies, where form and depth collide. Delve into the emotional landscape of ‘Talbot Road’ and how Gunn intricately weaves allusions to his life and relationships, creating powerful portraits through verse.
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Nov 17, 2025 • 14min

Fiction and the Fantastic: Two Novels by Ursula K. Le Guin

Chloe Ridges, a novelist and short story writer, joins to explore Ursula K. Le Guin's innovative contributions to literature. They delve into Le Guin's rebellion against genre limitations and her radical political vision. The discussion highlights the Taoist influences in her writing and the impact of her anthropologist parents on her work. Ridges distills key concepts from *The Left Hand of Darkness* and *The Dispossessed*, examining themes of gender roles and societal structures, providing insights into how Le Guin's narratives challenge conventional norms.
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Nov 10, 2025 • 14min

Conversations in Philosophy: 'The Sovereignty of Good' by Iris Murdoch

Dive into Iris Murdoch's exploration of morality, where she encourages moral labor through an anecdote about a mother learning to accept her son’s wife. Discover her rebellion against Oxford’s analytic philosophy, advocating instead for a Platonic view of morality akin to mathematics. Murdoch's concept of 'unselfing' serves as a fresh alternative to divine guidance, challenging traditional beliefs while critiquing modern self-portrayals. A fascinating intersection of philosophy and literature unfolds, revealing her unique vision of goodness.
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Nov 3, 2025 • 17min

Novel Approaches: ‘Kidnapped’ by Robert Louis Stevenson

In this engaging discussion, novelist Andrew O’Hagan and author Tom Crewe dive into the world of Robert Louis Stevenson and his classic, Kidnapped. O’Hagan shares insights on the historical Appin murder and its political implications, while Crewe offers a glimpse into Stevenson’s fascinating upbringing and literary journey. The duo also explores Stevenson’s innovative narrative techniques and the profound social themes woven throughout the adventure tale, revealing how it transcends simple storytelling to address complex human experiences.
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Oct 27, 2025 • 15min

Love and Death: Elegies for Poets by Auden, Arnold and Schuyler

When poets elegise other poets, the results are often more about self-scrutiny and analysis of the nature of poetry than about grief. Matthew Arnold commented on his elegy for Arthur Hugh Clough, ‘Thyrsis’ (1865), that ‘one has the feeling that not enough is said about Clough in it.’ In his elegy for W.B. Yeats (1939), Auden insists that ‘poetry makes nothing happen’. Both poems resist idealisation of their subject and use the elegy’s pastoral tradition as a way of distancing themselves from the poetic sensibility of their subject. In this episode, Seamus and Mark discuss the ways in which Arnold and Auden’s visions of what a poet should be aren’t so far apart, and finish with a look at James Schuyler’s similarly unromantic elegy for Auden, in which he finds ‘so little to say’. Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen to the full episode, and to all our other Close Readings series, subscribe: Directly in Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lrb.me/applecrld⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ In other podcast apps: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lrb.me/closereadingsld⁠⁠ Arnold's 'Thyrsis': ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lrb.me/ldep11thyrsis⁠⁠⁠⁠ Auden's 'In Memory of W.B. Yeats': ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lrb.me/ldep11yeats⁠⁠⁠⁠ More in the LRB: Seamus Perry on Auden: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lrb.me/ldep11auden⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stefan Collini on Arnold: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lrb.me/ldep11arnold⁠
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Oct 19, 2025 • 15min

Fiction and the Fantastic: J.G. Ballard and Angela Carter

Exploring the dynamic friendship of J.G. Ballard and Angela Carter reveals their shared disdain for conventional literature. They challenge traditional narratives through bold, transgressive works, like Ballard’s unsettling 'The Atrocity Exhibition.' The podcast debates whether this fragmented piece qualifies as a novel and analyzes its themes of apocalypse and trauma. Carter’s vibrant style and cultural critiques also come to light, raising questions about the resonance of their outrageous visions in today's world.

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