The Bookening

“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen..."This is the episode in which we provide much needed context for George Orwell's 1984, a novel that may or may not have been prophetic about some things, maybe. Not gonna lie, this episode went a little crazy, as long time listeners will know does occur from time to time on our show. But we had fun and learned a few things about the life, times, and work of George Orwell (not his real name), and we hope you can, too.  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Patricia Highsmith was "the queen of unease," a Hitchcockian writer not of horror, but suspense and disquietude. Our heroes round out Spooktober discussing her best short story,  "When the Fleet was in at Mobile." Happy Halloween!  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Today we're talking about a bizarre piece of weird fiction, one of the most popular ones from the last twenty years. Not gory, not grisly exactly, but strange and unsettling-- "Singing My Sister Down", by Margo Lanagan.  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

"All right, I’ll tell you why the Girl gives me the creeps. Why I can’t stand to go downtown and see themob slavering up at her on the tower, with that pop bottle or pack of cigarettes or whatever it is besideher. Why I hate to look at magazines any more because I know she’ll turn up somewhere in a brassiereor a bubble bath. Why I don’t like to think of millions of Americans drinking in that poisonous halfsmile.It’s quite a story—more story than you’re expecting."Nathan makes a noble attempt to defend a story that Brandon doesn't care about at all, as our heroes continue their October Halloween story series, discussing 'The Girl with the Hungry Eyes' by Fritz Leiber, the inventor of sword and sorcery. Music: "Signs In The Fields" by Cinematicwaves, licensed by a Creative Commons 3.0 license. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

'"Perhaps you've heard of the Packerhaus Method," she said. "Perhaps you've heard of it?"'Spooktober continues with a discussion of a very weird short story "The Packerhaus Method" and its author, Gene Wolfe, the Herman Melville, or James Joyce, of fantastic fiction. The best author you've never heard of. Music: "Signs In The Fields" by Cinematicwaves, licensed by a Creative Commons 3.0 license. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

"TRUE! --nervous --very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses --not destroyed --not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily --how calmly I can tell you the whole story."Our first Spooky Minisode covers "The Tell-tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe. Is this the most transgressive Poe story? What makes it feel so icky? Why is it so frequently anthologized? Should people read this thing for fun? Music: "Signs In The Fields" by Cinematicwaves, licensed by a Creative Commons 3.0 license. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This month, we will be reading five tales of terror (one each Tuesday and Wednesday, until the end of October), and in this mini-sode we introduce them so you can read along, should you so perspire, er, desire. They include "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe, "The Packerhaus Method" by Gene Wolfe, "The Girl with Hungry Eyes" by Fritz Leiber, "Singing My Sister Down" by Margo Lanagan, and "When the Fleet was in at Mobile" by Patricia Highsmith. NO HALLOWEEN PUNS ALLOWED! Music: "Signs In The Fields" by Cinematicwaves, licensed by a Creative Commons 3.0 license. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Want to be able to define structuralism, deconstruction, semiotics, New Criticism, New Historicism, and more?  Than this is the episode for you! We're tracing the modern history of literary theory, and defining the major movies. By the end, you'll know what's good, what's bad, and what's just weird. And you'll hear a quote from Barthes's 'Death of the Author'! Yay!  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

How do you make a kid love literature? Are some of them just not cut out for it? What sorts of things should students be looking for in a book or poem or story? How does a teacher guide them toward said things? How do you teach a story or poem about something kids haven't experienced yet? How do you give them an ear for style? In last week's episode on teaching literature, our heroes gave a more general philosophy of teaching. This week they're tackling the literature aspect of it all.  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

SORRY FOR THE AUDIO QUALITY. IT IS EXPLAINED IN THE EPISODE. In this impromptu episode, we talk about what separates a good teacher from a bad one, and how you can control a classroom and impart delicious knowledge to kids and people everywhere.  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★