Critical Readings

by 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

CR Episode 213: Bartleby, the Scrivener

1h 39m · Published 19 Feb 17:00

The panel discusses Melville's short story, "Bartleby, the Scrivener", and examines the symbolism of its characters, the meaning of Bartleby's passive resistance, and the various interpretations of the work in light of history and literary theory.Continue reading

CR Episode 212: The Poetry of Amy Lowell

51m · Published 12 Feb 17:00

The panel reads three, middle-length poems by the XXth century imagist poet, Amy Lowell, with special attention to their use of garden-like symbolism, liminal spaces (physical and temporal), and the moon as a metaphorical representation of transience.Continue reading

CR Episode 211: Later Poetry of Thomas Warton

1h 23m · Published 05 Feb 17:00

The panel reads two later poems by Thomas Warton, including "Verses on Sir Joshua Reynolds's Painted Window at New College Oxford" and "Written at Vale-Royal Abbey in Cheshire," and considers them within the context of Anglicanism and the Enlightenment.Continue reading

CR Episode 210: Warton’s The Pleasures of Melancholy

57m · Published 29 Jan 17:00

The panel introduces one of the Graveyard Poets, Thomas Warton the Younger, and reads in full his most famous poem, "The Pleasures of Melancholy", with attention to how it prefigures the Romantics even as it remains part of the Augustan worldview.Continue reading

CR Episode 209: Poetry of Robert Burns

1h 3m · Published 22 Jan 17:00

In advance of Burns Night, the panel reads four poems by Robert Burns, including "To a Mouse" and "For a' That and a' That", with special attention given to the presence of Romanticism, the use of dialect, and the brotherhood of mankind within nature.Continue reading

CR Episode 208: Benito Cereno, Part II

1h 1m · Published 15 Jan 17:00

The panel discusses the second half of Melville's Benito Cereno, with a focus on the American abolition movement, the obliviousness (wilful or not) of Captain Amasa Delano, the mental domination of Benito Cereno, and Bobo's refusal to be subjugated.Continue reading

CR Episode 207: Benito Cereno, Part I

1h 22m · Published 08 Jan 17:00

The panel provides a primer to academic publishing, including surveying the field, finding an argumentative niche, entering the conversation, and basic research practises, before moving on to symbolism in the first half of Herman Melville's Benito Cereno.Continue reading

CR Episode 206: A Christmas Carol, Part II

1h 16m · Published 01 Jan 17:00

The panel reads the last three staves, covering the Ghosts of Christmas Present and Future, and Scrooge's penitential reformation, with special attention to Scrooge's position within the community, and the motivation behind his miraculous change.Continue reading

CR Episode 205: A Christmas Carol, Part I

55m · Published 25 Dec 17:00

The panel reads the first two 'staves' of Charles Dickens' classic Christmas story, covering the visitation of the first two ghosts—Marley and Christmas Past—and discussing both Scrooge's miserly spirit and how he is humanised, rather than villainised.Continue reading

CR Episode 204: Dracula, Part VI

1h 26m · Published 18 Dec 17:00

Dr. Madeline Potter joins the panel as a special guest to conclude, discussing Dracula's role as a theological monster, the original ending with the destruction of Dracula's castle, Mina's role as heroine, and the novel's differing depictions of death.Continue reading

Critical Readings has 223 episodes in total of non- explicit content. Total playtime is 255:20:17. The language of the podcast is English. This podcast has been added on August 4th 2022. It might contain more episodes than the ones shown here. It was last updated on May 25th, 2024 23:40.