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 203: Dracula, Part V

1h 15m · Published 11 Dec 17:00

The panel reads chapters 19–23, with a special focus on both Mina Harker's personality and her treatment at the hands of the male characters, along with the death of Renfield, the Count's ability to manipulate the elements, and his escape from London.Continue reading

CR Episode 202: Dracula, Part IV

1h 14m · Published 04 Dec 17:00

The panel reads chapters 15–18 and discusses Stoker's use of cliffhangers and foreshadowing both as a textual convention and as a narrative device, before attending to Seward's unification of the materialist and metaphysical theories that he encounters.Continue reading

CR Episode 201: Dracula, Part III

1h 17m · Published 27 Nov 17:00

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

CR Episode 200: Dracula, Part II

1h 6m · Published 20 Nov 17:00

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

CR Episode 199: Dracula, Part I

1h 8m · Published 06 Nov 17:00

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

CR Episode 198: Byron’s Hebrew Melodies

56m · Published 30 Oct 16:00

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

CR Episode 197: Hamlet, Act V

58m · Published 16 Oct 16:00

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

CR Episode 196: Hamlet, Act IV

1h 9m · Published 09 Oct 16:00

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

CR Episode 195: Hamlet, Act III

1h 17m · Published 02 Oct 16:00

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

CR Episode 194: Hamlet, Act II

1h 25m · Published 25 Sep 16:00

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

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.