Podcasts about shakespeare

To celebrate Melvyn Bragg's 27 years presenting In Our Time, some well-known fans of the programme have chosen their favourite episodes. Historian and broadcaster Simon Schama has selected the episode on Shakespeare's Sonnets and recorded an introduction to it. (This introduction will be available on BBC Sounds and the In Our Time webpage shortly after the broadcast and will be longer than the one broadcast on Radio 4). In 1609 Thomas Thorpe published a collection of poems entitled Shakespeare's Sonnets, “never before imprinted”. Yet, while some of Shakespeare's other poems and many of his plays were often reprinted in his lifetime, the Sonnets were not a publishing success. They had to make their own way, outside the main canon of Shakespeare's work: wonderful, troubling, patchy, inspiring and baffling, and they have appealed in different ways to different times. Most are addressed to a man, something often overlooked and occasionally concealed; one early and notorious edition even changed some of the pronouns. With: Hannah Crawforth Senior Lecturer in Early Modern Literature at King's College London Don Paterson Poet and Professor of Poetry at the University of St Andrews And Emma Smith Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Hertford College, Oxford Producer: Simon Tillotson Spanning history, religion, culture, science and philosophy, In Our Time from BBC Radio 4 is essential listening for the intellectually curious. In each episode, host Melvyn Bragg and expert guests explore the people, ideas, events and discoveries that have shaped our world In Our Time is a BBC Studios production

After the publication of her debut novel Wuthering Heights in December of 1847, Emily Brontë - still writing under her pen name Ellis Bell - joined Currer and Acton Bell (her sisters Charlotte and Anne) as promising and intriguing young writers. Sadly, Emily would die barely a year later. How did the public view her and her writing during this brief period? And how did she view herself? In this episode, Jacke takes a look at the five reviews of Wuthering Heights that Emily Brontë clipped and kept in her desk drawer between the book's publication and her tragically early death at the age of 30. Join Jacke on a trip through literary England! Join Jacke and fellow literature fans on an eight-day journey through literary England in partnership with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠John Shors Travel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ in May 2026! Scheduled stops include The Charles Dickens Museum, Dr. Johnson's house, Jane Austen's Bath, Tolkien's Oxford, Shakespeare's Globe Theater, and more. Learn more by emailing jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or masahiko@johnshorstravel.com, or by contacting us through our website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Act soon - there are only two spots left! The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠gabrielruizbernal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Help support the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/literature ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com/donate ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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If you've ever wanted to share a room with two great actors talking about Shakespeare, here's your chance — with Dame Judi Dench and Brendan O'Hea.

This year's seasonal offering takes the form of a voyage, exploring resonances inspired by the carol "I Saw Three Ships". Today, the third and final episode recounts the tale of the Sea Venture. The real life escapades of this important ship inspired Shakespeare's most famous maritime fantasy, The Tempest, and this episode will transport you all the way into 2026. Happy New Year!

In this College Deep Dive, Bill Digneit the Department Head and Professor of Theatre & Dance at Northern Michigan University chats with MTCA Director Charlie Murphy about:  How NMU is a place for adventurers Finding your best fit of school comes clear through auditions and conversations with current students. The benefits and tradeoffs of curricular freedom  Entrepreneurial mindset: From unique showcases to transferable BFA skills, Bill models the creative problem-solving artists need today. If you have any questions about the college audition process, feel free to reach out at mailbag@mappingthecollegeaudition.com. If you're interested in working with MTCA for help with your individualized preparation for your College Audition journey, please check us out at mtca.com, or on Instagram or Facebook.  Follow Us!  Instagram: @mappingthecollegeaudition YouTube: @MTCA (Musical Theater College Auditions)  TikTok: @mtcollegeauditions  Charlie Murphy:@charmur7  About MTCA:  Musical Theater College Auditions (MTCA) is the leader in coaching acting and musical theater students through the college audition process and beyond with superlative results. MTCA has assembled a roster of expert artist-educators who can guide students artistically, organizationally, strategically, and psychologically through the competitive college audition process. MTCA provides the tools, resources, and expertise along with a vast and strong support system. They train the unique individual, empowering the artist to bring their true, authentic self to their work. MTCA believes that by helping students reveal their potential it allows each school to connect with those who are truly right for their programs, which in turn guides each student toward their best college fit.  About Charlie Murphy:  Charlie is a proud graduate of Carnegie Mellon University's BFA program. As an Actor he has performed with theaters such as: NY Public Theatre's “Shakespeare in the Park”, The Pearl Theatre Company, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Chautauqua Theatre Company, Kinetic Theatre Company, and the Shakespeare Theatre of DC. With MTCA [Musical Theater College Auditions -- mtca.com], he has been helping prospective theatre students through the college process for over 15 years. As a Teacher and Director, he is able to do a few of his favorite things in life: help students to find their authentic selves as artists, and then help them find their best fit for their collegiate journey. Through this podcast, he hopes to continue that work as well as help demystify this intricate process. This episode was produced by Meghan Cordier, Kelly Prendergast and Socials by Jordan Rice. Episode theme music is created by Will Reynolds with Additional Vocals from Elizabeth Stanley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  I’ve always hated Shakespeare with a passion. Why watch a play if you can’t understand what the characters are saying? Hamnet changed that for good. Not only is the movie...

O QueIssoAssim 342 – Expectativas 2026 chega com tudo para quem ama cinema, séries e cultura pop. Neste episódio especial do podcast, Brunão e Baconzitos recebem a amiga Andreia, do Livros em Cartaz, para uma conversa recheada de hype, apostas e boas reflexões sobre os filmes e séries mais esperados de 2026 — além de um balanço sincero do que marcou o consumo audiovisual em 2025. Se você gosta de ficar por dentro dos próximos lançamentos de Hollywood, adaptações literárias, continuações aguardadas e novas apostas de diretores consagrados, este episódio é praticamente obrigatório.

There's a bit of interest around Shakespeare at the minute - can we call this the Paul Mescal effect?The Bard's work featured many references to sex and sexuality - some more obvious than others. But what does the work reveal about the sexuality of Shakespeare himself?Despite being married with three kids to Anne Hathaway in the sleepy suburbs of Stratford-upon-Avon, there's much to suggest he lived a more extravagant life during his visits to London.Joining Kate today is author of The Life of the Author: William Shakespeare, Anna Beer, to unpick the hints and clues to the playwright's sexuality that lay within his work.This episode was edited by Tomos Delargy. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She doesn't design clothes—she designs stories. 3-time Oscar-winning costume designer Jenny Beavan shares how storytelling, instinct, and courage—not fashion—have shaped a career spanning over 70 films. This episode focusing on her most recent film, The Choral. In this deeply inspiring conversation, Jenny reflects on growing up without television, building entire worlds from cardboard boxes, and how a single childhood encounter with Shakespeare set her life's direction. She traces her unconventional path from theatre and opera to film, revealing how saying yes to uncertainty—and embracing fear—became one of her greatest creative strengths. Together, Jenny and host Catherine Baumgardner explore the true role of costume design as invisible storytelling: creating characters audiences believe in without ever noticing the clothes. Jenny breaks down her process—from script analysis and historical research to building costumes in full 3D on mannequins—and explains why collaboration, humility, and learning every craft on the way up matter more than titles or awards. She opens up about working under extreme pressure on films like Mad Max: Fury Road and Cruella, why failure is essential to growth, and how leadership in creative fields is less about control and more about trust. Packed with life advice for artists, filmmakers, designers, and students, this episode is a masterclass in creativity, resilience, and staying curious—no matter how far you've come. The "Voice of Costume" is the first podcast created between working costume designers sharing stories, inspiration, struggles, and insights into the creative career of costume design. A behind-the-scenes podcast to showcase the voices of Costume Designers around the world. Listen in on this inspirational, one-on-one conversation with Catherine Baumgardner. Audio available wherever you get podcasts. https://voiceofcostume.com/

REDIFF - C'est l'homme aux multiples visages : William Shakespeare, le citoyen discret de Stratford-upon-Avon, laisse derrière lui une œuvre magistrale... mais une identité floue. Était-il un comédien de province ou bien un érudit caché ? Qui se dissimule vraiment derrière le masque de Shakespeare ? Une chose est sûre : ce personnage a su écrire sa propre légende. Percez l'énigme de celui qui, sur la scène du théâtre élisabéthain, a tenu son plus beau rôle. Crédits : Lorànt Deutsch, Ayrton Morice Kerneven. Du lundi au vendredi de 15h à 15h30, l'inimitable Lorànt Deutsch vous révèle les secrets des personnages historiques les plus captivants !Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Comedy on a TuesdayFirst, a look at the events of the day.Then, Amos ‘n' Andy, originally broadcast December 30, 1951, 74 years ago, the House Wreckers.  Sapphire has told the Kingfish, "get a job...or else!" The Kingfish and Andy are hired to demolish a porch, and proceed to do so...on the wrong house!Followed by The Great Gildersleeve, starring Harold Peary, originally broadcast on December 30, 1945, 80 years ago, on New Year's Eve.  It's New Year's Eve, and The Great Gildersleeve has no date! Then, My Favorite Husband starring Lucille Ball and Richard Denning, originally broadcast December 30, 1950, 75 years ago, Liz has the Flimjabs.   Liz wants a mink coat, but winds up with a case of the "Flimjabs" instead.Followed by Abbott and Costello, originally broadcast December 30, 1948, 77 years ago, Murder at the Radio Quiz Show.  Bud and Lou try to decide where to spend New Year's eve. Sam Shovel appears in, "The Murder At The Radio Quiz Show" or, "I've Got A Body In The Balcony, Doctor." Finally, Claudia, originally broadcast December 30, 1947, 78 years ago, Naming the Dane.   Shakespeare meets Buff: Kathryn Bard and Paul Crabtree star.Thanks to Debbie B. for supporting our podcast by using the Buy Me a Coffee function at http://classicradio.streamCheck out Professor Bees Digestive Aid at profbees.com and use my promo code WYATT to save 10% when you order! If you like what we do here, visit our friend Jay at http://radio.macinmind.com for great old-time radio shows 24 hours a day

"Worst. Criss. Angel. Magic trick. Ever."This week's scariest movie is... The Conjuring Last Rites. This film has everything: Egg Whites. Science Romeos. And Realty recommendations that you should not take. If you love Shakespeare-in-a-toolshed riffs, basement John Wayne portraits, and common-sense yelling at pitch-black rooms, this episode's for you!Please Subscribe, Rate, and Review The Horror Virgin to help more people discover our community.What did you think of our episode on The Conjuring Last Rites? Tell us on social media @HorrorVirgin (Facebook/Instagram), @HorrorVirginPod (Twitter).Up Next: Good Boy (2025)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

 “A sonnet,” said the poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti, “is a moment's monument.” But who invented the sonnet? Who brought it to prominence? How has it changed over the years? And why does this form continue to be so compelling? In this episode of the History of Literature, we take a brief look at one of literature's most enduring forms, from its invention in a Sicilian court to the wordless sonnet and other innovative uses. Note: A version of this episode first ran in August 2018. It has been missing from our archives for many years. Join Jacke on a trip through literary England! Join Jacke and fellow literature fans on an eight-day journey through literary England in partnership with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠John Shors Travel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ in May 2026! Scheduled stops include The Charles Dickens Museum, Dr. Johnson's house, Jane Austen's Bath, Tolkien's Oxford, Shakespeare's Globe Theater, and more. Learn more by emailing jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or masahiko@johnshorstravel.com, or by contacting us through our website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. December update: Act soon - there are only two spots left! The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠gabrielruizbernal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Help support the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/literature ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com/donate ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why does Samuel Pepys's diary still matter 200 years after it was first published? In her new book, The Strange History of Samuel Pepys's Diary, historian Kate Loveman examines how Pepys's extraordinary consistency as a diarist has made his writing one of the richest records of everyday life in Restoration England. Writing almost daily for nearly a decade, Pepys's diary documents everything from politics and scientific discoveries to theater and fashion. Even in times of crisis, Pepys reveals life's ordinary concerns, from worrying about the source of hair for wigs during the Great Plague to safeguarding a wheel of expensive Parmesan cheese during the Great Fire of London. He also offers a rare glimpse into contemporary theatergoing, recording audience reactions and his own opinions, including Shakespeare. He famously dismissed A Midsummer Night's Dream. In this episode, Loveman explores how Pepys's diary has been edited, published, censored, and rediscovered over centuries, entertaining readers from the Victorian era to the COVID-19 pandemic in the 21st century. Pepys's daily observations show how careful, habitual record-keeping can transform ordinary life into an invaluable historical resource. From the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast. Published December 30, 2025. © Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This episode was produced by Matt Frassica. Garland Scott is the executive producer. It was edited by Gail Kern Paster. We had help with web production from Paola García Acuña. Leonor Fernandez edits our transcripts. We had technical help from Hamish Brown in Stirling, Scotland, and Voice Trax West in Studio City, California. Final mixing services provided by Clean Cuts at Three Seas, Inc. Kate Loveman is Professor of Early Modern Literature and Culture at the University of Leicester and an internationally recognized expert on Pepys and Restoration literature. She is the author of Reading Fictions, 1660–1740: Deception in English Literary and Political Culture; Samuel Pepys and his Books: Reading, Newsgathering, and Sociability, 1660–1703; and The Strange History of Samuel Pepys's Diary; and the editor of The Diary of Samuel Pepys for Everyman.

"Say, what abridgement have you for this evening? What masque? what music? How shall we beguile The lazy time, if not with some delight?" — A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act V, Scene 1 There are over a dozen mentions of masques, masquers, and masquing in Shakespeare's plays, and when it came to masques in England for the 16-17th century, no one did them better than Ben Jonson, who was known for staging truly spectacular feats of gradeur at the court of James I. Our guest is Martin Butler, Professor of Renaissance Drama at the University of Leeds, Fellow of the British Academy, and General Editor of the Cambridge Works of Ben Jonson. He has written extensively on early modern drama and Jonson's masques in particular, including how these productions functioned as political texts, cultural events, and artistic achievements. Martin joins us today to help us explore what a masque was exactly, how masques are different from a play, and why it was that Jonson's masques were so special. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The panel closes out Romeo Juliet, and the year 2025, with a discussion of Friar Laurence's cowardly culpability, Romeo's impassioned importunity, Juliet's happy dagger, Paris' finest hour, and Shakespeare's interest in people of all walks of life.Continue reading

====================================================SUSCRIBETEhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNpffyr-7_zP1x1lS89ByaQ?sub_confirmation=1==================================================== DEVOCIÓN MATUTINA PARA JÓVENES 2025“HOY ES TENDENCIA”Narrado por: Daniel RamosDesde: Connecticut, USAUna cortesía de DR'Ministries y Canaan Seventh-Day Adventist Church===================|| www.drministries.org ||===================30 de DiciembreBien está lo que bien acaba¿De qué le servirá al hombre ganar todo el mundo, si pierde su alma? Mateo 16: 26, RV95En enero de 2017, las Águilas Cibaeñas y los Tigres del Licey disputaron el título de campeón de la Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana. Como buen cibaeño, soy «aguilucho desde chiquitico» y esperaba que mi equipo ganara. Pero en el último partido los Tigres nos arrebataron la corona.Mi ilusión se debía a que las Águilas habían tenido un excelente desempeño durante la temporada regular. Pero de nada valió al final. Creo que una frase de Shakespeare resume lo que pasó aquel día: «Bien está lo que bien acaba», o como dicen otras traducciones: «A buen fin, no hay mal comienzo».Aunque siempre resulta gratificante ganar la batalla, lo que realmente cuenta es ganar la guerra. Creo que la idea de «terminar bien» nos ayuda a tener una perspectiva correcta de la vida. Cuando triunfamos, no hemos de confiarnos, pues los fracasos del futuro pueden echar a perder las victorias del presente. Pero también es cierto que nuestras derrotas no nos definen. Fracasar en una relación amorosa, en un examen o en un empleo no tiene por qué significar el final. Mientras estemos vivos, habrá oportunidad para corregir los errores.Mañana termina el año. ¿Qué ves al recordar los últimos doce meses? Si fue un buen año, te animo a seguir avanzando y conquistando nuevas alturas. Si consideras que ha sido un pésimo año, no te desanimes, pronto vendrá otro año y con él la oportunidad de enmendar tus errores y remontar hacia la victoria.Puede que no sepas quiénes son las Águilas o los Tigres y en realidad eso no importa mucho. El torneo» que sí importa es el de tu vida y esta se compone de 365 «partidos» al año. Independientemente del resultado particular de cada uno, ¿cómo finalizarás este año? ¿Quién será el ganador de la lucha por tu alma? Como lo más importante es la vida eterna (ver Mateo 16: 26), el éxito o fracaso que este año representará solo se puede medir en función de qué tan cerca o lejos de Dios estemos. Con esa idea en mente te invito a acercarte a Jesús y darle a él el primer lugar en tu vida.«Puedo terminar este libro diciendo que ya todo está dicho. Todo lo que debemos hacer es alabar a Dios y obedecerlo» (Eclesiastés 12: 13, TLA). 

The Hamlet Podcast - a weekly exploration of Shakespeare's King Lear. Act IV Scene vi - Oswald enters, with murderous intent. Written and presented by Conor Hanratty

durée : 00:13:55 - Les Nuits de France Culture - par : Albane Penaranda - En 1988, Yvonne Taquet s'entretient avec Luc Bondy, Bernard-Marie Koltès et Michel Piccoli à propos du "Conte d'hiver" de Shakespeare, traduit par Koltès pour une mise en scène au Théâtre des Amandiers de Nanterre. - réalisation : Virginie Mourthé - invités : Luc Bondy Metteur en scène, écrivain et réalisateur; Bernard-Marie Koltès Auteur dramatique (1948-1989); Michel Piccoli Acteur et réalisateur (1925-2020)

One of classical theater's great power couples, ROBERT CUCCIOLI & LAILA ROBINS, joined host NATHAN WINKELSTEIN, for a lively conversation centered on Shakespeare's own iconic pair, Antony and Cleopatra. Focusing on the Act 1 Scene 3 quarrel—“I am sick and sullen”—they explored the dynamics of the scene and reflected on their experiences working together. (3/1/2021)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! In this episode, host Jane Stahl shares her favorite "Christmas specials": Albert Brooks' movie "Defending Your Life" and Shakespeare's play "King Lear." Both begin with the ultimate life challenges--death and/or grief and suffering--yet end with love. "Defending Your Life" delivers a meaningful message wrapped in a delightful comedy. "King Lear," on the other hand, is Shakespeare's greatest tragedy addressing major life issues that test our resolve, our faith, and our resilience. In both, love is the answer and, as Christmas specials, remind us of the "reason for the season."

Within a single scene in the center of the play, Iago turns Othello from loving husband to jealous maniac. The question of faith, in love and religion. Othello demands “ocular proof.” What Iago gives him is “ocular”—images of infidelity planted in his imagination.

You had questions, we had answers, so join us for the final conversation about Shakespeare's classic comedy! We talk about Margaret's culpability, Don Pedros rejections, Claudio's turn, Dogberry's wisdom, and much more! Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

To find The Cosmic Peach Podcast---> https://open.spotify.com/show/0a2MALZHeOng77TuwryzZU?si=7bf9298c27424781Sign up for our Patreon go to-> Patreon.com/cultofconspiracypodcastTo Find The Cajun Knight Youtube Channel---> click hereTo find the Meta Mysteries Podcast---> https://open.spotify.com/show/6IshwF6qc2iuqz3WTPz9Wv?si=3a32c8f730b34e79To Sign up for our Rokfin go to --> Rokfin.com/cultofconspiracyCult Of Conspiracy Linktree ---> https://linktr.ee/cultofconspiracyBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/cult-of-conspiracy--5700337/support.

Steven was welcomed to a class of law students at Appalachian University by Dr. Garrett Jackson, who is teaching a full semester on the Shakespeare authorship mystery. After learning about various candidates for authorship, the students tossed some of their unanswered questions at Steven in an invigorating exchange. Support the show by picking up official Don't Quill the Messenger merchandise at www.dontquillthepodcast.com and becoming a Patron at http://www.patreon.com/dontquillthemessenger  Made possible by Patrons: Clare Jaget, Courtney L, David Neufer, Deduce, Earl Showerman, Edward Henke, Ellen Swanson, Frank Lawler, Garrett Jackson, Heidi, James Warren, Jen Swan, John Creider, John Eddings, Jon Foss, Kara Elizabeth Martin, Michael Hannigan, Neal Riesterer, Patricia Carrelli, quizzi, Richard Wood, Sandi Boney, Sheila Kethley, Stephen Hopkins, Teacher Mallory, Tim Norman, Tim Price, Vanessa Lops, Yvonne Don't Quill the Messenger is a part of the Dragon Wagon Radio independent podcast network. For more great podcasts visit www.dragonwagonradio.com

Sent us a text, you dicks!!Merry Christmas!!! Happy Boxing Day!!! ( And also, Happy Belated Hanukkah!!! And Happy Kwanzah!!!)In this episode, we talk about all the gifts that are given from one character to another in the Shakespeare canon.  We also talk about traditional Elizabethan gifts... 'cuz, you know, it's presents time of year!!!Did we miss any?? Write and tell us!!To send us an email - please do, we truly want to hear from you!!! - write us at: thebardcastyoudick@gmail.com To support us (by giving us money - we're a 501C3 Non-Profit - helllloooooo, tax deductible donation!!!) - per episode if you like! On Patreon, go here:  https://www.patreon.com/user?u=35662364&fan_landing=trueOr on Paypal:https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=8KTK7CATJSRYJWe also take cash!   ;DTo visit our website, go here:https://www.thebardcastyoudick.comTo donate to an awesome charity, go here:https://actorsfund.org/help-our-entertainment-communiity-covid-19-emergency-reliefLike us? Don't have any extra moolah? We get it! Still love us and want to support us??   Then leave us a five-star rating AND a review wherever you get your podcasts!!

La prima notizia riguarda una scelta sorprendente del The Economist, che ha nominato la Siria paese dell'anno. La seconda notizia è dedicata alla spesa natalizia nell'Unione Europea, che quest'anno è destinata ad aumentare. Purtroppo, l'aumento non è dovuto a un clima di particolare entusiasmo festivo, ma all'inflazione e a norme più severe sulla sicurezza dei giocattoli. La nostra sezione scientifica è dedicata a uno studio che rivela come molte persone utilizzino l'intelligenza artificiale per il supporto emotivo e l'interazione sociale. Concluderemo la prima parte del programma rendendo omaggio a Rob Reiner, celebre regista e attore, assassinato nella sua casa di Los Angeles insieme alla moglie, Michele Singer Reiner.   La seconda parte della puntata è dedicata alla lingua e alla cultura italiana. L'argomento grammaticale di oggi è Adverbial Phrases. Ne troverete diversi esempi nel dialogo dedicato ai risultati dell'analisi annuale sulla qualità della vita in Italia, pubblicata dal quotidiano economico-finanziario Il Sole 24 Ore. Nel finale ci soffermeremo sull'espressione idiomatica di oggi: Non fare una piega. Nel dialogo in cui la useremo si parla della decisione del Comune di Verona di introdurre un biglietto da 12 euro per entrare nel cortile che rievoca la storia d'amore tra Romeo e Giulietta, raccontata da Shakespeare. Un prezzo alto, proprio nel periodo più affollato dell'anno, che non ha mancato di creare discussioni. - The Economist nomina il Paese dell'anno - Le statistiche europee sugli acquisti natalizi mostrano un aumento della spesa in questa stagione - Uno studio rileva che molte persone utilizzano l'IA come supporto emotivo ,/li> - Hollywood piange la morte di Rob Reiner e celebra la sua eredità - Dove si vive meglio in Italia nel 2025 - Il prezzo del cortile di Giulietta fa discutere Verona

Which play by Shakespeare features the “to be or not to be” soliloquy? Play. Share. Listen with 'FOX News Headlines 24/7' Anchor, Dave Anthony. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

En plena recta final del año a la cartelera y a De Película llega cine de autor, memoria histórica, grandes clásicos y propuestas familiares. Una semana especialmente variada. Estos son los títulos más destacados:Homo Argentum, la nueva película de Mariano Cohn y Gastón Duprat, que reflexiona sobre la identidad, el éxito, la cultura del dinero y las contradicciones del individuo y Ariel, el nuevo largometraje del cineasta gallego Lois Patiño, Inspirada libremente en La tempestad de Shakespeare.Fuera de las salas de cine, pero muy ligada a la actualidad la exposición oficial de Avatar, dedicada al universo creado por James Cameron llega A Madrid. Todo esto además de las mejores series con Pedro Calvo, la colaboración de Ángeles González Sinde, Con Ana Vega Toscano celebramos el 60 aniversario de “Doctor Zhivago” y nos detenemos en un documental, Eloy de la Iglesia adipto al cine”, un retrato del director español que marcó el cine de la Transición.Escuchar audio

Caroline Frost chats to Shem Law about the best things coming up on the box in the post Christmas period TV: The Night Manager, BBC1 The Traitors, BBC1 Run Away, Netflix Operation Mincemeat, BBC2 Judi Dench, Shakespeare, My Family and Me, C4 The Celebrity Apprentice, BBC1 . . . Happy New Years! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Deepest December sees Rob and Paul having a variety of adventures in Wanstead. Featuring full-on festivities - including many more movies, wild wee fun, chastening cocktails, sun-kissed skiing, Christmas drama, a wonky wisdom-tooth whip-out, supplementary Shakespeare, empty pond shenanigans, parkrun report, noisy neighbours, birds and cows - but not horses - and a couple of very inspiring PBs.Happy Christmas guys. Lots of love. SUBSCRIBE at ⁠https://runcompod.supercast.com/⁠ for early access, bonus episodes, ad-free listening and more...BUY OUR BOOKS; you can get Rob's book Running Tracks here - ⁠https://www.waterstones.com/book/running-tracks/rob-deering/9781800180444⁠ - and you can get Paul's book 26.2 Miles to Happiness here: ⁠https://www.waterstones.com/book/26-2-miles-to-happiness/paul-tonkinson/9781472975270⁠Thanks for listening, supporting, and sharing your adventures with us. Happy running. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Come on in and celebrate with the Kael Your Idols Christmas Crew! Join Sam and Elena, and their special yearly Christmas guest: Ameerah Holliday, as the three proudly break down the current crop of cable/streaming-service-era Christmas-themed romcoms. It's the REAL reason for the season! Join them as they straighten out the tinsel draped tangle of this special seasonal tradition. For once we're actually getting the episode out in time for Christmas! Topics include: Shakespeare, the NFL, and depressed dogs. 

Stephen Mitchell has translated or adapted some of the world's most beautiful and spiritually rich texts, including The Gospel According to Jesus, The Book of Job, Gilgamesh, Tao Te Ching, Bhagavad Gita, The Iliad, The Odyssey, Beowulf, The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet, and The Way of Forgiveness. In his latest book, The First Christmas: A Story of New Beginnings, he brings the Nativity story to life as never before. In this special episode, Jacke talks to Stephen about his translations, his search for spiritual truths, and his work imagining the story of the first Christmas from multiple points of view. PLUS Jacke continues his way up the charts of the Greatest Books of All Time with a look at #4 on the list, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Note: A version of this episode first ran in December 2021. Join Jacke on a trip through literary England! Join Jacke and fellow literature fans on an eight-day journey through literary England in partnership with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠John Shors Travel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ in May 2026! Scheduled stops include The Charles Dickens Museum, Dr. Johnson's house, Jane Austen's Bath, Tolkien's Oxford, Shakespeare's Globe Theater, and more. Learn more by emailing jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or masahiko@johnshorstravel.com, or by contacting us through our website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. December update: Act soon - there are only two spots left! The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠gabrielruizbernal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Help support the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/literature ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com/donate ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lindsay is joined by author Stephanie Cowell to discuss her book, “The Man in The Stone Cottage.” In 1846, Yorkshire, the Brontë sisters— Charlotte, Anne, and Emily— navigate precarious lives marked by heartbreak and struggle. Charlotte faces rejection from the man she loves, while their blind father and troubled brother add to their burdens. Despite their immense talent, no one will publish their poetry or novels. Amidst this turmoil, Emily encounters a charming shepherd during her solitary walks on the moors, yet he remains unseen by anyone else. After Emily's untimely death, Charlotte— now a successful author with Jane Eyre— stumbles upon hidden letters and a mysterious map. As she stands on the brink of her own marriage, Charlotte is determined to uncover the truth about her sister's secret relationship. The Man in the Stone Cottage is a poignant exploration of sisterly bonds and the complexities of perception, asking whether what feels real to one person can truly be real to another. STEPHANIE COWELL is the author of 7 novels, including Nicholas Cooke, The Physician of London, The Players: a novel of the young Shakespeare, Marrying Mozart, Claude & Camille: a novel of Monet, and The Boy in the Rain. Her work has been translated into several languages, optioned for film, and adapted into an opera. Cowell has been awarded an American Book Award. She has also been an opera singer, balladeer, and founder of the Strawberry Opera and an outdoor performance series in NYC. Fun facts include auditioning before Richard Rodgers, the Rodgers of Rodgers and Hammerstein fame, and performing in places like the famous Harvard Club and even mental institutions and prisons. Become a member on Buy Me A Coffee for as little as $1/month to support the show.  You can write to us at: Ye Olde Crime Podcast, PO Box 341, Wyoming, MN 55092. Join the conversation over at the Cultiv8 Discord and join the Olde Crimers Cubby to chat with us and other listeners of the show. Leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, Spotify, Podcast Addict, Audible, or Goodpods! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Threads, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Shakespeare and Company Podcast, Adam Biles speaks with poet, translator and critic Ian Patterson about Books: A Manifesto, his passionate defence of reading in all its forms. What begins with the construction of a personal library in a converted coach house opens into a wide-ranging meditation on memory, loss, vulnerability and the profound role books play in shaping a life. Patterson discusses the anguish of parting with thousands of volumes, the intimacy of marked-up, well-lived-in books, and the politics of reading slowly in a culture addicted to speed. The conversation moves through genre snobbery, guilty pleasures, poetry's complex rewards, the porous borders of contemporary literature, and Patterson's experience translating the final volume of Proust—an immersion so deep it altered his own prose. It's a warm, generous exploration of why books matter, how they remake us, and why defending them feels more urgent than ever.Buy Books: A Manifesto: https://www.shakespeareandcompany.com/books/books-a-manifesto*Ian Patterson is a widely published poet and translator, and a former academic. The translator of Finding Time Again, the final volume of the Penguin Proust, he is also the author of Guernica and Total War and Nemo's Almanac. He won the Forward Prize for Best Poem in 2017, with an elegy for his late wife, Jenny Diski. He worked in Further Education between 1970 and 1984, had a second-hand bookselling business for ten years after that, and from 1995 until 2018 was an academic, teaching English Literature at the University of Cambridge. Many of his students have gone on to shape the world of publishing and writing, both in the UK and the US.Adam Biles is Literary Director at Shakespeare and Company.Listen to Alex Freiman's latest EP, In The Beginning: https://open.spotify.com/album/5iZYPMCUnG7xiCtsFCBlVa?si=h5x3FK1URq6SwH9Kb_SO3w Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Special 2025 Holiday Episode, Charlie discusses his monthly blog post "The Definitive, Ultimate, Universal, Top Ten List of Acting and Musical Theater Colleges" Subjectivity Statistics Personalization If you have any questions about the college audition process, feel free to reach out at mailbag@mappingthecollegeaudition.com. If you're interested in working with MTCA for help with your individualized preparation for your College Audition journey, please check us out at mtca.com, or on Instagram or Facebook.  Follow Us!  Instagram: @mappingthecollegeaudition YouTube: @MTCA (Musical Theater College Auditions)  TikTok: @mtcollegeauditions  Charlie Murphy:@charmur7  About MTCA:  Musical Theater College Auditions (MTCA) is the leader in coaching acting and musical theater students through the college audition process and beyond with superlative results. MTCA has assembled a roster of expert artist-educators who can guide students artistically, organizationally, strategically, and psychologically through the competitive college audition process. MTCA provides the tools, resources, and expertise along with a vast and strong support system. They train the unique individual, empowering the artist to bring their true, authentic self to their work. MTCA believes that by helping students reveal their potential it allows each school to connect with those who are truly right for their programs, which in turn guides each student toward their best college fit.  About Charlie Murphy:  Charlie is a proud graduate of Carnegie Mellon University's BFA program. As an Actor he has performed with theaters such as: NY Public Theatre's “Shakespeare in the Park”, The Pearl Theatre Company, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Chautauqua Theatre Company, Kinetic Theatre Company, and the Shakespeare Theatre of DC. With MTCA [Musical Theater College Auditions -- mtca.com], he has been helping prospective theatre students through the college process for over 15 years. As a Teacher and Director, he is able to do a few of his favorite things in life: help students to find their authentic selves as artists, and then help them find their best fit for their collegiate journey. Through this podcast, he hopes to continue that work as well as help demystify this intricate process. This episode was produced by Meghan Cordier, Kelly Prendergast and Socials by Jordan Rice. Episode theme music is created by Will Reynolds with Additional Vocals from Elizabeth Stanley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back in Britain for a lovely visit with our favorite detective show inspired by a historic dysfunctional marriage, and their ridiculously tall and talented assistant … who maybe needs to work on his American accent? (Never fear, you'll always be perfect to us, Sebastian.) This is also Jacob's dream episode because it's literally about two PI's having to find a bitchin' car — with lots of Shakespeare puns. Does all of this mean we guess right? Buckle up and find out!  Plus! Mark your calendars! We also announce the date of the very first Cozy Mystery Holiday!  We watched SHAKESPEARE & HATHAWAY: PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS, series 4, episode 4, “Most Wicked Speed.”  Follow us on the socials and let us know what you think!  Facebook: @cluedunnitpodcast   Instagram: @cluedunnitpodcast You can find us on Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cluedunnit/id1582713330 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1PLXRlrkJFBTE6eE97YPwQ Overcast: You'll need to login with your Overcast account, but once you do, we're at https://overcast.fm/itunes1582713330/cluedunnit YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cluedunnitpodcast And don't forget to discover even more mysteries and community with us on Patreon! 

Today's episode of Hudson Mohawk Magazine is a holiday special created by Will Kempe's Players and an updated recording of "A Christmas Carol." Will Kempe's Players is a regional theater cooperative from Troy, NY that produces a wide range of theatrical performance utilizing the methods used by William Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Their aim is to create quality experiences by promoting an inclusive creative environment and making Shakespeare's works engaging and accessible to modern audiences while retaining historical authenticity. WillKempesPlayers.com

Merry Christmas! In between looking at houses to rent and packing up the Granger house in Oklahoma City, Nick and John put together this yuletide conversation about perhaps the most neglected of Rowling's influences, Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle. John was a reluctant reader, but, while listening to the audio book, reading the Gutenberg.com file on his computer, and digging the codex out of his packed boxes of books, the author of Harry Potter's Bookshelf was totally won over to Nick's enthusiasm for Castle.In fact, John now argues that, even if Rowling didn't read it until she was writing Goblet of Fire as some have claimed, I Capture the Castle may be the best single book to understand what it is that Rowling-Galbraith attempts to do in her fiction. Just as Dodie Smith has her characters explain overtly and the story itself delivers covertly, When Rowling writes a story, like Smith it is inevitably one that is a marriage of Bronte and Austen, wonderfully accessible and engaging, but with important touches in the ‘Enigmatist' style of Joyce and Nabokov, full of puzzles and twists in the fashion of God's creative work (from the Estecean logos within every man [John 1:9] continuous with the Logos) rather than a portrait of creation per se. Can you say ‘non liturgical Sacred Art'?And if you accept, per Nick's cogent argument, that Rowling read Castle many times as a young wannabe writer? Then this book becomes a touchstone of both Lake and Shed readings of Rowling's work — and Smith one of the the most important influences on The Presence.Merry Christmas, again, to all our faithful readers and listeners! Thank you for your prayers and notes of support and encouragement to John and for making 2025 a benchmark year at Hogwarts Professor. And just you wait for the exciting surprises we have in hand for 2026!Hogwarts Professor is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.The Twelve Questions and ‘Links Down Below' Referred to in Nick and John's I Capture the Castle Conversation:Question 1. So, Nick, we spoke during our Aurora Leigh recording about your long term project to read all the books that Rowling has admitted to have read (link down below!), first question why? and secondly how is that going?Rowling's Admitted Literary InfluencesWhat I want is a single internet page reference, frankly, of ‘Rowling's Admitted Literary Influences' or ‘Confessed Favorites' or just ‘Books I have Read and Liked' for my thesis writing so I needn't do an information dump that will add fifty-plus citations to my Works Cited pages and do nothing for the argument I'm making.Here, then, is my best attempt at a collection, one in alphabetical order by last name of author cited, with a link to at least one source or interview in which Rowling is quoted as liking that writer. It is not meant as anything like a comprehensive gathering of Rowling's comments about any author; the Austen entry alone would be longer than the whole list should be if I went that route. Each author gets one, maybe two notes just to justify their entry on the list.‘A Rowling Reading of Aurora Leigh' Nick Jeffery Talking about ‘A Rowling Reading of Aurora Leigh' Question 2. ... which has led me to three works that she has read from the point of view of writers starting out, and growing in their craft. Which leads us to this series of three chats covering Aurora Leigh by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith and the Little Women series by Louisa May Alcott. I read Castle during the summer. Amid all the disruptions at Granger Towers, have you managed to read it yet? How did you find it?Capturing Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle: Elizabeth Baird-Hardy (October 2011)Certain elements of the story will certainly resonate with those of us who have been to Hogwarts a fair few times: a castle with an odd combination of ancient and modern elements, but no electricity; eccentric family members who are all loved despite their individual oddities (including Topaz's resemblance to Fleur Delacour); travel by train; a character named Rose who may have been one of the reasons Rowling chose the name for Ron and Hermione's daughter; descriptions of food that make even somewhat questionable British cuisine sound tasty; and inanimate objects that have their own personalities (the old dress frame, which Rose and Cassandra call Miss Blossom, is voiced by Cassandra and sounds much like the talking mirror in Harry's room at the Leaky Caldron).But far more than some similar pieces, I Capture the Castle lends something less tangible to Rowling's writing. The novel has a tone that, like the Hogwarts adventures, seamlessly winds together the comic and the crushing in a way that is reflective of life, particularly life as we see it when we are younger. Cassandra's voice is, indeed, engaging, and readers will no doubt see how the narrative voice of Harry's story has some of the same features.A J. K. Rowling Reading of I Capture the Castle: Nick Jeffery (December 2025)Parallels abound for Potter fans. The Mortmain's eccentric household mirrors the Weasleys' chaotic warmth: loved despite quirks, from Topaz's nude communing with nature (evoking a less veiled Fleur Delacour) to Mortmain's intellectual withdrawal. Food descriptions—meagre yet tantalising—prefigure Hogwarts feasts, turning humble meals into sensory delights. Inanimate objects gain voice: the family dress-frame “Miss Blossom” offers advice, akin to the chatty mirrors or portraits in Rowling's world. Even names resonate—Rose Mortmain perhaps inspiring Ron and Hermione's daughter—and train journeys punctuate the plot.The Blocked Writer: James Mortmain, a father who spent his fame early and now reads detective novels in an irritable stupor, mirrors the “faded glory” or “lost genius” archetypes seen in Rowling's secondary characters, such as Xenophilius Lovegood and Jasper Chiswell.The Bohemian Stepmother: Topaz, who strides through the countryside in only wellington boots, shares the whimsical, slightly unhinged energy of a character like Luna Lovegood or Fleur Delacour.Material Yearning: The desperate desire of Cassandra's sister, Rose, to marry into wealth reflects the very real, non-magical pressures of class and poverty that Rowling weaves into Harry Potter, Casual Vacancy, Strike and The Ickabog.Leda Strike parallels: Leda Fox-Cotton the bohemian London photographer, adopts Stephen, the working-class orphan, and saves him from both unrequited love and the responsibility that comes with the Mortmain family.Question 3. [story of finishing the book last night by candle light in my electricity free castle] So, in short Nick, I thought it astonishing! I didn't read your piece until I'd finished reading Capture, of course, but I see there is some dispute about when Rowling first read it and its consequent influence on her as a writer. Can you bring us up to speed on the subject and where you land on this controversy?* She First Read It on her Prisoner of Azkaban Tour of United States?tom saysOctober 21, 2011 at 4:00 amIf I recall correctly, Rowling did not encounter this book until 1999 (between PoA & Goblet) when, on a book tour, a fan gave her a copy. This is pertinent to any speculation about how ‘Castle' might have influenced the Potter series.* Rowling Website: “Books I Read and Re-Read as a Child”Question 4. Which, when you consider the other books on that virtual bookshelf -- works by Colette, Austen, Shakespeare, Goudge, Nesbit, and Sewell's Black Beauty, something of a ‘Rowling's Favorite Books and Authors as a Young Reader' collection, I think we have to assume she is saying, “I read this book as a child or adolescent and loved it.” Taking that as our jumping off place, John, and having read my piece, do you wish you had read it before writing Harry Potter's Bookshelf?Harry Potter's Bookshelf: The Great Books behind the Hogwarts Adventures John Granger 2009Literary Allusion in Harry Potter Beatrice Groves 2017Question 5. So, yes, I certainly do think it belongs -- with Aurora Leigh and Little Women -- on the ‘Rowling Reader Essential Reading List.' The part I thought most interesting in your piece was, of course, the Shed elements I missed. Rowling famously said that she loved Jo Marsh in Little Women because, in addition to the shared name and the character being a wannabe writer, she was plain, a characteristic with which the young, plain Jane Rowling easily identified. What correspondences do you think Little Jo would have found between her life and Cassandra Mortmain's?* Nick Jeffery's Kanreki discussion of Rowling's House on Edge of Estate with Two Children, Bad Dad ‘Golden Thread' (Lethal White)Question 6. Have I missed any, John?* Rockefeller Chapel, University of ChicagoQuestion 7. Forgive me for thinking, Nick, that Cassandra's time in church taking in the silence there with all her senses may be the biggest take-away for the young Rowling; if the Church of England left their chapel doors open in the 70s as churches I grew up in did in the US, it's hard to imagine Jo the Reader not running next door to see what she felt there after reading that passage. (Chapter 13, conversation with vicar, pp 234-238). The correspondence with Beatrice Groves' favorite scene in the Strike novels was fairly plain, no? What other scenes and characters do you see in Rowling's work that echo those in Castle?* Chapter 13, I Capture the Castle: Cassandra's Conversation with the Vicar and time in the Chapel vis a vis Strike in the Chapel after Charlotte's Death* Beatrice Groves on Running Grave's Chapel Scene: ‘Strike's Church Going'Question 8. I'm guessing, John, you found some I have overlooked?Question 9. The Mortmain, Colly, and Cotton cryptonyms as well as Topaz and Cassandra, the embedded text complete with intratextuual references (Simon on psycho-analysis), the angelic servant-orphan living under the stairs (or Dobby's lair!) an orphan with a secret power he cannot see in himself, the great Transformation spell the children cast on their father, an experiment in psychomachia a la the Shrieking Shack or Chamber of Secrets, the hand-kiss we see at story's end from Smith, love delayed but expressed (Silkworm finish?), the haunting sense of the supernatural everywhere especially in the invocation that Rose makes to the gargoyle and Cassandra's Midsummer Night's Eve ritual with Simon, the parallels abound. Ghosts!* Please note that John gave “cotton” a different idiomatic meaning than it has; the correct meaning is at least as interesting given the Cotton family's remarkable fondness for all of the Mortmains!* Kanreki ‘Embedded Text' Golden Thread discussion 1: Crimes of Grindelwald* Kanreki ‘Embedded Text' Golden Thread discussion 2: Golden Thread Survey, Part II* Rose makes an elevated Faustian prayer to a Gargoyle Devil: Chapter IV, pp 43-46* Cassandra and Simon celebrate Midsummer Night's Eve: Chapter XII, pp 199-224Let's talk about the intersection of Lake and Shed, though, the shared space of Rowling's bibliography, works that shaped her core beliefs and act as springs in her Lake of inspiration and which give her many, even most of the tools of intentional artistry she deploys in the Shed. What did you make of the Bronte-Austen challenge that Rose makes explicitly in the story to her sister, the writer and avid reader?“How I wish I lived in a Jane Austen novel.” [said Rose]I said I'd rather be in a Charlotte Bronte.“Which would be nicest—Jane with a touch of Charlotte, or Charlotte with a touch of Jane?”This is the kind of discussion I like very much but I wanted to get on with my journal, so I just said: “Fifty percent each way would be perfect,” and started to write determinedly.Question 10. So, I'm deferring to both Elizabeth Barrett Browning and J. K Rowling. Elizabeth Barrett Browning valued intense emotion, social commentary, and a grand scope in literature, which led her to favour the passionate depth of the Brontës over the more restrained, ironical style of Jane Austen. Rowling about her two dogs: “Emma? She's a bundle of love and joy. Her sister, Bronte, is a bundle of opinions, stubbornness and hard boundaries.”Set in the 30s, written in the early 40s, but it seems astonishingly modern. Because her father is a writer, a literary novelist of the modern school, do you think there are other more contemporary novelists Dodie Smith was engaging than Austen and Bronte?Question 11. Mortmain is definitely Joyce, then, though Proust gets the call-out, and perhaps the most important possible take-away Rowling the attentive young reader would have made would have been Smith's embedded admiration for Joyce the “Enigmatist” she puts in Simon's mouth at story's end (Chapter XVI, pp 336-337) and her implicit criticism of literary novels and correction of that failing. Rowling's re-invention of the Schoolboy novel with its hidden alchemical, chiastic, soul-in-crisis-allegories and embedded Christian symbolism can all be seen as her brilliant interpretation of Simon's explanation of art to Cassandra and her dedication to writing a book like I Capture the Castle.* Reference to James Joyce by Simon Cotton, Chapter IX, p 139:* The Simon and Cassandra conversation about her father's novels, call it ‘The Writer as Enigmatist imitating God in His Work:' Chapter XVI, pp 331-334* On Imagination as Transpersonal Faculty and Non-Liturgical Sacred ArtSacred art differs from modern and postmodern conceptions of art most specifically, though, in what it is representing. Sacred art is not representing the natural world as the senses perceive it or abstractions of what the individual and subjective mind “sees,” but is an imitation of the Divine art of creation. The artist “therefore imitates nature not in its external forms but in its manner of operation as asserted so categorically by St. Thomas Aquinas [who] insists that the artist must not imitate nature but must be accomplished in ‘imitating nature in her manner of operation'” (Nasr 2007, 206, cf. “Art is the imitation of Nature in her manner of operation: Art is the principle of manufacture” (Summa Theologia Q. 117, a. I). Schuon described naturalist art which imitates God's creation in nature by faithful depiction of it, consequently, as “clearly luciferian.” “Man must imitate the creative act, not the thing created,” Aquinas' “manner of operation” rather than God's operation manifested in created things in order to produce ‘creations'which are not would-be duplications of those of God, but rather a reflection of them according to a real analogy, revealing the transcendental aspect of things; and this revelation is the only sufficient reason of art, apart from any practical uses such and such objects may serve. There is here a metaphysical inversion of relation [the inverse analogy connecting the principial and manifested orders in consequence of which the highest realities are manifested in their remotest reflections[1]]: for God, His creature is a reflection or an ‘exteriorized' aspect of Himself; for the artist, on the contrary, the work is a reflection of an inner reality of which he himself is only an outward aspect; God creates His own image, while man, so to speak, fashions his own essence, at least symbolically. On the principial plane, the inner manifests the outer, but on the manifested plane, the outer fashions the inner (Schuon 1953, 81, 96).The traditional artist, then, in imitation of God's “exteriorizing” His interior Logos in the manifested space-time plane, that is, nature, instead of depicting imitations of nature in his craft, submits to creating within the revealed forms of his craft, which forms qua intellections correspond to his inner essence or logos.[2] The work produced in imitation of God's “manner of operation” then resembles the symbolic or iconographic quality of everything existent in being a transparency whose allegorical and anagogical content within its traditional forms is relatively easy to access and a consequent support and edifying shock-reminder to man on his spiritual journey. The spiritual function of art is that “it exteriorizes truths and beauties in view of our interiorization… or simply, so that the human soul might, through given phenomena, make contact with the heavenly archetypes, and thereby with its own archetype” (Schuon 1995a, 45-46).Rowling in her novels, crafted with tools all taken from the chest of a traditional Sacred Artist, is writing non-liturgical Sacred Art. Films and all the story experiences derived of adaptations of imaginative literature to screened images, are by necessity Profane Art, which is to say per the meaning of “profane,” outside the temple or not edifying spiritually. Film making is the depiction of how human beings encounter the time-space world through the senses, not an imitation of how God creates and a depiction of the spiritual aspect of the world, a liminal point of entry to its spiritual dimension. Whence my describing it as a “neo-iconoclasm.”I want to close this off with our sharing our favorite scene or conversation in Castle with the hope that our Serious Reader audience will read Capture and share their favorites. You go first, Nick.* Cassandra and Rose Mortmain, country hicks in the Big City of London: Chapter VI, pp 76-77Question 12. And yours, John?* Cassandra Mortmain ‘Moat Swimming' with Neil Cotton, Chapter X, 170-174* Cassandra seeing her dead mother (think Harry before the Mirror of Erised at Christmas time?): Chapter XV, pp 306-308Hogwarts Professor is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

Episode: 2834 Wombs and Witchcraft: Edward Jorden's Suffocation of the Mother (1603).  Today, wombs and witchcraft.

Gwyneth Paltrow hasn't made a movie in seven years, but she's back on the big screen in 'Marty Supreme' — she tells Awardist host Gerrad Hall about how 'petrified' she was, about building her character's backstory, what she loved about working with Timothée Chalamet, and more. Plus, we look back on her Oscar win for 'Shakespeare in Love' and why it took her 25 years to come to terms with it, as well as 'Glee,' and what she thinks Pepper Potts has been up to. And Gerrad and EW Sr. Editor Joyce Eng share their thoughts on the Academy's decision to move the Oscars from broadcast TV to YouTube starting in 2029, as well as Harrison Ford being announced as SAG-AFTRA's next Life Achievement Honoree. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

During this time of year as many people are exchanging presents, I'm sure you're all wondering exactly how those various gadgets would be classified under the HO3 policy. So for this holiday week, we're sharing a classic episode featuring an excellent coverage scenario. The insured, a father of 4, was out buying Christmas gifts for his children. This year he decided to splurge and buy each of them a drone and an Apple Watch. On his way back home, he stopped to get gas, and when he went into the minimart for coffee, a thief stole everything out of the back seat. The insured notified the police and submitted a claim under his ISO 1991-edition HO3. The adjuster considers this to be a covered Theft loss, but she knows there are specific provisions in the policy for watches and aircraft. Notable Timestamps [ 00:17 ] - A theft claim is submitted for four drones and four smartwatches under the 1991 HO3. The question arises whether special provisions for aircraft and watches applies. [ 01:27 ] - The team debates the merits of drones and smartwatches, their capabilities for wall damage and dog-scaring, and the wisdom of being notified emails the instant they are received. [ 03:09 ] - A $1,000 special limit of liability applies to theft of "watches." Is an Apple Watch a watch? [ 03:42 ] - Alissha argues that smartwatches are too different from a basic time-telling watch, and is more like a phone. Smartwatches were likely not part of the original policy intent. [ 04:55 ] - Mike argues that it's called an "Apple Watch" -- its makers and users consider it a watch, even if it's more complex. [ 06:05 ] - The group quotes Shakespeare and Merriam-Webster; it tells the time and it's on your wrist, so… [ 06:30 ] - Grassie v. Merrimack Mut. Fire Ins. Co., 291 A.2d 254 (N.H. 1972) (watches that were inoperable and kept in display case were still subject to special limit of liability for theft of watches). [ 07:00 ] - Ambiguities are construed in favor of the insured. So both sides need to hire a good lawyer. [ 07:52 ] - How would the policy treat an iPhone strapped to your arm? Coverage C would likely provide full coverage for a smartphone. [ 09:51 ] -  "Property Not Covered" includes "aircraft"… but "model or hobby aircraft not used or designed to carry people or cargo" are covered.  [ 10:20 ] - Toy drones likely fall under hobby aircraft. [ 11:15 ] - This scenario looked at what's covered property, but a drone could also be a covered cause of loss, even if it destroys itself. [ 12:40 ] - Unlike BP and CP forms, there's no concern about the loss happening off-premises; homeowners get worldwide coverage for Coverage C. [ 14:19 ] - In the 2022 ISO form, a $2,000 special limit of liability applies to model or hobby aircraft. [ 15:51 ] - Under the recovered property provision, if the thief is caught after the amount is paid, the insured can choose to return the payment or have the insurer salvage the goods. [ 18:00 ] - Tim provides a recap of the scenario and the points above. Your PLRB Resources FAQ, Drones and First Party Property Coverage, http://search.plrb.org/?DN=60514 FAQ, Is a Drone an Aircraft Under the CGL Policy?, http://search.plrb.org/?DN=56440 Coverage Question on "Is An Apple Watch Considered A Watch Or A Computer?" - https://search.plrb.org/?dn=58826&src=gsa Employees of member companies also have access to a searchable legal database, hundreds of hours of video trainings, building code materials, weather data, and even the ability to have your coverage questions answered by our team of attorneys (https://www.plrb.org/container.cfm?conlink=sec/cq/default.cfm) at no additional charge to you or your company. Subscribe to this Podcast Your Podcast App - Please subscribe and rate us on your favorite podcast app YouTube - Please like and subscribe at @plrb LinkedIN - Please follow at "Property and Liability Resource Bureau" Send us your Scenario! Please reach out to us with your scenario! This could be your "adjuster story" sharing a situation from your claims experience, or a burning question you would like the team to answer. In any case, please omit any personal information as we will anonymize your story before we share. Just reach out to scenario@plrb.org. Legal Information The views and opinions expressed in this resource are those of the individual speaker and not necessarily those of the Property & Liability Resource Bureau (PLRB), its membership, or any organization with which the presenter is employed or affiliated. The information, ideas, and opinions are presented as information only and not as legal advice or offers of representation. Individual policy language and state laws vary, and listeners should rely on guidance from their companies and counsel as appropriate. Music: "Piece of Future" by Keyframe_Audio. Pixabay. Pixabay License. Font: Metropolis by Chris Simpson. SIL OFL 1.1. Icons: FontAwesome (SIL OFL 1.1) and Noun Project (royalty-free licenses purchased via subscription). Sound Effects: Pixabay (Pixabay License) and Freesound.org (CC0).

In this holiday-themed episode, a sentimental Jacke takes a look at Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol (1843), and the creation of Ebeneezer Scrooge. A version of this episode first aired in December 2020. That episode has not been available in our archives for several years. Join Jacke on a trip through literary England! Join Jacke and fellow literature fans on an eight-day journey through literary England in partnership with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠John Shors Travel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ in May 2026! Scheduled stops include The Charles Dickens Museum, Dr. Johnson's house, Jane Austen's Bath, Tolkien's Oxford, Shakespeare's Globe Theater, and more. Learn more by emailing jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or masahiko@johnshorstravel.com, or by contacting us through our website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. December update: Act soon - there are only two spots left! The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠gabrielruizbernal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Help support the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/literature ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com/donate ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Craig and Chris are joined from New York by Amelia Campbell, who plays Amanda on The Chair Company. Chris and Amelia are old friends from a Shakespeare production in San Diego, and the podcast gets into her casting process for The Chair Company, working with Tim Robinson and much more! 

Episode 87 Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold Mark McGuinness reads and discusses ‘Dover Beach' by Matthew Arnold. https://media.blubrry.com/amouthfulofair/media.blubrry.com/amouthfulofair/content.blubrry.com/amouthfulofair/87_Dover_Beach_by_Matthew_Arnold.mp3 Poet Matthew Arnold Reading and commentary by Mark McGuinness Dover Beach By Matthew Arnold The sea is calm tonight.The tide is full, the moon lies fairUpon the straits; on the French coast the lightGleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!Only, from the long line of sprayWhere the sea meets the moon-blanched land,Listen! you hear the grating roarOf pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,At their return, up the high strand,Begin, and cease, and then again begin,With tremulous cadence slow, and bringThe eternal note of sadness in. Sophocles long agoHeard it on the Aegean, and it broughtInto his mind the turbid ebb and flowOf human misery; weFind also in the sound a thought,Hearing it by this distant northern sea. The Sea of FaithWas once, too, at the full, and round earth's shoreLay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.But now I only hearIts melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,Retreating, to the breathOf the night-wind, down the vast edges drearAnd naked shingles of the world. Ah, love, let us be trueTo one another! for the world, which seemsTo lie before us like a land of dreams,So various, so beautiful, so new,Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;And we are here as on a darkling plainSwept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,Where ignorant armies clash by night. Podcast Transcript This is a magnificent and haunting poem by Matthew Arnold, an eminent Victorian poet. Written and published at the mid-point of the nineteenth century – it was probably written around 1851 and published in 1867 – it is not only a shining example of Victorian poetry at its best, but it also, and not coincidentally, embodies some of the central preoccupations of the Victorian age. The basic scenario is very simple: a man is looking out at the sea at night and thinking deep thoughts. It's something that we've all done, isn't it? The two tend to go hand-in-hand. When you're looking out into the darkness, listening to the sound of the sea, it's hard not to be thinking deep thoughts. If you've been a long time listener to this podcast, it may remind you of another poet who wrote about standing on the shore thinking deep thoughts, looking at the sea, Shakespeare, in his Sonnet 60: Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore,So do our minutes hasten to their end; Arnold's poem is not a sonnet but a poem in four verse paragraphs. They're not stanzas, because they're not regular, but if you look at the text on the website, you can clearly see it's divided into four sections. The first part is a description of the sea, as seen from Dover Beach, which is on the shore of the narrowest part of the English channel, making it the closest part of England to France: The sea is calm tonight.The tide is full, the moon lies fairUpon the straits; – on the French coast the lightGleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay. And as you can hear, the poem has a pretty regular and conventional rhythm, based on iambic metre, ti TUM, with the second syllable taking the stress in every metrical unit. But what's slightly unusual is that the lines have varying lengths. By the time we get to the third line: Upon the straits; – on the French coast the light There are five beats. There's a bit of variation in the middle of the line, but it's very recognisable as classic iambic pentameter, which has a baseline pattern going ti TUM, ti TUM, ti TUM, ti TUM, ti TUM. But before we get to the pentameter, we get two short lines: The sea is calm tonight.Only three beats; andThe tide is full, the moon lies fair – four beats. We also start to notice the rhymes: ‘tonight' and ‘light'. And we have an absolutely delightful enjambment, where a phrase spills over the end of one line into the next one: On the French coast the light,Gleams and is gone. Isn't that just fantastic? The light flashes out like a little surprise at the start of the line, just as it's a little surprise for the speaker looking out to sea. OK, once he's set the scene, he makes an invitation: Come to the window, sweet is the night-air! So if there's a window, he must be in a room. There's somebody in the room with him, and given that it's night it could well be a bedroom. So this person could be a lover. It's quite likely that this poem was written on Arnold's honeymoon, which would obviously fit this scenario. But anyway, he's inviting this person to come to the window and listen. And what does this person hear? Well, helpfully, the speaker tells us: Listen! you hear the grating roarOf pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,At their return, up the high strand,Begin, and cease, and then again begin,With tremulous cadence slow, and bringThe eternal note of sadness in. Isn't that just great? The iambic metre is continuing with some more variations, which we needn't go into. And the rhyme is coming more and more to the fore. Just about every line in this section rhymes with another line, but it doesn't have a regular pattern. Some of the rhymes are close together, some are further apart. There's only one line in this paragraph that doesn't rhyme, and that's ‘Listen! You hear the grating roar'. If this kind of shifting rhyme pattern reminds you of something you've heard before, you may be thinking all the way back to Episode 34 where we looked at Coleridge's use of floating rhymes in his magical poem ‘Kubla Khan'. And it's pretty evident that Arnold is also casting a spell, in this case to mimic the rhythm of the waves coming in and going out, as they ‘Begin, and cease, and then again begin,'. And then the wonderful last line of the paragraph, as the waves ‘bring / The eternal note of sadness in'. You know, in the heart of the Victorian Age, when the Romantics were still within living memory, poets were still allowed to do that kind of thing. Try it nowadays of course, and the Poetry Police will be round to kick your front door in at 5am and arrest you. Anyway. The next paragraph is a bit of a jump cut: Sophocles long agoHeard it on the Aegean, and it broughtInto his mind the turbid ebb and flowOf human misery; So Arnold, a classical scholar, is letting us know he knows who Sophocles, the ancient Greek playwright was. And he's establishing a continuity across time of people looking out at the sea and thinking these deep thoughts. At this point, Arnold explicitly links the sea and the thinking:                                     weFind also in the sound a thought,Hearing it by this distant northern sea. And the thought that we hear when we listen to the waves is what Arnold announces in the next verse paragraph, and he announces it with capital letters: The Sea of FaithWas once, too, at the full, and round earth's shoreLay like the folds of a bright girdle furled. And for a modern reader, I think this is the point of greatest peril for Arnold, where he's most at risk of losing us. We may be okay with ‘the eternal note of sadness', but as soon as he starts giving us the Sea of Faith, we start to brace ourselves. Is this going to turn into a horrible religious allegory, like The Pilgrim's Progress? I mean, it's a short step from the Sea of Faith to the Slough of Despond and the City of Destruction. And it doesn't help that Arnold uses the awkwardly rhyming phrase ‘a bright girdle furled' – that's not going to get past the Poetry Police, is it? But fear not; Arnold doesn't go there. What comes next is, I think, the best bit of the poem. So he says the Sea of Faith ‘was once, too, at the full', and then: But now I only hearIts melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,Retreating, to the breathOf the night-wind, down the vast edges drearAnd naked shingles of the world. Well, if you thought the eternal note of sadness was great, this tops it! It's absolutely fantastic. That line, ‘Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,' where the ‘it' is faith, the Sea of Faith. And the significance of the line is underlined by the fact that the word ‘roar' is a repetition – remember, that one line in the first section that didn't rhyme? Listen! you hear the grating roar See what Arnold did there? He left that sound hovering at the back of the mind, without a rhyme, until it came back in this section, a subtle but unmistakeable link between the ‘grating roar' of the actual sea at Dover Beach, and the ‘withdrawing roar' of the Sea of Faith: Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar, Isn't that the most Victorian line ever? It encapsulates the despair that accompanied the crisis of faith in 19th century England. This crisis was triggered by the advance of modern science – including the discoveries of fossils, evidence of mass extinction of previous species, and the theory of evolution, with Darwin's Origin of Species published in 1859, in between the writing and publication of ‘Dover Beach'. Richard Holmes, in his wonderful new biography of the young Tennyson, compares this growing awareness of the nature of life on Earth to the modern anxiety over climate change. For the Victorians, he writes, it created a ‘deep and existential terror'. One thing that makes this passage so effective is that Arnold has already cast the spell in the first verse paragraph, hypnotising us with the rhythm and rhyme, and linking it to the movement of the waves. In the second paragraph, he says, ‘we find also in the sound a thought'. And then in the third paragraph, he tells us the thought. And the thought that he attaches to this movement, which we are by now emotionally invested in, is a thought of such horror and profundity – certainly for his Victorian readers – that the retreat of the sea of faith really does feel devastating. It leaves us gazing down at the naked shingles of the world. The speaker is now imaginatively out of the bedroom and down on the beach. This is very relatable; we've all stood on the beach and watched the waves withdrawing beneath our feet and the shingle being left there. It's an incredibly vivid evocation of a pretty abstract concept. Then, in the fourth and final verse paragraph, comes a bit of a surprise: Ah, love, let us be trueTo one another! Well, I for one was not expecting that! From existential despair to an appeal to his beloved. What a delightful, romantic (with a small ‘r') response to the big-picture, existential catastrophe. And for me, it's another little echo of Shakespeare's Sonnet 60, which opens with a poet contemplating the sea and the passing of time and feeling the temptation to despair, yet also ends with an appeal to the consolation of love: And yet to times in hope my verse shall stand,blockquotePraising thy worth, despite his cruel hand. Turning back to Arnold. He says ‘let us be true / To one another'. And then he links their situation to the existential catastrophe, and says this is precisely why they should be true to each other: for the world, which seemsTo lie before us like a land of dreams,So various, so beautiful, so new,Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain; It sounds, on the face of it, a pretty unlikely justification for being true to one another in a romantic sense. But actually, this is a very modern stance towards romantic love. It's like the gleam of light that just flashed across the Channel from France – the idea of you and me against an unfeeling world, of love as redemption, or at least consolation, in a meaningless universe. In a world with ‘neither joy, nor love, nor light,' our love becomes all the more poignant and important. Of course, we could easily object that, regardless of religious faith, the world does have joy and love and light. His very declaration of love is evidence of this. But let's face it, we don't always come to poets for logical consistency, do we? And we don't have to agree with Matthew Arnold to find this passage moving; most of us have felt like this at some time when we've looked at the world in what feels like the cold light of reality. He evokes it so vividly and dramatically that I, for one, am quite prepared to go with him on this. Then we get the final three lines of the poem:We are here as on a darkling plainSwept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,Where ignorant armies clash by night. I don't know about you, but I find this a little jarring in the light of what we've just heard. We've had the magnificent description of the sea and its effect on human thought, extending that into the idea of faith receding into illusion, and settling on human love as some kind of consolation for the loss of faith. So why do we need to be transported to a windswept plain where armies are clashing and struggling? It turns out to be another classical reference, to the Greek historian Thucydides' account of the night battle of Epipolae, where the two armies were running around in the dark and some of them ended up fighting their own side in the confusion. I mean, fine, he's a classical scholar. And obviously, it's deeply meaningful to him. But to me, this feels a little bit bolted on. A lot of people love that ending, but to me, it's is not as good as some of the earlier bits, or at least it doesn't quite feel all of a piece with the imagery of the sea. But overall, it is a magnificent poem, and this is a small quibble. Stepping back, I want to have another look at the poem's form, specifically the meter, and even more specifically, the irregularity of the meter, which is quite unusual and actually quite innovative for its time. As I've said, it's in iambic meter, but it's not strictly iambic pentameter. You may recall I did a mini series on the podcast a while ago looking at the evolution of blank verse, unrhymed iambic pentameter, from Christopher Marlowe and Shakespeare's dramatic verse, then Milton's Paradise Lost and finally Wordsworth's Tintern Abbey. ‘Dover Beach' is rhymed, so it's not blank verse, but most of the techniques Arnold uses here are familiar from those other poets, with variations on the basic rhythm, sometimes switching the beats around, and using enjambment and caesura (a break or pause in the middle of the line). But, and – this is quite a big but – not every line has five beats. The lines get longer and shorter in an irregular pattern, apparently according to Arnold's instinct. And this is pretty unusual, certainly for 1851. It's not unique, we could point to bits of Tennyson or Arthur Hugh Clough for metrical experiments in a similar vein, but it's certainly not common practice. And I looked into this, to see what the critics have said about it. And it turns out the scholars are divided. In one camp, the critics say that what Arnold is doing is firmly in the iambic pentameter tradition – it's just one more variation on the pattern. But in the other camp are people who say, ‘No, this is something new; this is freer verse,' and it is anticipating free verse, the non-metrical poetry with no set line lengths that came to be the dominant verse form of the 20th century. Personally, I think you can look back to Wordsworth and see a continuity with his poetic practice. But you could equally look forward, to a link with T. S. Eliot's innovations in ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' and The Waste Land. Eliot is often described as an innovator in free verse, which is true up to a point, but a lot of his writing in that early period isn't strictly free verse; it's a kind of broken up metrical verse, where he often uses an iambic metre with long and short lines, which he varies with great intuitive skill – in a similar manner to Arnold's ‘Dover Beach'. Interestingly, when ‘Dover Beach' was first published, the reviews didn't really talk about the metre, which is ammunition for the people who say, ‘Well, this is just a kind of iambic pentameter'. Personally, I think what we have here is something like the well-known Duck-Rabbit illusion, where you can look at the same drawing and either see a duck or a rabbit, depending how you look at it. So from one angle, ‘Dover Beach' is clearly continuing the iambic pentameter tradition; from another angle, it anticipates the innovations of free verse. We can draw a line from the regular iambic pentameter of Wordsworth (writing at the turn of the 18th and 19th century) to the fractured iambic verse of Eliot at the start of the 20th century. ‘Dover Beach' is pretty well halfway between them, historically and poetically. And I don't think this is just a dry technical development. There is something going on here in terms of the poet's sense of order and disorder, faith and doubt. Wordsworth, in the regular unfolding of his blank verse, conveys his basic trust in an ordered and meaningful universe. Matthew Arnold is writing very explicitly about the breakup of faith, and we can start to see it in the breakup of the ordered iambic pentameter. By the time we get to the existential despair of Eliot's Waste Land, the meter is really falling apart, like the Waste Land Eliot describes. So overall, I think we can appreciate what a finely balanced poem Arnold has written. It's hard to categorise. You read it the first time and think, ‘Oh, right, another conventional Victorian melancholy lament'. But just when we think he's about to go overboard with the Sea of Faith, he surprises us and with that magnificent central passage. And just as he's about to give in to despair, we get that glimmering spark of love lighting up, and we think, ‘Well, maybe this is a romantic poem after all'. And maybe Arnold might look at me over his spectacles and patiently explain that actually, this is why that final metaphor of the clashing armies is exactly right. Friend and foe are running in first one direction, then another, inadvertently killing the people on the wrong side. So the simile gives us that sense of being caught in the cross-currents of a larger sweep of history. With all of that hovering in our mind, let's go over to the window once more and heed his call to listen to the sound of the Victorian sea at Dover Beach. Dover Beach By Matthew Arnold The sea is calm tonight.The tide is full, the moon lies fairUpon the straits; on the French coast the lightGleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!Only, from the long line of sprayWhere the sea meets the moon-blanched land,Listen! you hear the grating roarOf pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,At their return, up the high strand,Begin, and cease, and then again begin,With tremulous cadence slow, and bringThe eternal note of sadness in. Sophocles long agoHeard it on the Aegean, and it broughtInto his mind the turbid ebb and flowOf human misery; weFind also in the sound a thought,Hearing it by this distant northern sea. The Sea of FaithWas once, too, at the full, and round earth's shoreLay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.But now I only hearIts melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,Retreating, to the breathOf the night-wind, down the vast edges drearAnd naked shingles of the world. Ah, love, let us be trueTo one another! for the world, which seemsTo lie before us like a land of dreams,So various, so beautiful, so new,Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;And we are here as on a darkling plainSwept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,Where ignorant armies clash by night. Matthew Arnold Matthew Arnold was a British poet, critic, and public intellectual who was born in 1822 and died in 1888. His father was Thomas Arnold, the famed headmaster of Rugby School. Arnold studied Classics at Oxford and first became known for lyrical, melancholic poems such as ‘Dover Beach', ‘The Scholar-Gipsy', and ‘Thyrsis', that explore the loss of faith in the modern world. Appointed an inspector of schools, he travelled widely and developed strong views on culture, education, and society. His critical essays, especially Culture and Anarchy, shaped debates about the role of culture in public life. Arnold remains a central figure bridging Romanticism and early modern thought. A Mouthful of Air – the podcast This is a transcript of an episode of A Mouthful of Air – a poetry podcast hosted by Mark McGuinness. New episodes are released every other Tuesday. You can hear every episode of the podcast via Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your favourite app. You can have a full transcript of every new episode sent to you via email. The music and soundscapes for the show are created by Javier Weyler. Sound production is by Breaking Waves and visual identity by Irene Hoffman. A Mouthful of Air is produced by The 21st Century Creative, with support from Arts Council England via a National Lottery Project Grant. Listen to the show You can listen and subscribe to A Mouthful of Air on all the main podcast platforms Related Episodes Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold Episode 87 Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold Mark McGuinness reads and discusses ‘Dover Beach' by Matthew Arnold.Poet Matthew ArnoldReading and commentary by Mark McGuinnessDover Beach By Matthew Arnold The sea is calm tonight.The tide is full, the moon lies... Recalling Brigid by Orna Ross Orna Ross reads and discusses ‘Recalling Brigid’ from Poet Town. 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Merry Christmas! This holiday season, we're taking a trip back to one of the most extravagant Christmas celebrations of Shakespeare's lifetime—the Christmas of 1603, when the newly crowned James I hosted his first royal festivities as King of England. The court was alive with feasting, pageantry, and opulent merrymaking. It was a moment of political transition, and James made sure his first Christmas made a powerful impression. The newly renamed King's Men, Shakespeare's company, performed for the court, securing their new royal patronage. Alongside these performances were dazzling masques, intricate entertainments, and diplomatic displays designed to cement James's image as both a unifier and a sovereign of grandeur. This week, our guide through the glittering halls of Whitehall Palace in the winter of 1603 is Martin Wiggins, Senior Research Fellow at the Shakespeare Institute, Stratford Upon Avon, author of British Drama 1533–1642: A Catalogue, and President of the Malone Society. Today, Martin joins us to share what made this holiday season so historically important, how theater helped James define his kingship, and what the royal court's festivities can teach us about Shakespeare's world. Stay with us—we're about to unwrap a Christmas filled with drama, diplomacy, and theatrical delight. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Hamlet Podcast - a weekly exploration of Shakespeare's King Lear. Act IV Scene vi - Edgar, Gloucester and the Gentleman all respond to what has happened. Written and presented by Conor Hanratty

When the Entrepreneur gets off course with a theatre troupe, the real reason for the diversion is the lead actor might be Trogdor. But after the last remaining witnesses are eliminated one by one, Captain Kirk's interest in the young daughter of Karidian ends in another theatrical tragedy. When do you get “the executioner” added to your name? How many colony survivors are rocking full face? Who might sneak into a Sesame Street impression? It's the episode that introduces a new first-time segment!Support the production of Greatest TrekGet a thing at podshop.biz!Sign up for our mailing list!Greatest Trek is produced by Wynde PriddySocial media is managed by Rob Adler and Bill TilleyMusic by Adam RaguseaFriends of DeSoto for: Labor | Democracy | JusticeDiscuss the show using the hashtag #GreatestTrek and find us on social media:YouTube | Facebook | X | Instagram | TikTok | Mastodon | Bluesky | ThreadsAnd check out these online communities run by FODs: Reddit | USS Hood Discord | Facebook group | Wikia | FriendsOfDeSoto.social Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece The Godfather routinely tops lists of the greatest films ever made - and when it doesn't, it's often because its sequel, The Godfather II, has replaced it. In this episode, Jacke talks to author Karen Spence about her new book, The Companion Guide to the Godfather Trilogy: Betrayal, Loyalty, and Family. PLUS Elyse Graham (Book and Dagger: How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II) stops by to discuss her choice for the last book she will ever read. Join Jacke on a trip through literary England! Join Jacke and fellow literature fans on an eight-day journey through literary England in partnership with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠John Shors Travel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ in May 2026! Scheduled stops include The Charles Dickens Museum, Dr. Johnson's house, Jane Austen's Bath, Tolkien's Oxford, Shakespeare's Globe Theater, and more. Learn more by emailing jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or masahiko@johnshorstravel.com, or by contacting us through our website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Mid-December update: Act soon - there are only two spots left! The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠gabrielruizbernal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Help support the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/literature ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com/donate ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices