The Reader and the Writer

Shari Dragovich and Rhea Forney

0,0 (0)
Livres
Chaque semaine

Our lives, from their beginnings, are storied, and find their fullness when nestled securely within the Great Story; the one that opens, “In the Beginning…” Here on The Reader and the Writer, we delight in and give witness to that Great Story by reading and discussing those excellent works of literature written since. thereaderandthewriter.substack.com

-4 j

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea | Part 3

Welcome back to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. In this episode, Rhea and Shari continue to scratch their heads over Nemo. Who is this ever-mysterious figure?? They They discuss the narrative and wonder over the central conflict. Where is the story boiling? Who is the main character? is there a central conflict? Or simply a central question? They discuss character counterpoints, and revisit the question of freedom. They talk about isolation and the motif of time passing, and consider how these might be helping to express a deeper meaning. They talk about Twenty Thousand Leagues and the Great Conversation, especially the Great Story. Finally, they end this week’s discussion with a poetry reading: two poems they each thought of separately while reading this week’s section. For paid subscribers, look for this week’s show outline to come out later this week. Be sure to look through Rhea’s Reading Guide, especially the interactive map Rhea added that follows the Nautilus’s travels through the Pacific. Thanks for listening to this episode of The Reader & the Writer! If you liked what you heard, show it some ❤️ and pass it to some enigmatic folks you know. The Reader & the Writer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our literary work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Reader & the Writer at thereaderandthewriter.substack.com/subscribe
11 sept.

Welcome to Harry Potter!

Welcome to our next school-year long read, the Harry Potter series, by J. K. Rowling! In this episode, Rhea and Shari lay talk about their biggest excitements and apprehensions about doing a close read of Harry Potter. They lay out the reading schedule, and all the fun extras they have planned for paying subscribers. They discuss an ancient, four-layered approach to examining a literary work that they plan to bring to their Harry Potter reading, writing, and discussing. They talk about all the National Harry Potter Days to celebrate, zoom calls and chat threads to come…. And they accidentally start diving into the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. If you’d like to join in all the behind-the-scenes Harry Potter reading opportunities, be sure to become a paid subscriber. The cost is $30 or $5 a month. You can read about all our subscriber opportunities in this post. And, if you haven’t started reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, there’s no time to lose! Our first episode airs the first Friday of October (Oct. 2nd). Here is the link to R&W’s Harry Potter Slow Read page: Thanks for listening to this episode of The Reader & the Writer! If you enjoyed this episode, ❤️ it and share it with your fellow wizard loving friends! The Reader & the Writer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our literary work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Reader & the Writer at thereaderandthewriter.substack.com/subscribe
8 sept.

Twenty Thousand Leagues | Part 2

Welcome to our second episode of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. In this episode, Shari and Rhea discuss the possibility of the characters as archetypes, Nemo as an enigma, and the idea of the places of the novel (land, sea, and Nautilus) as acting in character-like ways. They wonder about the freedom - not freedom debate Aronnax and Nemo have at the beginning of the men’s captivity, and ask the question: What is really imprisoning Nemo that he is not free from but deluding himself into believing he acting free? They talk about stories the novel is in conversation with: Oedipus and the Sphinx, and Genesis 1-3 (Is Nemo a type of Adam? Will the story lead to salvation?). They revisit Mobilis N Mobili and wonder how language and sight are acting as motifs to greater themes. Be sure to check out Rhea’s Reading Guide for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea: If you are a paid subscriber, look for this episode’s outline to come to you via post and email: Wednesday, September 9th. (I am hoping to make our regular posting routine). Thanks for listening to this episode of The Reader & the Writer! If you liked this episode please ❤️ it and share it with other science romance lovers! The Reader & the Writer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our literary work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Reader & the Writer at thereaderandthewriter.substack.com/subscribe
4 sept.

Middlemarch | Book 8

Welcome to this final episode of Middlemarch by George Eliot. In this episode, Rhea and Shari discuss the arcs of the characters—in particular, they re-visit Rosamond’s arc (or not); the role of honor, duty, desire, societal expectations, and—of course—marriage and Middlemarch as the “home epic.” They talk about Eliot’s great use of irony throughout the novel, but in particular, her conversation and expression of “candour,” among Middlemarchers. They talk about the differences between how Rosamond, Dorothea, and Harriet Bulstrode each handle their “dark night of the soul,” and the final effect of each one’s suffering when the sun rises the next day. They talk at length about Eliot’s long quote from Pilgrim’s Progress in the Ch. 85 epigraph and how it brings a certain enlivening to Bulstrode’s character, and greater notes of grace undergirding the entire story itself. They go back to their beginning and look at how they might answer some of the questions they began this home epic with. Finally, they wonder what those “determining acts” are in their own lives; and the difference between an “ideal beauty” and the more remarkable, everlasting beauty found in those “un-historic acts” done by those “who lived faithfully a hidden life and rest in unvisited tombs.” Thank you so much for joining us these past eight months as we closely read Middlemarch! We do hope you’ll join us for the Harry Potter Series next! Here is the outline for this final Middlemarch episode. It is full of discussion questions, and personal journaling and study opportunities. Thanks for listening to this episode of The Reader & the Writer! If you liked this post, please ❤️ it and pass it around. The Reader & the Writer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our literary work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Reader & the Writer at thereaderandthewriter.substack.com/subscribe
1 sept.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea | Part 1

Welcome to our new slow read, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne! In this episode, Shari and Rhea introduce Jules Verne to one another and fellow readers. They talk about their mutual surprise and enjoyment of the story as much as they do, and about the fun of Verne’s wit and gentle jabs at all the countries and their cultures. They discuss Verne’s influences and how they see these at work within the text. They talk about his choice of the first person narrator, and how it this “historical” diary/journal style of telling lends itself to giving a “conferred authority” to the tall tale he’s telling. They wondered what the central conflict will ultimately be (man v. man? man v. God? man v. nature?…. ) They discussed other stories they’ve read (or watched) that Twenty Thousand Leagues seems to be in conversation with—however distantly (Rhea’s looking at you, Princess Bride movie!). They scratched their heads over what “Mobilis N Mobili” might come to mean—for the characters AND for us as readers. And they talk about Twenty Thousand Leagues as a genre-bending tale: the “scientific romance.” (Verne’s label, not ours.) Just a reminder, we begin our new subscription options with Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea for access to episode outlines—which act as extensive discussion guides and even unit study builders for those wishing to read in a group, teaching, or self-study setting. You can read about our subscription options at the beginning of this post: Here is Rhea’s Reading Guide to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea: Here is the reading schedule for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea: Thanks for listening to this episode of The Reader & the Writer! This post is public so feel free to share it. The Reader & the Writer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our literary work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Reader & the Writer at thereaderandthewriter.substack.com/subscribe
27 août

The Constant Nymph | Part 3

Welcome to this final episode of The Constant Nymph, by Margaret Kennedy. In this episode, Shari and Rhea discuss Tessa as the constant nymph, Kennedy’s dark motif of “belonging” (death by possession), and all the ways she uses famous poetry to enliven these ideas. And then there is the Othello connection: the Shakespearean tragedy of destructive jealousy, perceived love-triangles, and the devastating spiral of a soul. Finally, they discuss one fellow reader’s excellent question that connects The Constant Nymph to Middlemarch, and those themes of romance, realism, bohemianism, and those circumstances (lifestyles) that stunt the actualization of a human into full being. Here is the outline for this episode (This is the last week the outlines will be available for free): Thanks for listening to this episode of The Reader & the Writer! If you liked this episode, please ❤️ it and share it with someone who loves a good Shakespearean tragedy in modern garb! The Reader & the Writer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our literary work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Reader & the Writer at thereaderandthewriter.substack.com/subscribe
21 août

The Constant Nymph | Part 2

Welcome back to The Constant Nymph by Margaret Kennedy. In this episode, Shari and Rhea talk about the character Rhea loves to hate and Shari hates that she loves (not really… for either of us). They compare the new married couples of the story: how they are alike, how they differ; what drives them together and may ultimately drive them apart. They talk extensively of the artist’s muse: Who is Lewis’s muse? Who might Lewis unknowingly be the muse for? And they talk about sacred things: art, beauty, and what makes the beautiful life? Is art its own justification? Or is always in service of the “business of living beautifully”? Is chaos necessary to make the muse? Are beauty and danger inseparable? What do you think?? Below is this week’s outline complete with discussion questions for using in a group, or for your own musing. Just a reminder, starting in September all our outlines will be available behind a paywall. You can learn more about our new subscription options in this post. Thanks for listening to this episode of The Reader & the Writer! If you’re loving The Constant Nymph as much as we are, show it some ❤️, and share it with an artist you know. The Reader & the Writer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our literary efforts, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Reader & the Writer at thereaderandthewriter.substack.com/subscribe
11 août

The Constant Nymph | Part 1

Welcome to our close reading of The Constant Nymph by Margaret Kennedy! In this episode, Shari and Rhea introduce the story, give a short background of its evolution and success, then dive into the narrative. They talk about Kennedy’s wicked talent with characterization, and how she is able to create characters that are both vividly real and also “types” for her satirical purposes. They discuss the wild Sanger children and those adults in their lives—who they are drawn to, who they aren’t. They wonder whose point(s) of view will rise to the top; who the story will ultimately be about. They notice the bubbling up of the sacred and wonder how it will develop as a theme as the story continues. Be sure to check out Rhea’s Reading Guide for The Constant Nymph. Below you will find a PDF of this episode’s outline. For more information on future subscription access to our episode outlines (as discussed at the beginning of today’s episode), read the beginning of this post. Thanks for listening to this episode of The Reader & the Writer! If you enjoyed this episode, please ❤️ it and share it with others. The Reader & the Writer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our literary work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Reader & the Writer at thereaderandthewriter.substack.com/subscribe

Tout afficher (162)

Our lives, from their beginnings, are storied, and find their fullness when nestled securely within the Great Story; the one that opens, “In the Beginning…” Here on The Reader and the Writer, we delight in and give witness to that Great Story by reading and discussing those excellent works of literature written since. thereaderandthewriter.substack.com

Création

Shari Dragovich and Rhea Forney
Années d’activité

2022 - 2026
Épisodes

162
Classification

Tous publics
Copyright

© Shari Dragovich
Site web de l’émission

The Reader and the Writer