The Classic Literature Podcast.

Jeremy R McCandless
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A Bi-Monthly podcast that looks at famous classic books and analysis them  with an eye on any original Christian cultural perspectives.  Season 1 Charles Dickens. Season 2 - William Shakespeare

Episodes

  1. MAR 29

    Charles Dickens. Martin Chuzzlewit (1844) , “Martin Chuzzle-what?”

    Send us Fan Mail Charles Dickens - The Old Curiosity Shop.  (Please note this episode was the first of My Charles Dickens episodes originally recorded in 2025 as a free 'subscribes  only' bonus episode for people following the Bible Project Daily Podcast on Patreon).  Episode Notes: Hello and welcome to today’s episode, where I drop into the world of Martin Chuzzlewit—the Dickens novel that even some Dickens fans sometimes only pretend they’ve read. If Oliver Twist would become a popular kids' movie, and A Christmas Carol everybody’s favourite sentimental movie. Martin Chuzzlewit is more like that eccentric foreign film that shows up on late-night TV and insists on the character discussing opaque philosophy in its subtitles. But don’t be fooled by its reputation. This novel is a spiritual goldmine wrapped in satire, stuffed with schemers, and sprinkled with just enough organ music and malaria to keep things interesting. We’ve got hypocrites, murderers, and one man who believes true happiness only counts if you earn it in a swamp. So, let’s step into the Chuzzleverse, where selfishness reigns, grace surprises, and even the most stubborn hearts can be softened…. Support the show Follow all my Creative endeavours on Patreon. Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon Check out my other Podcasts. The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast). https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891

    35 min

  2. MAR 29

    Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens (1848). Pride, Loss, and the God Who Breaks Our Certainties.

    Send us Fan Mail When Charles Dickens published Dombey and Son in 1846, he stepped into a deeper, darker, and more mature phase of his writing. If A Christmas Carol is the gospel wrapped in snow and candlelight, Dombey and Son is the truth spoken through grief, pride, and the slow unravelling of a man who believes he is untouchable. Spiritually, Dombey and Son is a story of idolatry and it undoing. It echoes the wisdom literature of the Bible, books like Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and even Job. Dombey is the man who gains the world yet loses his soul. He is the rich man who cannot see Lazarus at his gate. He is the father who longs for a son to carry his name yet cannot see the daughter who already carries his heart. And yet—this is also a story of grace. Not the sudden, jubilant grace of Scrooge’s Christmas morning, but the slow, painful grace that comes through suffering. Through loss. Through the breaking of illusions. In this book, Dickens shows us that sometimes God heals not by adding, but by taking away. Not by lifting us up, but by bringing us low enough to see clearly. So, as we open Dombey and Son, we step into a story where the gospel is not shouted but spoken quietly. A story where pride is dismantled, and ahuman heart is slowly, painfully, beautifully remade…. Support the show Follow all my Creative endeavours on Patreon. Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon Check out my other Podcasts. The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast). https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891

    41 min

  3. MAR 15

    Charles Dickens Barnaby Rudge (1841) Fanaticism, and the Mob.

    Send us Fan Mail Charles Dickens - Barnaby Rudge.  (Please note this episode was originally recorded in December 2025 as a free 'subscribes  only' bonus episode for people following the Bible Project Daily Podcast on Patreon).  To obtain the Copyright free recording of this book that I used in this recording by Actress Mil Nicholson  visit: Barnaby Rudge (version 2) |  Episode Notes: Barnaby Rudge, Dickens’s first historical novel, begins in the quiet village of Chigwell—but it doesn’t stay there, or for that matter quiet, for long. The year is 1775, and England is simmering. Beneath the surface of tavern talk and family feuds lies a deeper unrest—religious tension, political manipulation, and the slow build-up of mob violence. By the time the novel reaches its midpoint, the Gordon Riots of 1780 have erupted. These were real events—an anti-Catholic uprising that turned London into a temporary war zone. Churches were burned. Prisons were stormed. The streets ran with fear. And Dickens, writing in 1841, uses this historical moment to ask an important and some would say timeless question: What happens when religion is weaponized? From a theological perspective, Barnaby Rudge is a meditation on fanaticism. It shows how religious language can be twisted into slogans. How spiritual conviction can be hijacked by political rage. And how the mob—once stirred—becomes a beast with no conscience that is impossible to control. In many ways, Barnaby Rudge is Dickens’s warning to the church. That when faith loses love, it becomes dangerous and that when theology loses humility, it becomes violent. And that when religion loses Christ, it moves from being a movement to becoming a riot. This novel also reflects the spiritual climate of Dickens’s own time. In 1841, England was wrestling with reform, class tension, and religious division. The Chartist movement was rising. The poor were restless. And Dickens, ever the prophet, saw the parallels. So, he wrote a story not just of history, but of humanity. Of how fear breeds fury. Of how prejudice breeds persecution. And of how the gospel must stand against the mob—not with swords, but with sacrifice. Support the show Follow all my Creative endeavours on Patreon. Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon Check out my other Podcasts. The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast). https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891

    51 min

  4. MAR 1

    Charles Dickens. Nicholas Nickleby. (1839) Courage, Compassion, and the Gospel of Justice.

    Send us Fan Mail Charles Dickens. Nicholas Nickleby. (1839)   (Please note this episode was originally recorded in Oct 2025 as a free 'subscribes  only' bonus episode for people following the Bible Project daily Podcast on Patreon).  Episode Notes: In this episode, we journey through Nicholas Nickleby—Dickens’s third novel and his first great act of moral protest. From the cruelty of Dotheboys Hall to the compassion of the Cheeryble brothers, we’ll explore how justice, mercy, and restoration echo through every chapter. Join me as we meet a young man who chooses to speak—and a broken world that begins to heal. What if courage was simply the gospel in action? Support the show Follow all my Creative endeavours on Patreon. Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon Check out my other Podcasts. The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast). https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891

    48 min

  5. FEB 15

    Charles Dickens - The Old Curiosity Shop (1841) - Innocence on the Edge of Eternity.

    Send us Fan Mail Charles Dickens - The Old Curiosity Shop.  (Please note this episode was originally recorded in Oct 2025 as a free 'subscribes  only' bonus episode for people following the Bible Project Daily Podcast on Patreon).  To obtain the Copyright free recording of this book that I used in this recording by Actress Mil Nicholson  visit: The Old Curiosity Shop (version 2) | LibriVox Episode Notes::  Today, I turn my attention to The Old Curiosity Shop, Dickens’s fourth major novel, published in 1840–41. It follows Nicholas Nickleby and marks a shift—from satire and protest to pathos and pilgrimage. This is Dickens at his most emotionally raw, most spiritually provocative, and most narratively daring. At the heart of the story is Nell Trent—a young girl of extraordinary innocence, navigating a world of greed, decay, and moral collapse. She travels with her grandfather, whose love is deep but whose choices are destructive. Together, they wander through England’s underbelly—meeting gamblers, beggars, saints, and sinners. And always, death is near. This is not a novel of triumph. It is a novel of tenderness. Of fragility. Of grace in the gutter. And for Victorian readers, it was overwhelming. Nell’s fate became a national obsession. Her death scene was mourned like a real one. The Old Curiosity Shop is a meditation on mortality, mercy, and the mystery of suffering. Nell is not just a character—she is a symbol. Of childlike faith. Of sacrificial love. Of the gospel lived in silence. In this episode, I’ll suggest that Dickens uses Nell’s journey to ask the deepest questions: Questions like. What does it mean to be good in a broken world? Can innocence survive corruption? And is death always a defeat—or can it be a doorway to something better? So, join me as we walk with Nell through the shadow of death, praying that we might fear no evil, because the Spirit of the Lord is with us.  Support the show Follow all my Creative endeavours on Patreon. Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon Check out my other Podcasts. The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast). https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891

    48 min

  6. FEB 1

    Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens - The Gospel in Rags. (1837)

    Send us Fan Mail What if the most Christlike figure in a Dickens novel wasn’t a clergyman… but a condemned woman? In this episode, we walk through the shadows of Oliver Twist—from the innocence of Oliver to the sacrifice of Nancy, and the judgment that falls upon Sikes. Join me as we uncover how Dickens used fiction to preach mercy, confront cruelty, and stir the soul. Last time, we wandered through the comic countryside of The Pickwick Papers, where joy was abundant, trousers were frequently misplaced, and grace came wrapped in a cravat. But today, the tone shifts. The laughter softens. The shadows lengthen. Because now, we turn the page to Oliver Twist. Oliver Twist is not just a novel—it’s a cry. A cry against cruelty, against hypocrisy, against a society that punishes the vulnerable and rewards the corrupt. But it’s also, I believe, a cry of hope. Because even in the darkest alley, Dickens insists that light can break through. That grace can find the lost.  In this episode, we’ll explore how Oliver Twist and we’ll meet characters who embody both sin and salvation. We’ll trace the spiritual arc of a boy who begins with nothing but a name—and ends with a family, a future, and the hope of redemption. Support the show Follow all my Creative endeavours on Patreon. Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon Check out my other Podcasts. The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast). https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891

    48 min
  7. The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens (1837) Piety, and the Gospel of Good Cheer.

    JAN 18

    The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens (1837) Piety, and the Gospel of Good Cheer.

    Send us Fan Mail Today, we’re turning the page on the book that started it all: The Pickwick Papers.  This is Dickens before the fog, before the orphans, before the murderers and moral reckonings. It’s his debut novel, published in 1836, and it’s bursting with youthful exuberance, absurd adventures, and a kind of joy that insists that life, despite its pratfalls, is worth celebrating. We meet Mr. Samuel Pickwick, a rotund gentleman of leisure with a heart as generous as both his waistline and his waistcoat. He and his fellow club members set out to observe the world, and what they find is a parade of eccentric characters, courtroom mishaps, romantic entanglements, and one very persistent cab driver. It’s a novel that doesn’t so much have a plot as a pilgrimage—a wandering through the English countryside in search of truth, laughter, and the occasional punch-up. But beneath the slapstick and satire, there’s something spiritually resonant here.  The Pickwick Papers is a celebration of kindness, loyalty, and the power of friendship. Mr. Pickwick himself is no theologian, but he lives out the gospel in action—defending the vulnerable, forgiving the foolish, and offering hospitality wherever he goes. In a world that often rewards cynicism, Pickwick chooses grace. Support the show Follow all my Creative endeavours on Patreon. Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon Check out my other Podcasts. The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast). https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891

    24 min
  8. The Classic Literature Podcast Season 1, Episode 1. Charles Dickens and the Victorian Gospel Imagination. Introduction

    JAN 4

    The Classic Literature Podcast Season 1, Episode 1. Charles Dickens and the Victorian Gospel Imagination. Introduction

    Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The First Ever Episode of The Classic Literature Podcast. “In the beginning was the Word…” — John 1:1 Welcome to The Classic Literature Podcast. I’m your host, Jeremy McCandless, and I’m so glad you’ve joined me for this first episode of a new bi-monthly journey—one that explores the great works of classic literature, approaching these great books via the world out of which they emerged—a cultural heritage, rich in spiritual metaphor. Each season, we’ll walk alongside the giants of literary history—authors who in many ways have shaped nations, stirred hearts, whilst at the same time wrestling with the deepest questions of human existence. But we won’t just admire their craft. We’ll ask: What spiritual soil did these stories grow from? What echoes of grace and redemption resound within their pages? 📚 Season One: Charles Dickens  We begin with the novels of Charles Dickens—a man whose fiction is steeped in the moral imagination of Victorian Christianity. From the haunting redemption arc of A Christmas Carol to the prophetic justice of Bleak House, Dickens wrote with a heart attuned to the poor, the broken, and the spiritually blind. His characters often stumble toward grace, and his stories pulse with biblical echoes—sometimes overt, sometimes hidden in metaphor. 🎭 Season Two: William Shakespeare  Next, we’ll turn to the Bard himself. Shakespeare’s plays are rich with theological tension—mercy and justice, sin and forgiveness, fall and restoration. Whether in the tragic unravelling of King Lear or the resurrection joy of The Winter’s Tale, we’ll explore how Shakespeare’s work reflects the Christian cosmology of his time, and how his characters mirror the soul’s journey toward light. 🌍 Future Seasons   Looking ahead, we’ll dig into Russian soul with Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, we will also hopefully explore the moral clarity of Jane Austen, and trace the spiritual storms of the Brontë sisters. Each season will offer fresh insight into how these authors wrestled with faith, doubt, virtue, and the divine drama of human life. So whether you’re a lover of literature, a seeker of spiritual depth, or simply curious about the spiritual threads woven through some of the world’s greatest novels, this podcast is for you. Let’s begin this journey together. Let’s read with reverence, reflect with honesty, and rediscover the stories that shaped our culture—and still speak to our souls. Support the show Follow all my Creative endeavours on Patreon. Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon Check out my other Podcasts. The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast). https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891

    28 min
  • 8 Episodes

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A Bi-Monthly podcast that looks at famous classic books and analysis them  with an eye on any original Christian cultural perspectives.  Season 1 Charles Dickens. Season 2 - William Shakespeare

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