65 episodes

Where rhyme gets its reason!In a historical survey of English literature, I take a personal and philosophical approach to the major texts of the tradition in order to not only situate the poems, prose, and plays in their own contexts, but also to show their relevance to our own. This show is for the general listener: as a teacher of high school literature and philosophy, I am less than a scholar but more than a buff. I hope to edify and entertain!

The Classic English Literature Podcast M. G. McDonough

    • Arts
    • 5.0 • 1 Rating

Where rhyme gets its reason!In a historical survey of English literature, I take a personal and philosophical approach to the major texts of the tradition in order to not only situate the poems, prose, and plays in their own contexts, but also to show their relevance to our own. This show is for the general listener: as a teacher of high school literature and philosophy, I am less than a scholar but more than a buff. I hope to edify and entertain!

    More than the Dark Lady: Aemilia Lanyer's "Eve's Apology in Defense of Women"

    More than the Dark Lady: Aemilia Lanyer's "Eve's Apology in Defense of Women"

    Send us a Text Message.
    Today we look at Aemelia Lanyer's pioneering and influential work, "Eve's Apology in Defense of Women" from 1611's Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum.
    Support the Show.
    Please like, subscribe, and rate the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen. Thank you!

    Email: classicenglishliterature@gmail.com

    Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, and YouTube.

    If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting it with a small donation. Click the "Support the Show" button. So grateful!

    Podcast Theme Music: "Rejoice" by G.F. Handel, perf. The Advent Chamber Orchestra
    Subcast Theme Music: "Sons of the Brave" by Thomas Bidgood, perf. The Band of the Irish Guards
    Sound effects and incidental music: Freesounds.org
    My thanks and appreciation to all the generous providers!

    • 33 min
    Fair Youths and Dark Ladies: Shakespeare's Sonnets

    Fair Youths and Dark Ladies: Shakespeare's Sonnets

    Send us a Text Message.
    For our final episode focusing on Shakespeare, we look at his sonnets, arguably the most famous collection of lyric poems in the language.
    Support the Show.
    Please like, subscribe, and rate the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen. Thank you!

    Email: classicenglishliterature@gmail.com

    Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, and YouTube.

    If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting it with a small donation. Click the "Support the Show" button. So grateful!

    Podcast Theme Music: "Rejoice" by G.F. Handel, perf. The Advent Chamber Orchestra
    Subcast Theme Music: "Sons of the Brave" by Thomas Bidgood, perf. The Band of the Irish Guards
    Sound effects and incidental music: Freesounds.org
    My thanks and appreciation to all the generous providers!

    • 47 min
    "You taught me language": Shakespeare's The Tempest

    "You taught me language": Shakespeare's The Tempest

    Send us a Text Message.
    For our (probably) final episode on Shakespeare's plays, we sail through The Tempest, a late romance which has attracted historical and psychoanalytical interpretations, but stands out for many readers as perhaps a play in which a version of Shakespeare himself appears as the protagonist.  

    Audio clip from The Tempest ; 2004 Naxos AudioBooks.  Taken from The Internet Archive
    Support the Show.
    Please like, subscribe, and rate the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen. Thank you!

    Email: classicenglishliterature@gmail.com

    Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, and YouTube.

    If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting it with a small donation. Click the "Support the Show" button. So grateful!

    Podcast Theme Music: "Rejoice" by G.F. Handel, perf. The Advent Chamber Orchestra
    Subcast Theme Music: "Sons of the Brave" by Thomas Bidgood, perf. The Band of the Irish Guards
    Sound effects and incidental music: Freesounds.org
    My thanks and appreciation to all the generous providers!

    • 40 min
    The Felix Culpa: George Herbert's "Easter Wings"

    The Felix Culpa: George Herbert's "Easter Wings"

    Send us a Text Message.
    To mark the Easter holiday, we return to George Herbert, Jacobean poet and priest, and his most famous work, the pattern poem "Easter Wings."

    Here's a link to an image of the poem:

    https://clinicalpsychreading.blogspot.com/2016/03/easter-wings-george-herbert-15931633.html


    Support the Show.
    Please like, subscribe, and rate the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen. Thank you!

    Email: classicenglishliterature@gmail.com

    Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, and YouTube.

    If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting it with a small donation. Click the "Support the Show" button. So grateful!

    Podcast Theme Music: "Rejoice" by G.F. Handel, perf. The Advent Chamber Orchestra
    Subcast Theme Music: "Sons of the Brave" by Thomas Bidgood, perf. The Band of the Irish Guards
    Sound effects and incidental music: Freesounds.org
    My thanks and appreciation to all the generous providers!

    • 10 min
    Shakespeare: The Narrative Poems

    Shakespeare: The Narrative Poems

    Send us a Text Message.
    While most people know Shakespeare as a playwright, he saw himself as a poet in the quite traditional sense.  Today, we'll look at his two major narrative poems: Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece.

    clip from "Mrs. Robinson" by Paul Simon; perf. by Simon and Garfunkel. 1968.  Taken from We Got Good at It: A Wrecking Crew Anthology 1962-1971.  The Internet Archive.
    Support the Show.
    Please like, subscribe, and rate the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen. Thank you!

    Email: classicenglishliterature@gmail.com

    Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, and YouTube.

    If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting it with a small donation. Click the "Support the Show" button. So grateful!

    Podcast Theme Music: "Rejoice" by G.F. Handel, perf. The Advent Chamber Orchestra
    Subcast Theme Music: "Sons of the Brave" by Thomas Bidgood, perf. The Band of the Irish Guards
    Sound effects and incidental music: Freesounds.org
    My thanks and appreciation to all the generous providers!

    • 45 min
    Shakespeare's The Tragedy of King Lear and the Absurdity of Suffering

    Shakespeare's The Tragedy of King Lear and the Absurdity of Suffering

    Send us a Text Message.
    The Tragedy of King Lear, while considered by many as Shakespeare's greatest play, is also his most devastating.  In this episode, we consider what Lear has to say about the meaning of human suffering.
    Support the Show.
    Please like, subscribe, and rate the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen. Thank you!

    Email: classicenglishliterature@gmail.com

    Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, and YouTube.

    If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting it with a small donation. Click the "Support the Show" button. So grateful!

    Podcast Theme Music: "Rejoice" by G.F. Handel, perf. The Advent Chamber Orchestra
    Subcast Theme Music: "Sons of the Brave" by Thomas Bidgood, perf. The Band of the Irish Guards
    Sound effects and incidental music: Freesounds.org
    My thanks and appreciation to all the generous providers!

    • 43 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
1 Rating

1 Rating

Top Podcasts In Arts

Sesli Kitap Dünyası
Sesli Kitap Dünyası
Ben Okurum
Storytel
Yemekte Bile Yemek Konuşuyoruz
Nilay Örnek, Sinan Hamamsarılar
Bibliyoterapi
Podbee Media
Radyo Tiyatrosu
TRT Dinle
Edebiyat Pod
Podcaster App

You Might Also Like

In Our Time: Culture
BBC Radio 4
The History of Literature
Jacke Wilson / The Podglomerate
In Our Time
BBC Radio 4
Arts & Ideas
BBC Radio 4
In Our Time: Philosophy
BBC Radio 4
The History of English Podcast
Kevin Stroud