Critical Readings CriticalReadings.com
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- Arts
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Critical Readings examines key literary texts using close reading and critical analysis, and explains these approaches in discussion. Listeners will learn about the texts themselves and about how to approach a text for critical analysis.
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CR Episode 216: Antony and Cleopatra, Act I
The panel reads the first act of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, providing an historical overview of the events, and reading the text with attention given to the psychological motivations of the drama and their historical context within Roman culture.Continue reading
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CR Episode 215: Introduction to Lady Mary Wroth
The panel reads three poems by Lady Mary Wroth, from The Countess of Montgomery's Urania and Pamphilia to Amphilanthus, discussing their context, social impact, and the paradox of their genre conventionality but also Elizabethan authorial radicalism.Continue reading
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CR Episode 214: The Poetry of N. Scott Momaday
The panel reads three poems by N. Scott Momaday, including "The Delight Song of Tsoai-talee", "The Monoliths", and "Rings of Bone" with special attention to the usage of active and passive symbolism, and the function of time, stasis, and circularity.Continue reading
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CR Episode 213: Bartleby, the Scrivener
The panel discusses Melville's short story, "Bartleby, the Scrivener", and examines the symbolism of its characters, the meaning of Bartleby's passive resistance, and the various interpretations of the work in light of history and literary theory.Continue reading
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CR Episode 212: The Poetry of Amy Lowell
The panel reads three, middle-length poems by the XXth century imagist poet, Amy Lowell, with special attention to their use of garden-like symbolism, liminal spaces (physical and temporal), and the moon as a metaphorical representation of transience.Continue reading
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CR Episode 211: Later Poetry of Thomas Warton
The panel reads two later poems by Thomas Warton, including "Verses on Sir Joshua Reynolds's Painted Window at New College Oxford" and "Written at Vale-Royal Abbey in Cheshire," and considers them within the context of Anglicanism and the Enlightenment.Continue reading
Customer Reviews
Wonderful Insight and Recommendations
For a long time I have enjoyed writing self-reflective prose and poetry, but I’ve never felt I’ve had the tools to write well. This podcast has given me some inspiration to continue writing and experimenting both in writing and in music.
So few modern musicians still possess such rich poetic power (though Joe Pug and Marcus Mumford may be an exception). But, podcasts like this keep the knowledge of great poetry alive, so that just like Longfellow’s “footprints on the sands of time,” we might be inspired to keep the tradition alive.
I have greatly enjoyed listening to the wonderful depth and insight in this podcast, and I hope to continue writing and growing my own knowledge base.
Best poetry podcast
As a practicing poet, I have searched long and hard for podcasts that do in-depth analyses of the great works. Most just do snippets of readings, and many focus on contemporary free-versers with a political agenda who are, in the scheme of things, highly forgettable. Only a handful analyze works of the past, and this is the only one I’ve found that does multi-part episode series on longer works. Great for students, practitioners looking to better understand their craft, and general interest.
Brilliant
One of my favorite podcasts. Please, keep ‘em coming!