76 episodes
Versecraft Elijah Perseus Blumov
-
- Arts
-
-
4.7 • 23 Ratings
-
Exploring the art of poetry through the craft of some of the world's best but most underrated poems.
-
A Lover's Quarrel with Robert Frost
Soundtrack to this episode Topics discussed in this episode include:-The Beatles-Beatles documentary "Get Back" -"The Other Frost" by Randall Jarrell-"Robert Frost: or, the Spiritual Drifter as Poet" by Yvor Winters-"The Other Other Frost" by William Logan-"The Themes of Robert Frost" by Robert Penn Warren-"A History of Modern Poetry" by David Perkins-Phalaecian hendacasyllabics-Catullus I -Plato's "Symposium" Frost poems mentioned/discussed:-The Road Not Taken-Stopping by...
-
Guardians of Matter: Timothy Steele's "Anima" and the Pathetic Fallacy
Soundtrack to this episodeFor text of poem, please see episode transcript at versecraft.buzzsprout.com.Topics discussed in this episode include: -C'est Moi, MBS's response to my episode Giving the Devil His Due-My review of Matthew's book, "Midlife," entitled The Poet Laureate of Crushed Dreams-My episode on the Pathetic Fallacy with Matthew and Alice-"Of the Pathetic Fallacy" by John Ruskin-Who're you callin "pathetic?" -Pro and Contra-Figurative language vs. the fallacy-The new edition...
-
Giving the Devil His Due: The Value of the Romantic Anti-Hero
Soundtrack to this episodeTopics discussed in this episode include:-"The Roots of Romanticism" by Isaiah Berlin-The Jena Set and the Schlegels-"Rousseau and Romanticism" by Irving Babbitt-Harold Bloom-"Science, Politics, and Gnosticism" by Eric Voegelin-"Classic, Romantic, and Modern" by Jacques Barzun-Inferno IV and XXVI-Prometheus Bound (probably not by Aeschylus)-"Paradise Lost" by the GOAT -The spiritual paradox of Romanticism-Turns out limbo parties aren't so fun-Nostalgia for Christiani...
-
"Apollinian" by Amit Majmudar
Soundtrack to this episodeText of poemTopics discussed in this episode:-My sojourn in Gaul-ITER! -Atomic Fusion-The contemptible STEM/Humanities divide-Amit Majmudar! -Sleerickets Episode 144-Amphibrachic hexameter-"The Birth of Tragedy" by Friedrich Nietzsche-The Solar Cycle-Apollo, the inverse Romantic-Homer's Odyssey-The myth of Daphne-Rage or Oblivion?-Come see David, Matthew, and Ryan JUNE 13TH and Amit JULY 11TH!!Support the Show.BUY VERSECRAFT MERCH HERE.Please subscribe, rate, and rev...
-
"Eurydice On the Art of Poetry" by Shane McCrae
COME OUT TO CLEVELAND June 13th to hear David, Matthew, and Ryan read! Soundtrack to this episode Topics discussed in this episode include: -Au revoir until June! -"The Birth of Tragedy" by Friederich Nietzsche-"The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde-"Pere Goriot" by Honore de Balzac-The aesthetic parasite-"And Which of Them In Time Would Be Betrayed" by Derek Walcott-"The Georgics" by Publius Vergilius Maro-"The Metamorphoses" by Publius Ovidius Naso-The tale of...
-
Folie a Deux: Laura Riding and Robert Graves
Soundtrack to today's episodeTopics discussed in this episode include:-"On Portents" by Robert Graves-"The White Goddess" by Robert Graves-"Life With The Real White Goddess" by Louis Simpson-Poetry Messiah Witch Cult-The Fugitives-Misadventures in polyamory-"A Survey of Modernist Poetry" by Riding & Graves-"The Cool Web" by Robert Graves-The squishiness of children-The double-edged sword of language-"Rational Meaning: A New Foundation for the Definition of Words" by Laura Riding-"Death As...
Customer Reviews
One more year of this and I am going to like poetry
Elijah takes us through his uniquely comprehensive intelligence to understand a single poem. It’s a great journey. He’s the course you wish you took in college.
Refreshing
While the preface indicates that this is a podcast for poetic dissection, there is much more on offer.
Versecraft topics run the gambit from homosexuality to feminism to suicide to lust, history, music, abortion, rap, love, and on, and on.. the ground covered is broad and can be bold. It doesn’t just poke at the heart of what humans can really do with language, but what we choose to communicate and how. It presents a poetry which you can interpret, rather than intuit alone.
In a world that is flush with feelings of meaninglessness and nihilism Versecraft offers a refreshingly purposeful and serious take on the human experience, as viewed through a particular artistic window.
Not to say some of the content isn’t controversial- Elijah definitely rubs the established poetry community the wrong way at times. However, though some may bristle at the delivery, as a podcast Versecraft has ample entertainment and educational value to go along with that bold, refreshing perspective. 5/5.
An exceptionally thoughtful and well-crafted podcast
I discovered Versecraft during a Keats binge over the weekend. My goal was to hear as many of the great poems spoken aloud as possible, and so I came to this first because I enjoyed Blumov’s recitation of “On First Seeing the Elgin Marbles” more than the other options. His commentary turned out to be even more of a highlight. I appreciated his sophistication in making a strong, interpretive reading without veering off into speculation. I also enjoyed his use of critical terms for the sake of fluid communication (we hear of topoi and trochaic substitutions) while resisting the urge toward jargon for its own sake. Since listening to the Keats episode I’ve also tuned in for “Marriage as a Problem of Universals” and the intercalated episode on the nature of art. I’ve been impressed by each of these and look forward to hearing more in the future!