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Professing Literature

Professing Literature

David Anderson and Eric Williams

Why do great novels, poems and plays move us and excite us? How can they change the way we look at ourselves and the world? What do these authors have to teach us? Why do they matter? There are no better answers to these questions than those provided by the authors themselves. We want to let them speak. Professing Literature is not a broad summary of major works. Instead, it will zero in on one or two key passages, looking at them closely in order to figure out what is at stake. The goal will be to appreciate an author’s brilliance by seeing him or her in action. We will unpack key phrases, images and metaphors and we will consider the techniques the writer uses to make ideas come alive.

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Top 10 Professing Literature Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Professing Literature episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Professing Literature for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Professing Literature episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Professing Literature - EP07 - The Archer with the Bow | Beowulf
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11/15/21 • 78 min

Beowulf. A shining young warrior has crossed the water and saved the Danish people from a dreadful monster and his scarcely less dreadful mother. As the Danes honour Beowulf with feasting, gifts and music their aged king offers him some counsel. Hrothgar has ruled the Danes for fifty years, in times of triumph and adversity, and he wants to make sure his young friend can profit from his own hard-won wisdom.
Professing Literature is back! We'd love to hear what you think about this episode or any of the others. Please send questions, comments, or otherwise to [email protected].
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Theme Music: "Nobility" by Wicked Cinema
Opening Passage Music: "The White Birch" by Moorland Songs

You can also send comments and questions to Professing Literature via Text Message. Click here!

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Professing Literature - EP06 - Memories of Jane | Salinger, "The Catcher in the Rye"
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07/26/21 • 73 min

J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 11. Jane Gallagher had been the sort of girl who kept her kings in the back row. Is she still? As sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield unravels over the course of a few days in Manhattan his thoughts often return to Jane, who haunts his memory and is connected to so many of his most pressing obsessions: sex, vulnerability, change and authenticity.
As always, thanks for listening. Please send us your questions, comments, or otherwise to [email protected]. We love hearing from listeners!

You can also send comments and questions to Professing Literature via Text Message. Click here!

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T. S. Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” (Part One). This is the first of two episodes devoted to one of the most famous poems of the twentieth century, wherein Eliot’s enigmatic speaker invites us on an evening stroll through his memories, his fears and his inhibitions.

We'd love to hear what you think about this episode or any of the others. Please send questions, comments, or otherwise to [email protected].

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Theme Music: "Nobility" by Wicked Cinema

Opening Passage Music: “If My Companion” by John Dowland, performed by Jon Sayles

You can also send comments and questions to Professing Literature via Text Message. Click here!

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Professing Literature - EP01 - In the Middle of a Murder | Shakespeare, "Macbeth"
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04/22/21 • 65 min

Macbeth, Act Two, Scene Two. In the inaugural episode of Professing Literature we examine a conversation held in the aftermath of one of literature’s most famous murders. Macbeth has just stabbed a king to gain a throne he will never sit upon securely. His tense exchange of words with Lady Macbeth discloses the moral and psychological stakes of the act, and hints at the consequences that will follow.

You can also send comments and questions to Professing Literature via Text Message. Click here!

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Professing Literature - EP02 - Losing Your Way at a Picnic | Austen, "Emma"
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05/12/21 • 62 min

Emma, Vol 3, Chapter 7. A bright summer day in Surrey offers a sharp contrast to emotional storms. In this episode we discuss one of Jane Austen’s great set pieces, the picnic at Box Hill. Emma gets herself into deep trouble when she embarrasses an old friend, and the man who secretly loves her has to summon up the courage to tell her she was wrong.
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We started recording episodes about a year ago and are just now releasing them. We have a handful more of them to publish before we catch up. We hope you enjoy and thanks for listening!

You can also send comments and questions to Professing Literature via Text Message. Click here!

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Seamus Heaney, “Blackberry-Picking.” Today we consider a lyric poem from Death of a Naturalist, Seamus Heaney’s first collection (1966). In “Blackberry-Picking” Heaney recounts a memory from his childhood, or perhaps from the beginning of his childhood’s end.
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We started recording episodes about a year ago and are just now releasing them. We have a handful more of them to publish before we catch up. We hope you enjoy and thanks for listening!
If you have questions for Dr. Anderson, please email us at [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you.

You can also send comments and questions to Professing Literature via Text Message. Click here!

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A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act Four, Scene One. When four young aristocrats and a weaver spend a night in the forest outside of Athens they cross into the world of the faeries. The next morning they struggle to understand what happened.
We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please reach out with questions, comments, or critiques to [email protected]. We enjoy hearing from you!
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Theme Music: "Nobility" by Wicked Cinema

Opening Passage Music: "An Afternoon at the Versailles" by Cercles Nouvelles

You can also send comments and questions to Professing Literature via Text Message. Click here!

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T. S. Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” (Part Two). The conclusion of our discussion of “Prufrock,” Eliot’s seminal exploration of modern alienation.
Professing Literature is officially back! Thanks for your patience during our hiatus. We've got more episodes coming. Thanks so much for your support!
We'd love to hear what you think about this episode or any of the others. Please send questions, comments, or otherwise to [email protected].
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Theme Music: "Nobility" by Wicked Cinema

Opening Passage Music: “A Short Story” by Andrea Colella

You can also send comments and questions to Professing Literature via Text Message. Click here!

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Professing Literature - Retrospective 01 | From Macbeth to Midsummer (Episodes 1-10)
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08/08/22 • 60 min

David and Eric look back over the first series (episodes 1-10) of Professing Literature and David answers some listener questions. We got a great response from listeners and some great questions about episodes 1-10.
David also gives a few clues as to what's coming in the next series of episodes (Eric presses him on when there will be more Macbeth!).
As always, if you have any questions, comments, or otherwise, send us an email at [email protected].
----------
Theme Music: "Nobility" by Wicked Cinema

Opening Passage Music: "An Afternoon at the Versailles" by Cercles Nouvelles

You can also send comments and questions to Professing Literature via Text Message. Click here!

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Professing Literature - EP04 - Lunchbreak At the Victory Mansions | Orwell, "1984"
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07/05/21 • 63 min

George Orwell, 1984, Chapter One. The opening paragraphs of George Orwell’s novel seem innocuous, as a man named Winston Smith returns to his apartment building for lunch. However, from the first sentence onward Orwell estranges us from the world we take for granted and begins hinting at the nature of the totalitarian state which he feared might one day come into being.
As always, thanks for listening! We'd love to hear from you. Send us your questions, comments, or otherwise to [email protected].

You can also send comments and questions to Professing Literature via Text Message. Click here!

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FAQ

How many episodes does Professing Literature have?

Professing Literature currently has 25 episodes available.

What topics does Professing Literature cover?

The podcast is about Poetry, Literature, Fiction, Classic Literature, Shakespeare, Podcasts, Books, Education and Arts.

What is the most popular episode on Professing Literature?

The episode title 'EP07 - The Archer with the Bow | Beowulf' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Professing Literature?

The average episode length on Professing Literature is 74 minutes.

How often are episodes of Professing Literature released?

Episodes of Professing Literature are typically released every 39 days, 3 hours.

When was the first episode of Professing Literature?

The first episode of Professing Literature was released on Apr 22, 2021.

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