Join David, Heidi, and special guest, Karen Swallow Prior, for a conversation about this very famous and much-taught novel. Conversation touches on why this book has such a significant role in American English classrooms; Chillingsworth’s, well, chilling role; little Pearl’s emergence as a meaningful character; and much more. As always: happy listening! Close Reads HQ is a community-supported endeavor. If you like it, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

The Scarlet Letter: Chapters 4-8

It’s become an annual tradition to invite the one-and-only Karen Swallow Prior on the show to discuss a classic novel, and this time around it’s Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter. In this first episode of the series, we chatted about that difficult opening section, “The Customs House”; why Karen chose to include this book in her series of annotated classic novels for B&H Publishing (alongside Austen, Hardy, Conrad, Bronte, etc.); ways Hawthorne seems to be working out his connection to his family’s long and fraught history; and much more! Happy listening!Close Reads HQ is a community-supported endeavor. To help ensure that future episodes get produced, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

The Scarlet Letter: Customs House - Chapter 3

You have questions, we’ve got thoughts! So click that play button and dig into this conversation on The Optimist’s Daughter! Please note: next week we will be off, but after that we will begin conversations on The Scarlet Letter with very special guest Karen Swallow Prior!  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

The Optimist's Daughter: Q&A

What’s up with the birds? Is Fay even more despicable than we initially considered? Is the ending hopeful? Join David, Heidi, and Sean as they discuss these—and many other—questions on this week’s discussion of Eudora Welty’s The Optimist’s Daughter. Happy listening! Close Reads HQ is a community-supported endeavor. If you value what we do here, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

The Optimist's Daughter: Parts 3 & 4

Welcome to a new series of episodes on a new book! This week David, Heidi, and Sean are digging into Eudora Welty’s Pulitzer Prize winner, discussing such topics as the book’s similarities to Jane Austen’s work, whether Faye is purely an antagonist, the very Southern sense of humor in the story, and much more! Happy listening! Close Reads HQ is a community-supported endeavor. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber!  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

The Optimist's Daughter: Parts 1 and 2

Join Heidi and Sean as they answer your questions about Georges Bernanos’ novel! Thanks so much for participating in the conversation and happy listening! Up next, we’ll be discussing Eudora Welty’s The Optimist’s Daughter, starting with parts 1 and 2.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

The Diary of a Country Priest: Q&A Episode

This week Sean & Heidi discuss the priest’s last days, his four final encounters, the purpose of the diary, and the mingling of grace and suffering that pervades the novel. JOIN US FOR “CLOSE READS ON THE ROAD” IN AUGUST, IN ATLANTA!  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

The Diary of a Country Priest: Chapters 7-8 (Finis)

David’s sick, so this week Heidi and Sean discuss letting go of worldly attachments, the value of the priest’s weakness, his first spiritual successes, and his changing relationship with the diary.  Close Reads is a community-supported endeavor. Please consider supporting our work by subscribing today!  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

Diary of a Country Priest: Chapters 5-6

Join David, Heidi, and Sean as they discuss insomnia, despair, the spiritual dark night of the soul, and much, much more found in Bernanos’ deeply contemplative novel. Close Reads is a community-supported endeavor. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber thereby ensuring the continued production of episodes like this one. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

Diary of a Country Priest: Chapters 3-4

We’re on to Georges Bernanos’ contemplative novel, The Diary of a Country Priest, and in this episode David, Heidi, and Sean discuss the fascinating narrative approach Bernanos employs, what themes seem to matter most, the notion of contemplation in the book, and how to approach a book in which very little happens (on the surface). Future schedule: Episode 2 (March 27): Chapters 3-4Episode 3 (April 3): Chapters 5-6Episode 4 (April 10): To the endEpisode 5 (April 17): Q&AClick here to check out the upcoming CiRCE conference referenced at the top of this episode.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

The Diary of a Country Priest: Chapters 1-2

Join David and Tim as they welcome back special guest Jessie Turpin to read a scene from the play and answer your questions. Conversation touches on topics like Shaw’s extreme stage directions, the didacticism of the play, and much more. Happy listening! Close Reads is a community-supported endeavor. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. When you do, you get access to bonus content while also supporting our work! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

Pygmalion: Q&A Episode

Join David, Tim, and Sean as they discuss the 2023 Close Reads Bracket: Awesome Adaptations. They predict winners, make their own picks, and discuss the bracket-making process.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

Previewing the 2023 Close Reads Bracket

We’ve been circling this one for a long time. It’s finally time to discuss George Bernard Shaw’s famous play, Pygmalion. In this episode we discussed the originally source material (briefly), Shaw’s thematic interests, the complex dilemma he’s setting up for himself, Higgins as a character, and so much more. Plus, with the help of special guest, we present a “table-read” of a key scene. Happy listening!Close Reads HQ is a reader-supported endeavor. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

Pygmalion

If you’re a longtime listener of this podcast, you know that Sean Johnson has recently joined our crew to help give Tim some time off here and there (what with Tim’s new job and growing family). Of course, Sean is a worthy contributor all in his own right. But we didn’t know that right away. At first, he was just one of many interviewees we considered (#230 to be precise). And although it took some time to get aligned on some key metrics, we feel really good about his role on our show now. Since Sean’s been a part of things for a few months at this point, we feel like this is a good time to share a peek into his interview process, to reveal what he had to go through to make it on the show. We think you’ll appreciate this look behind the curtain and enjoy getting to know him a bit. Happy listening!  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

A Brief Peek into Sean Johnson's Grueling Interview Process

The Netanyahus is a bit of a confounding book, so naturally there were lots of questions and we did our best to answer as many as we could as thoroughly as possible. We discussed the complicated nature of writing fiction about real/living people, Blum’s relationship with his daughter, whether the book has a moral center, nihilism, and much more. Thanks for listening! Close Reads HQ is a community-supported endeavor. To receive bonus content and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

The Netanyahus: Q&A

Okay, so that ending? What’s the deal. Join David, Heidi, and Tim as they try to understand what Cohen is doing. Lots of conversation about nihilism in this episode. Thanks for listening!Close Reads is a community-supported endeavor. Please subscribe to make sure we can keep on (while also getting access to subscriber-exclusive content). Thanks! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

The Netanyahus: Finis

This week we’re discussing whether Joshua Cohen’s approach to exploring Jewish culture works in the ways that he seems to hope it will, whether the book is too sad to be truly funny, whether the story has finally revealed what it is, and much more. Don’t forget to weigh in on this episode’s question. Let us know what you think in the comments!  Question of the Week: Is the big Judy scene funny? Close Reads is a community-supported endeavor. If you value what we do, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber to keep things rolling along (while securing some great content as well). This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

The Netanyahus: Chapters 5-8

We are on to Joshua Cohen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Netanyahus, a book that is clearly different in tone (and content) than most of the titles we traditionally discuss on this show. So in this episode David, Heidi, and Tim (he’s back!) contemplate the book’s sense of humor, Cohen’s remarkable prose, and what makes it memorable and worth reading. Happy listening! Close Reads is a community-supported endeavor. If you like what you hear and read, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

The Netanyahus: Chapters 1-4

It’s that time, when we’ve come to end of another episode and we turn to your questions about it. This time we’re contemplating topics from Persuasion such as Wentworth’s affection for Anne, Lady Russell’s role in the book, Mrs. Smith’s virtue (or lack thereof?), wine and cheese pairings, fan-fiction, Mr. Elliot the villain, and so much more. Thanks for listening! Close Reads is a community-supported publication. Please consider subscribing.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

Persuasion: Q&A Episode

Finally, we can speak more freely about all of Persuasion, so this week David, Heidi, and Sean are discussing Wentworth’s love letter, Ann’s assessment of her own choices, the melancholy nature of this book, the differences between Eliot and Wentworth, the pantheon of Austen men, and much more. Don’t forget to answer this week’s question of the week below, What is the greatest love letter in any novel? Close Reads is a community-supported endeavor, so if you like what we’re doing here, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

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