In this week's episode, David, Heidi, and Tim discuss the likability (or lack thereof) of Maurice Bendrix, the protagonist of The End of the Affair; the way the book demands empathy from its reader; Green's consideration of sex, lust, and sin; and much more, of course. Remember to rate and review wherever you get podcasts.

The End of the Affair: Book 2

This week David, Heidi, and Tim dive into the middle of Hemingway's novel. Topics of discussion include the strange organization of the book, Hemingway's subversion of traditional tropes, the famous church scene, and fishing in Spain.

The Sun Also Rises: Chapters 8-12

Welcome to a new series of episodes on Ernest Hemingway's classic novel, The Sun Also Rises! In this episode David, Heidi, and Tim discuss Hemingway's famous style and his unique talent for capturing human experience. Plus, they discuss some key passages, the book's context in twentieth century lit, and the troubles that are haunting these memorable characters. Don't forget to rate and review!

The Sun Also Rises: Book I

In this final episode of our series on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, David, Heidi, Karen, and Joshua answer your questions. There's no point in trying to summarize everything this episode covers. You'll just have to listen. *insert shrug emoji.* Remember to rate and review if you like this episode!

Frankenstein: Q&A Episode

In this episode, David, Heidi, and special guests Karen Swallow Prior and Joshua Gibbs discuss the final pages of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Topics of conversation include whether justice was served in the story, whether the ending is satisfying, the eery similarities between Shelley's life and the book's ending, and much more! Remember to rate and review the show if you enjoyed this episode!

Frankenstein: The Final Chapters

David, Heidi, Karen, and Joshua are back with more discussion of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. In this episode they discuss Frankenstein's relationship with his father, whether the monster had to turn out evil, whether Frankenstein did the noble thing in not creating the "bride," and much, much more. If you like this episode be sure to rate and review wherever you get podcasts.

Frankenstein: Volume III: Chapters 1-4

Once again David and Heidi are joined by Karen Swallow Prior and Joshua Gibbs as they discuss questions of virtue in Mary Shelley's classic novel, the monster's self-education, neo-classicism vs romanticism, the place of Paradise Lost in the story, and the differences between this narrative and the Adam and Eve story in Genesis. Remember, if you like this episode, it goes a long way when you rate and review wherever you get podcasts.

Frankenstein: Volume II: Chapters 6-9

This week David, Heidi, Karen, and Josh discuss the monster's ability to speak so eloquently and his unique form of self-education (and a bunch of other stuff, of course). If you like this episode please do rate and review wherever you get your podcasts. Don't forget you can join the conversation at closereads.substack.com or @closereadspodcasts on Instagram.

Frankenstein: Volume II, chapters 1-5

David and Heidi are back with very special guests Karen Swallow Prior and Joshua Gibbs with more discussion of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.They discuss the degree to which we ought to be consumed by the unreliable narrator as readers, whether Victor Frankenstein is a scoundrel, some differences between the 1831 and 1818 editions, Victor's unnatural interest in science, and much more. If you like this episode please be sure to rate and review where you get podcasts.

Frankenstein: Chapters III-VII

And we are on to a new book! Join David, Heidi, and very special guests Karen Swallow Prior, author of On Reading Well, and Joshua Gibbs, host of Proverbial, for a discussion about Mary Shelley's legendary novel, Frankenstein. In this episode they chat about the story behind the book, Shelley's wild and sad life, the differences in the editions, some preliminary themes, and more.

Frankenstein: Letter I - Chapter II

A Podcast for the Incurable Reader

From the Close Reads Podcast Network, Close Reads is a book-club podcast hosted by David Kern and featuring an array of contributors, including Tim McIntosh, Heidi White, and others. We read Great Books and talk about them. A NOTE ABOUT OLDER EPISODES: <a href="https://feed.pippa.io/public/shows/5a8c87b47780d3580eaacd1e" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Since most podcast apps don't go further back than 100 episodes, you'll need to click here to listen to anything further back than that. </a> And our first 32 episodes <a href="https://feed.pippa.io/public/shows/5a8c994306c9cec7297078b9" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">can be found here</a>, on the original CiRCE Institute feed.

Close Reads

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The End of the Affair: Book 2

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The Sun Also Rises: Book I

Frankenstein: Q&A Episode

Frankenstein: The Final Chapters