Save Me From My Shelf

Two friends and academics recap classic literature and take it off its pedestal. In our Season Four opener, Valentine's Day special, and thirty-fifth episode, we recap D.H. Lawrence's controversial, court case-launching novel full of weird sex and four-letter words, Lady Chatterley's Lover (1928). The episode teaches us many things: the difference between the normal West and exotic East Midlands, the mystery of eggs, the effects of purple prose, and when we finally need to put that 'explicit content' warning up.Cover art © Catherine Wu.Episode theme: Claude Debussy, 'Reverie'; Samuel Corwin, 'A Man Approaches with Bowed Sitar, Rishikesh'.

Yet another sequence of brief clips that have been rescued from oblivion. Thematically we're getting a bit thin on the ground here, and dressing it up as a hodgepodge, salmagundi, macédoine, zibaldone - or any other pompous way of describing a mishmash - would be to everyone's discredit. Cover art © Catherine Wu.Episode themes: Cliff Carlisle, 'Columbus Stockade Blues' (1930), and Anton Bruckner, Symphony 7 in E Major (1883) performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker.

A new, eagerly-awaited installment in the much-loved series of outtakes and bloopers.Bald eagle-eared listeners may have noticed that the co-hosts of Save Me From My Shelf hail from different co(u)ntries, and that this is occasinally the so(u)rce of some acrimony. This bonus program(me) compiles those numero(u)s clips from the cutting room floor in which our transatlantic contretemps came to a head, and we really nailed o(u)r colo(u)rs to the mast. Who wins? Choose your fighter: Grover Cleveland or Michael Caine. Cover art © Catherine Wu.Episode themes: Scott Joplin, 'Maple Leaf Rag' (1899), performed by the US Marine Band (1906) and Gilbert and Sullivan, excerpts from 'H.M.S. Pinafore' (1878), performed by the Imperial Military Band (1907).

Two friends and academics recap classic literature and take it off its pedestal. In our thirty-fourth episode and Christmas special/end-of-season finale, we recap C.S. Lewis's wintry Christian allegory, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (1950). Daniel gives us the gift of 'Measuringworth: Biblical Hermeneutics Edition' and Abby renames the Pevensie and Daniel's hypothetical pet beaver. This is also the second episode of the season with surprise cameos by both the Greek gods and Santa Claus. Brought to you by Mothers Against Wardrobes.Cover art © Catherine Wu.Episode theme: Tchaikovsky, 'Waltz of the Snowflakes', The Nutcracker Suite.

Two friends and academics recap classic literature and take it off its pedestal. In our thirty-third episode, the Pedants' Revolt keeps waging on with a series of rebuking letters. We also discover the villain origin story for villain origin stories in Jean Rhys's postcolonial modernist/postmodernist Jane Eyre-fan fiction masterpiece, Wide Sargasso Sea (1966). Cover art © Catherine Wu.Episode theme: 'Liva: biguine', performed by Mlle. Estrella and Orchestre Gudeloupeen A. Kindou.

Two friends and academics recap classic literature and take it off its pedestal. In Part Two of our thirty-second episode, we keep the bawdy scatological humour up in the second half of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales (1400). It's all farts, penned-in sex-yards, and apologies to Jesus.Cover art © Catherine Wu.Episode theme: Anonymous, 'Weltliche Musik um 1300', performed by the Studio der frühen Musik