Showing titles in Literary History & Criticism

This is a bi-monthly podcast featuring songs and stories from some lesser known fairy tales and folk stories. Stories which lean toward the grisly and unnerving, stories which might help us deal with the ogres and wicked step mothers in our own lives. You can support this podcast by buying Julia a cup of tea here https://ko-fi.com/voxchops xox

Winter, with its unsettling blend of the cosy and the sinister, has long been a popular time for gathering by the bright flame of a candle, or the warm crackling of a fire, and swapping stories of ghosts and strange happenings. Now eight best-selling, award-winning authors, master storytellers of the sinister and the macabre bring this time-honoured tradition to vivid life in a spellbinding collection of new and original haunted tales.

Dante Alighieri was early in recognizing that our age has a problem. His hometown, Florence, was at the epicenter of the move from the medieval world to the modern. The Divine Comedy was born in a time of troubling transition, which is why it still speaks today. In this narrative retelling and guide, from the gates of hell, up the mountain of purgatory, to the empyrean of paradise, Mark Vernon offers a vivid introduction and interpretation of a book that, 700 years on, continues to open minds and change lives.

Longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction Longlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing The Ministry of Truth charts the life of George Orwell's 1984, one of the most influential books of the twentieth century and a work that is ever more relevant in this tumultuous era of...

Twelve bytes. Twelve eye-opening, mind-expanding, funny and provocative essays on the implications of artificial intelligence for the way we live and the way we love - from Sunday Times best-selling author Jeanette Winterson. In this original, deeply researched and lively new book, Jeanette Winterson traces the history of the AI revolution. She talks to some of the boldest and most imaginative thinkers in the field and looks to religion, myth and literature to help us understand the radical changes to the way we live and love that are just around the corner. 

From a dancing automaton running amok at a ball, to a prehistoric beast lurking in the depths of a Yorkshire cave, this anthology explores the nature of the ‘old weird’, and unordinary stories which go outside the boundaries of everyday life. The anthology includes not only stories by well-known writers like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Jerome K. Jerome, but also by long-forgotten authors such as D. F. Hannigan and Reginald Bacchus.

An astonishing work of cultural criticism, this book is widely recognized as a brilliant and devastating challenge to conventional views of literature, anthropology, religion, and psychoanalysis. In its scope and interest it can be compared with Freud's Totem and Taboo, the subtext Girard refutes with polemic daring, vast erudition, and a persuasiveness that leaves the listener compelled to respond, one way or another. This is the single fullest summation of Girard's ideas to date, the book by which they will stand or fall.

Speak, Memory, first published in 1951 as Conclusive Evidence and then assiduously revised in 1966, is an elegant and rich evocation of Nabokov’s life and times, even as it offers incisive insights into his major works, including Lolita, Pnin, Despair, The Gift, The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, and The Luhzin Defense.

Follow the adventures of Bertie Wooster and his gentleman's gentleman, Jeeves, in this stunning new edition of one of the greatest comic novels in the English language. Bertie must deal with the Market Snodsbury Grammar School prize giving, the broken engagement of his cousin Angela, the wooing of Madeline Bassett by Gussie Fink-Nottle, and the resignation of Anatole, the genius chef. Will he prevail? Only with the aid of Jeeves!

'A literary and deeply heartfelt exploration of an under-appreciated genre. It is heaven from start to finish' INDIA KNIGHT, The Times 'This book is funny, wise, and joyfully obsessed with its subject' MONICA HEISEY 'Endlessly witty, breathtakingly clever, a book you'll read in one sitting'...

P. D. James'sextraordinary memoir of her early life and time starting out as a novelist as well as diaries recording her in old age. In this intriguing and very personal book, part diary, part memoir, P. D. James considers the twelve months of her life between her seventy-seventh and seventy-eighth birthdays and looks back on her earlier life.

Anna Karenina is beautiful, married to a successful man, and has a son whom she adores. But a chance meeting at a train station in Moscow sets her passionate heart alight, and she is defenceless in the face of Count Vronsky's adoration. Having defied the rules of nineteenth-century Russian society, Anna is forced to pay a heavy price.

In this compelling, powerful book, highly respected writer and commentator Jack Holland sets out to answer a daunting question: How do you explain the oppression and brutalization of half the world's population by the other half, throughout history? The result takes the listener on an eye-opening journey through centuries, continents, and civilizations as it looks at both historical and contemporary attitudes to women.

Discover the rich world and timeless works of J.R.R. Tolkien with this weekly podcast; your gateway to understanding the mythology behind The Lord of the Rings. Whether you're a fan who's only seen the movies, a reader looking to dive deeper into Tolkien's tales, or someone tackling The Silmarillion for the first time, this show is your perfect guide.Each episode unpacks the intricate stories and characters that form the foundation of Tolkien's mythology, helping you enhance your appreciation of Amazon's Rings of Power series or simply explore more of Tolkien's legendary world.This ...

Bloomsbury presents On Our Best Behaviour written and read by Elise Loehnen. *THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* 'A stunning, big and bold encyclopedia of how to live' LISA TADDEO 'Astute, radical and utterly compelling' KATHERINE MAY 'You will finish this book and immediately hand your copy...

Kermit the Frog is back with a revised and updated edition of his bestselling memoir - the perfect gift for the new grad in your life! In Before You Leap, the world's most famous frog shares his own story in a funny, heartfelt manner about his life and yours. After telling the tale of his humble swamp beginnings, remarkable career in show business, and about all the amazing people and pigs he's met along the way, Kermit shares his advice on many of life's milestones, including:

When Lucy Mangan was little, stories were everything. They opened up new worlds and cast light on all the complexities she encountered in this one. She was whisked away to Narnia and Kirrin Island and Wonderland. She ventured down rabbit holes and womble burrows into midnight gardens and chocolate factories. She wandered the countryside with Milly-Molly-Mandy and played by the tracks with the Railway Children.

MuggleCast is your weekly ride into the world of Harry Potter, including the books and upcoming TV show! Our Harry Potter podcast, hosted by four life-long friends, brings its listeners entertaining and thought-provoking discussions about the Wizarding World. With each new episode we discuss everything Harry Potter: the latest news, the Potter books, the upcoming HBO TV Show, the theme parks, the video games, the fandom, and more! We're currently hosting a Chapter by Chapter re-read of the original seven Harry Potter books while keeping listeners up to date on the Harry Potter TV show.

A podcast exploring Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time with city watcher @pjhart86 and tourist @andrewluke (Keep im spoiler-free pls!)

Short Stories in English for Beginners has been written especially for students from beginner to intermediate level, designed to give a sense of achievement, a feeling of progress and most importantly - enjoyment! Mapped to A2-B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference, these eight captivating stories are designed to give you a sense of achievement and a feeling of progress when listening. From science fiction to fantasy, to crime and thrillers, Short Stories in English for Beginners will make learning English easy and enjoyable.