The Classic English Literature Podcast

The Classic English Literature Podcast

M. G. McDonoughM. G. McDonough
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Isaac Watt: The Father of English Hymnody

Send us Fan MailFor this Easter holiday, I thought we'd look at a hymn lyric from a very influential writer who is often overlooked in discussions of literature: Isaac Watt. You can find the full text of the lyric in the transcript.Additional Music: "When I Survey the Wondrous Cr ...  Show more

 . 14min 52sec
Imitation and Optimism: The Essays of Alexander Pope

Send us Fan MailAlexander Pope, whom some critics regard as the most important poet of the early 18th century, set out to comprehensively explain the rules that governed art, poetry, and humanity itself. And, it turns out, they're all the same rules.Support the showIf you enjoy t ...  Show more

 . 35min 18sec
A Critique of Reason: Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

Send us Fan MailWhile many may think of Swift's magnificent octopus as a mere children's adventure tale, it is, in fact, one of the darkest and most troubling satires in the English language. Written as the Enlightenment began asserting rationality as the measure of all things, G ...  Show more

 . 49min 6sec
Food for Thought: Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" and Other Writings

Send us Fan MailI hope you've brought your appetite, because today we're looking at some of Dr. Swift's shorter prose satires (along with a couple of poems) and he certainly gives us plenty to chew on."A Description of the Morning": https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45266/a- ...  Show more

 . 38min 49sec
Seditious Greetings!: The Political Code of "O Come All Ye Faithful"

Send us Fan MailOne of the most theologically and liturgically important Christmas carols may contain coded messages against the Throne of England!Additional Music: "Adeste Fidelis" by Bing Crosby with The Max Terr choir; John Scott Trotter and his orch.; Traditional; Decca (BM 0 ...  Show more

 . 13min 42sec