Alexander Schmid Podcast

In this discussion with Ms. Sarah Miller and Mr. Wes Schantz, we consider (a) the developing relationships in the text, their increasing complexity, and J.K. Rowling's and Harry Potter's (and even Albus Dumbledore's) increasing focus on them; (b) parallels and contrasts between Tom Riddle and Harry Potter's powers, natures, upbringings, and choices and even perspectives on personal responsibility; and ultimately (c) horcruxes, how they relate to tension between a desire for power vs. a desire for companionship, and the difference between Dumbledore's Army and the Death Eaters' perspectives on free-will and fate.

In this lecture, we consider (a) the lie of Sinon and entrance of the the Trojan Horse into Troy; (b) the deaths of Aeneas' friends and Priam's tragic and symbolic death, and (c) finally, we conclude with Creusa's, Aeneas' wife, disappearance and  profoundly sad death. 

In this lecture, we consider (a) Dido's disastrous relationship with her brother Pygmalion and his murder of her husband Sychaeus; (b) Venus' meddling influence on the heart and mind of Dido through Cupid (Eros), and (c) Aeneas begins his recounting of the fall of Troy and the role of the Achaean spy Sinon in bringing the Trojan Horse into the city of Troy (Ilion).

In this second conversation The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Mr. Wes Schantz and I field several astute questions and comments from Mr. Ben Kozlowski; we also consider (a) the nature of the archetype of evil as Lucifer and Prometheus and how mischief and evil are connected in the actions of Skull-kid, (b) we consider the importance of prejudice and diverse perspectives in this Zelda game as well as in classical literature: Homer's "Odyssey", Virgil's "Aeneid", and Dante's "The Divine Comedy"; and (c) we consider the relationship between the Deku Mask, the Butler, and the poisoned waters as metaphors within the "text" of the game! And more!

In this lecture, we discuss (1) the proem of the poem and its connections to Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey", (2) the stoic tradition and how Neptune's "oratorical" skill is a symbol for stoicism and the subjugation of emotion to reason, and (3) the future and fate of the Trojan and Roman peoples. I also say Rome rather Troy as the last word of the lecture by accident!

In this final lecture, we consider (1) the relationship between human nature and divine nature, (2) the image of the trinity and the similarities and differences between the circles, and (3) what the ultimate purpose and meaning of Dante's work and the life of a human really is.

In this introductory lecture on Virgil's "Aeneid", we discuss (a) the Punic Wars (264 BCE-146 BCE) and Roman Civil War (49 BCE-45 BCE) as background to Virgil's "Aeneid", (b) the theories of the Aeneid as propaganda vs. glorification of a pacified state, and (c) the life of Virgil and his dying wish.

In this penultimate lecture on Dante's "Paradiso", we discuss (a) Dante's entrance into the Empyrean (the mind of God), (b) Dante's drinking from a river of light (with his eyes), and (c) the disappearance of Beatrice in preparation for Dante's final revelation.

In this episode of Conversations at The Leaky Caulron, Ms. Sarah Miller, Mr. Wes Schantz and I consider the following topics: (1) parallels between Fleur Delacour (Phlegm) and Merope Gaunt, (2) the horrors of the Gaunt household and the tension between family and state (Ministry of Magic); and (3) Dumbledore's apparent vulnerabilities and lacunae in knowledge and his increasingly informal relationship with Harry.