Here we are at the end of another novel. Join David, Heidi, and Karen as they compare Alec’s love for Tess with Angel’s, contemplate the way justice is explored in Tess’ conclusion, discuss the nature of classical tragedy, and much more!

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Phase the fifth of Tess of the D’Urbervilles is incredibly sad, but it’s also remarkable in the way that Thomas Hardy manages to reveal the various complexities of his characters. So in this week’s episode David, Heidi, and Karen discuss the villainousness of Angel Clare, the choices of Tess, Hardy’s view of his culture, whether he gets women, and much more. Happy listening!

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Welp. It’s time for some confession. Here, right in the middle of Thomas Hardy’s masterpiece, we get a marriage followed by revelation. The courtship is over, the wedding day has arrived, and both parties bare their soul. And then we get a cliffhanger, of course. Join David, Heidi, and Karen as they discuss.

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As we draw near to the middle of Thomas Hardy’s great tragic novel, join Karen and Heidi (who are holding down the fort while David is sick) as they discuss Angel’s background and family life, Tess’s passivity, Hardy’s perspective on women, and the novel’s first glimpse into Angel’s underlying hypocrisy. Thanks for listening and for supporting Close Reads!

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“Phase the Third” of Tess of the D’Urbervilles is called “The Rally” so on this week’s conversation David, Heidi, and Karen discuss why Hardy called it that and what he might be saying about Tess as a character. Plus, discussion touches on what we’re supposed to think about Angel Clare, his budding romance with Tess, and his overly idealistic perception of her.

Tess has returned home, but now she has baby with her, leading to one of the most beautiful and famous sciences in English literature in which Tess sorrowfully baptizes the poor little one. So this week, David, Heidi, and Karen dig in that scene and contemplate what Thomas Hardy is saying through it. Plus, discussion touches on the role Tess’s mother plays in her daughter’s misfortunes.

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In this week’s episode on Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles, David, Heidi, and special guest Karen Swallow Prior chat about artistic and naturalistic determinism in Hardy’s work, his hatred of Victorian moralism, and whether or not the novel idealizes Tess. And treacle. Definitely treacle.

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Once again our friend Karen Swallow Prior is joining us to discuss one of her favorite books! This time it’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles and here on this first episode we discussed the ways this book is a tragedy (in the Aristotelian sense) but not nihilistic, why Karen loves it so much, what makes Hardy a great writer, and why Tess is a memorable character. Happy listening!

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This week’s episode is a special one. Our friend, Dr. Annika Prather, came on to chat about Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun. Dr. Prather loves this play and is very knowledgeable about literature and so she seemed like the perfect fit to join Tim, our drama guy, for this conversation. So tune in as Tim and Dr. Prather discuss whether Walter Jr. is a hero or a villain; whether this a play about money, family, or dignity; and whether Hansberry identified especially strongly with any particular character.

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It’s time to answer your questions about Orwell’s 1984, and (as always) you came through with plenty of great ones. Thanks to your curiosity, we discussed what would be in our personal Room 101s, the dystopian stories we would write (if we wrote dystopian stories), Julia’s character and role in the story, 1984 vs. Brave New World, and much more. Happy reading!

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