Critical Readings

Released on 26 October 2026:

The panel closes out OctPOEber 2026 with another C. Auguste Dupin story, examining its gothic roots, considering the views of both Lacan and Derrida, and questioning how it fits alongside Rue Morgue within the then-novel idea of ‘detective fiction’.

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Released on 19 October 2026:

The panel discusses Poe’s first C. Auguste Dupin story, and examines it as the first detective novel, with special attention to its literary context and the influence that it has had on later authors, from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to J.K. Rowling.

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Released on 12 October 2026:

The panel discusses Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Ashes, with special attention given to the floridity of its descriptions and the duplication of language and imagery, and to the nature of the malady that afflicts the twin siblings of Usher.

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Released on 5 October 2026:

The panel reads The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe, with attention to its structure of vengeance, its gothic genre features, the presence of literal echoes and narrative recurrence, and particularly the reliability—and sanity—of the narrator.

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Released on 28 September 2026:

The panel discusses the conclusion of Beowulf—including Beowulf’s final battle and his victorious death—with particular attention given to the didactic purpose of the poem, its framing of leadership and loyalty, and its function in historical context.

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Released on 21 September 2026:

The panel discusses the second of Beowulf’s battles—this time, against Grendel’s vengeful mother—with special attention to the nature of his foe and the particularly fantastic setting of the battle, which takes place deep beneath the water of the fens.

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Released on 14 September 2026:

Dr. Madeline Potter joins the panel just in time for the first-ever Readers’ Choice series: the Old English poem, Beowulf. The panel reads of Beowulf’s battle with Grendel, with special attention to how honour is won and defended by Geats and Danes.

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Released on 31 August 2026:

The panel discusses the conclusion of The Candle in the Wind, with a look at Mordred’s unreal motivations, Arthur’s ultimate victory or failure, Guenever’s personal agency, and the development of Gawaine beyond the initial limits of his character.

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Released on 24 August 2026:

The panel discusses chapters 6–10 of the final book in The Once and Future King, with attention to Arthur’s philosophical character, particularly whether his political theories serve as a prison which prevents the kind of action that could save his realm.

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Released on 17 August 2026:

The panel discusses the first five chapters of The Candle in the Wind, the last of the four books in the tetralogy, with a look at White’s historical overview of the mediæval period, and a thorough study of his villainous duo of Agravaine and Mordred.

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