Literature and Lapdogs

From the author of short story corpse in house comes long story corpse in river! In the premier of season 3, we discuss William Faulkner’s 1930 classic, As I Lay Dying.

Literature and Lapdogs is back with a discussion of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Dracula. Get your literary fix exploring the plot of this engaging mystery novel, crammed with vampires, wolves, and madmen. We provide a brief summary of the novel and then discuss key themes, including representations of sexuality, gender, violence, and social conflict. We also compare two adaptations of Dracula, one the 1992 film starring Gary Oldman as Dracula, and the other the recent Off-Broadway production, Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, both of which offer interesting responses to the core text.

In this episode of Literature and Lapdogs, we discuss Gaston Leroux's 1909/1910 novel, The Phantom of the Opera. Best known as a musical, the novel is actually a stellar mystery novel, exploring the dark history of the Paris Opera House, drawing on real-life details. We compare the plot of the novel (spoilers) with the structure and details of the musical version of Phantom. We also discuss the critical differences in characterization and plot details, arguing that Leroux's original text is far superior to Andrew Lloyd Webber's version. For anyone who hasn't read the novel, but who knows the musical, we hope this discussion inspires you to take look at the original novel.

In this episode of Literature and Lapdogs, my daughter and I (plus dogs) discuss the play, Love Letters, by A.R. Gurney, and the spectacular production at the Irish Rep, which we were lucky enough to see several times this week, with J. Smith-Cameron and Victor Garber. We discuss the play itself, including plot and character development. We also discuss the many aspects of the performances that were truly breathtaking, including various things that changed over the week of performances.

Please note there are spoilers and the occasional curse word.

In this episode of Literature and Lapdogs we discuss Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel, Jane Eyre, about the orphan girl who appears to fall in love with her employer, Mr. Rochester, only to discover that he has a terrible secret.

Olivia and I discuss the novel in terms of its general plot structure and then dive into some of the enduring issues with the text, such as whether Rochester's relationship with Jane is truly romantic.

Note for anyone unfamiliar with the novel: this episode definitely contains spoilers.

In this episode of Literature and Lapdogs, the daughter and I discuss Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 novel, A Scarlet Letter, exploring the story of Hester Prynne and her struggles to overcome the shame of being punished for adultery by the hypocritical people of Salem.

In this episode of Literature and Lapdogs, we discuss Anne Brontë's 1848 novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. We discuss the general outline of the novel and some of the key issues with character development and themes. We consider the structure of the novel and the representations of alcoholism and domestic violence.

This episode of Literature and Lapdogs discusses George Eliot's 1861 novel, Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe. We discuss the story of the title character, a weaver expelled from his hometown, and the way in which his plot line overlap with that of the Cass family - Godfrey and Dunstan Cass.

We consider Eliot's own background and how that informed her writing of the novel. We outline some of the major themes within the text, and also discuss some of the details of the two adaptations, the BBC series with Ben Kingsley, and Steve Martin's A Simple Twist of Fate.

If you enjoy reading Victorian novels or want to know more about George Eliot or Silas Marner, tune into the episode.

In the latest episode of @LiteratureandLapdogs, we discuss Emily Brontë's (1818-1848) Wuthering Heights, published in 1847. The bulk of the episode explores the general plot of the text, along with aspects of narrative structures and character development.

Spoilers alert if you haven't read Wuthering Heights, but if you want to find out what makes this novel so compelling, be sure to check it out!

In this episode of  @LiteratureandLapdogs  we're discussing Jane Austen's 1815/16 novel, Emma. Dedicated to the Prince Regent, Emma is described in the Oxford World's Classics edition as "her finest and most representative novel." We discuss elements of plot, character, and theme that emerge in the text. We also discuss some of the challenges of adapting this classic work.