Professing Literature

John Milton, “When I Consider How My Light Is Spent.”  In the early 1650s John Milton lost his eyesight.  Blindness forced him out of politics, where he had been an important figure in Oliver Cromwell’s government, and into retirement where he wrote some of the greatest poetry in all of literary history.  In this sonnet, though, he wonders if he has anything left to offer God at all. 

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George Orwell, 1984, Chapter One. The opening paragraphs of George Orwell’s novel seem innocuous, as a man named Winston Smith returns to his apartment building for lunch. However, from the first sentence onward Orwell estranges us from the world we take for granted and begins hinting at the nature of the totalitarian state which he feared might one day come into being.

As always, thanks for listening! We'd love to hear from you. Send us your questions, comments, or otherwise to [email protected].

You can also send comments and questions to Professing Literature via Text Message. Click here!

Seamus Heaney, “Blackberry-Picking.”  Today we consider a lyric poem from Death of a Naturalist, Seamus Heaney’s first collection (1966).  In “Blackberry-Picking” Heaney recounts a memory from his childhood, or perhaps from the beginning of his childhood’s end.

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We started recording episodes about a year ago and are just now releasing them. We have a handful more of them to publish before we catch up. We hope you enjoy and thanks for listening!

If you have questions for Dr. Anderson, please email us at [email protected].  We'd love to hear from you.

You can also send comments and questions to Professing Literature via Text Message. Click here!

Emma, Vol 3, Chapter 7.  A bright summer day in Surrey offers a sharp contrast to emotional storms.  In this episode we discuss one of Jane Austen’s great set pieces, the picnic at Box Hill.  Emma gets herself into deep trouble when she embarrasses an old friend, and the man who secretly loves her has to summon up the courage to tell her she was wrong. 

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We started recording episodes about a year ago and are just now releasing them. We have a handful more of them to publish before we catch up. We hope you enjoy and thanks for listening!

You can also send comments and questions to Professing Literature via Text Message. Click here!

Macbeth, Act Two, Scene Two.  In the inaugural episode of Professing Literature we examine a conversation held in the aftermath of one of literature’s most famous murders.  Macbeth has just stabbed a king to gain a throne he will never sit upon securely.  His tense exchange of words with Lady Macbeth discloses the moral and psychological stakes of the act, and hints at the consequences that will follow.  

You can also send comments and questions to Professing Literature via Text Message. Click here!