Questioning the Canon

Questioning the Canon

By Ben Rathert, Felicia DieguezEducationArtsBooksSelf-ImprovementLeisureHobbies
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Questioning the Canon episodes

  • Valley of the Dolls (Real)
    Come along with us as we explore sex, drugs, and camp in Jacqueline Susann's bestseller Valley of the Dolls. We also...talk about the movie...yeesh. And because nothing's ever easy, we paired our conversation with a host of technical problems including the internet fuzzing out, portions needing rerecorded, and an apartment hallway smoke detector that needs new batteries! You'll find it all and in this month's episode, which, as always, for a ton of fun for us to make.
    1 hr 11 min
  • Valley of the Dolls
    Come along with us as we explore sex, drugs, and camp in Jacqueline Susann's bestseller Valley of the Dolls. We also...talk about the movie...yeesh. And because nothing's ever easy, we paired our conversation with a host of technical problems including the internet fuzzing out, portions needing rerecorded, and an apartment hallway smoke detector that needs new batteries! You'll find it all and in this month's episode, which, as always, for a ton of fun for us to make.
    1 hr 10 min
  • The Grapes of Wrath
    It's late summer and that means it's time to celebrate the great American road trip! Maybe this trip with the Joads wasn't so great after all, but the Grapes of Wrath sure was. Ride with us in our podcast jalopy as we talk about unions, socialism, and sticking up for the little guy, all the while trying to keep the fambly together. We got just a dollar in the tank, we can make it.
    1 hr 5 min
  • Ender's Game
    Next on our summer reading list, we voyage into a little science fiction with Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. We dig into biases, warfare, and latent messages within the book and it turns out there was a lot of important topics to talk about. Suit up! We've got Battle in five minutes!
    1 hr
  • To Kill a Mockingbird
    Perhaps you've heard of this little book? For our summer reading, we start with To Kill a Mockingbird and discuss not only its obvious racial implications but also the creative writing process, world building, and character development. Stay tuned and you may even learn why outhouses were important (spoiler, it's not what you're thinking!).
    Our podcast icon is by Jeremy Kanne
    Our intro and outro music is "Piggly Wiggly" by the Johnny Dodds Trio
    1 hr 10 min
  • Emma
    Here we go on season 2! We're very excited to bring you our discussion on what is probably Jane Austen's third most famous book, Emma. We cover a wide range of topics including topiaries and cognitive biases but, most importantly, the risks that come with meddling in other people's affairs. Fetch the carriage!
    Our podcast icon is by Jeremy Kanne
    Our intro and outro music is "Piggly Wiggly" by the Johnny Dodds Trio
    58 min
  • Maus

    We saved a GREAT book to round out season one and we threw ourselves a little party.  Despite covering such a crushing and dour topic, our conversation on Art Spiegelman's brilliant Maus was lively and fun.  You can mix up your own szarlotka or just sip on some apple juice if you'd prefer.  Here, have some cheese.  Settle in for a story.

    1 hr
  • Invisible Man

    This month we dive into the difficult journey of the complicated narrator in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man.  This novel provides a million important things for us to talk about and we have our typical good time doing it.   It goes without saying that most of the points about racism presented in this 1952 book still resonant strongly today.

    1 hr 3 min
  • Catcher In the Rye

    This month we dive into J.D. Salinger's Catcher In the Rye and question why a 16 year old in New York would be so angry and disaffected in the first place.  We learn a lot about the reclusive author of this American standard and have a lot of fun with our discussion.  Let's solve the mystery of what happens to the ducks in the winter!

    1 hr
  • Wuthering Heights

    It's time to talk about tortured love and obsession on the moors of Yorkshire.  That's right, this month, we get into Emily Bronte's 1847 masterpiece Wuthering Heights.  Put on something warm against the cold as we discuss status, affection, and silent infectious killers.  This one was a romp and we hope you enjoy it!  Happy New Year's!

    57 min

About Questioning the Canon

From the publisher's feed

A little podcast that loves big books. You don't need to have read with us to enjoy the show as we always do a synopsis of the work as well as dive into the life and times of the author behind it. Our conversations vary and roam, but we always have a good time asking if each book we cover should be included in "the canon" of important novels.