The Readers Karamazov

The Readers Karamazov

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The Readers Karamazov episodes

  • The Key to the Shaft of the Abyss (The Name of the Rose Days 5, 6, and 7)

    In the final episode on The Name of the Rose, the boys discuss the "solution" to the mystery of the abbey murders, the potential of comedy, and music. They debate how we should feel about William of Baskerville, tragedy vs. comedy, and music vs. the plastic arts.

     

    Theme music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.


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    1 hr 7 min
  • The Name of the Star Is Wormwood (The Name of the Rose Days 3+4)
    The boys tackle days 3+4 of The Name of the Rose, as the plot (and the pig's blood) thickens in the abbey. They talk about the book's monastic structure, built around the daily prayers, and think about how that affects the central mystery, as well as the ideas Eco is interested in discussing. There is also a discussion of love and its liquefying effects, and the dangers and necessities of censorship.

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    59 min
  • Bonus Episode: The Grand Inquisitor
    Retro vintage Readers K episode (originally for Patrons only, when we had Patrons) in which Karl and Søren discuss the famous "Grand Inquisitor" section of The Brothers Karamazov. Enjoy! (Note: this ep is from very early in our life as a pod. As a result, the audio is less than perfect).

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    38 min
  • There Came Hail and Fire Mixed with Blood (The Name of the Rose Days 1+2)
    The boys are back to start Season 3, The Name of the Rose. After a brief overview of the season, they dive right into Days 1 and 2 of Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose. Thinking through some of the pleasures the book offers, they dwell on the names of The Name of the Rose and spend time investigating the intertwining of religious and political ideas in the first two days.

    Theme song: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.

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    1 hr
  • Unrest in Visited Tombs (W.G. Sebald’s The Rings of Saturn + Bud Light Ugly Sweater Pack)

    The boys close Season 2 with a grand fête centered around W.G. Sebald's The Rings of Saturn. They try to discern if the book is fiction or memoir or whatever else it might be, talk about its elliptical style, and dive into its sense of history and image.

    Then, in one final Postmodern Food Factory, the boys come back -- like dogs returning to their vomit -- to try the Bud Light Ugly Sweater Seltzer Pack. Bad times are had by all.

    Theme music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.


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    1 hr 25 min
  • The Readers Karamazov, Podcasters of Pierre Menard, Author of Don Quixote (Jorge Luis Borges‘ ”Pierre Menard, Author of Don Quixote” and ”The Library of Babel”
    The boys discuss two short stories by Jorge Luis Borges. In their discussion of "Pierre Menard" they speculate on authorship, historical imagination, and more; while in their discussion of "The Library of Babel" they argue over pessimism and infinity.

    With special guest star Dana Carvey.

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    1 hr
  • Who Watches De Watchman? (Michelle Cliff‘s No Telephone to Heaven)
    In this episode, the boys discuss Michelle Cliff's classic postcolonial novel No Telephone to Heaven. Their conversation ranges from discussions of race and class to thoughts about the book's cinematic touches, its treatment of the decay of language, and its potential theological lenses.

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    58 min
  • A Caramel Apple Bobbing in Furmity (Thomas Hardy‘s The Mayor of Casterbridge + Red Hot Riplets Caramel Apple)
    The boys finish up their cycle "Lonely Women in Your Area" with Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge, a book that is in some ways the anti-Middlemarch. They talk fate, chance, and impulse in regard to protagonist Michael Henchard's downfall. Also on tap: a discussion of Roman history and the ways the past continues to haunt us.

    Then, in the bonus Postmodern Food Factory, they tackle their toughest test yet: not gagging on caramel apples that have been coated in peanuts dusted with Red Hot Riplets seasoning. It's gross!

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    1 hr 6 min
  • One of Those Headgears of Composite Order (Gustave Flaubert‘s Madame Bovary)
    The boys are back at full strength this week as they discuss a favorite of all of theirs, Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary. They spend some time luxuriating in Flaubert's prose, and discussing the book as a fountainhead of numerous literary streams. They also talk about imitation, ascetic mysticism, and stultifying bourgeois life.

    Theme music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    58 min
  • The Sea‘s Soft, Close Embrace (Kate Chopin‘s The Awakening)

    Sans Friedrich, Karl and Søren perform a difficult duet on Kate Chopin's The Awakening. They talk about the book's literary impressionism, its place in American literature, race and class, labor and love, and the beguiling role of music in the book.

    Theme music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 hr 3 min

About The Readers Karamazov

From the publisher's feed

A podcast exploring the intersection of philosophy and literature.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more…