George Orwell 2: The Revolution SHOULD NOT be televised: Homage to Catalonia
War is boring; revolution is boring; politics is boring. That’s the message of George Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia. But, somehow, Homage to Catalonia itself is NOT boring. Published in 1938, it charts...
18 Mar 20251h 23min
World Poetry Day Double-Bill: Elizabeth Bishop's Geography III with Rachel Cohen
Elizabeth Bishop is one of those poets who’s often referred to as a writer’s writer, but this doesn’t mean her poems are hard to read. On the contrary: as one of the most loved and admired twentieth-c...
13 Mar 202551min
George Orwell 1: The Best Gap Yah, great food writing and Paris hotels: Down and Out in Paris and London
In the winter of 1927, George Orwell dropped his aitches, pulled on his distressed tailored trousers, and took the first of many trips to the underbelly of London society. Over the following years, he...
11 Mar 20251h 20min
International Women's Day Bonus: Was Shakespeare a Woman? Jodi Picoult says yes!
Legendary bestseller Jodi Picoult is also a graduate of the Princeton English Department, and this week she came back to teach class! Sophie recorded a live episode at the Princeton Public Library in ...
8 Mar 202549min
Magnetic chemistry, social anxiety, and the in-laws from hell: Pride & Prejudice (aka Meet The Bennets)
By many reckonings, this is the most famous novel in English. It’s also the book Jane Austen described as her own “Darling Child.” As we head to the milestone of Jane’s 250th Birthday in December (get...
4 Mar 20251h 24min
Self-Help, dodgy marriages and the siren call of Australia: David Copperfield Part 2
In Part 2 of David Copperfield, we pick up David where we left him, sobbing at the door of Betsey Trotwood’s house in Dover. From this low, David’s life changes - he is no longer a victim, but embarks...
28 Feb 202554min
‘Umble beginnings, childhood neglect, and did Dickens steal from Charlotte Bronte: David Copperfield
David Copperfield is the name of an American illusionist, whose feats included levitating over the Grand Canyon, walking through the Great Wall of China and making an airplane disappear. It’s also the...
25 Feb 20251h 1min
BONUS: SLoB's Secret Crushes and Clandestine Encounters pt 2
In part 2 of SLoB's Valentine's special, more heroes and heroines from the world of classic books get the brutal Tinder treatment as Sophie and Jonty assess the romantic moves of your literary faves. ...
21 Feb 202543min
