443 - Kale Zelden - There’s Still Time to Read the Great Books

443 - Kale Zelden - There’s Still Time to Read the Great Books

Kale Zelden is a literature teacher and writer and in this video he joins me to discuss reading, the "Great books", and what it means to recover the reading tradition in a modern context. We talk about how to encounter old texts, what reading can contribute to our lives, and how to approach authors like Homer, Dante, and Shakespeare without reducing them to modern assumptions. We also explore the limits of the novel, modernism, postmodernism, irony, and the essential rediscovery of the epic.

YouTube version: https://youtu.be/9zps7RIov44

Kale’s Substack, The Underneath: https://kalezelden.substack.com/

Join us at the Symbolic World Summit | May 14-16 | Ohio | Keynote speakers: Jonathan Pageau, Fr. Josiah Trenham, Mary Harrington, Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin, Kale Zelden, Annie Crawford, and Heather Pollington
Buy your tickets: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/

Learn more about Pavel Shchelin's phenomenal course on Plutarch, Live now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/plutarch-symbolism-in-history


TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Coming up
01:07 - Intro music
01:32 - Introduction
02:09 - The state of education
07:30 - First of all
10:47 - The power of analogy
13:11 - Select your curriculum
21:05 - What is canon?
33:24 - What are we moving towards
39:20 - Allegory
43:47 - What is modernism?
47:50 - Great books program
53:24 - What is the epic?


BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS DISCUSSION:
00:04:45
Augustine — Confessions — Spiritual autobiography, early Christian thought
Plato — Dialogues — Philosophy of truth, justice, knowledge
Aristotle — (various works) — Ethics, logic, metaphysics
Church Fathers — (various writings) — Foundations of Christian theology
00:06:20
Anne Rice — (novels) — Modern popular fiction
Shakespeare — (general works) — Foundational drama
Beowulf — Anonymous — Old English epic poem
00:06:49
Plato — Dialogues — Rediscovered philosophical texts
00:07:32
Shakespeare — Hamlet — Tragedy of revenge and doubt
Dante — Divine Comedy — Vision of Hell, Purgatory, Heaven
Chaucer — Canterbury Tales — Medieval storytelling
Mary Shelley — Frankenstein — Creation and responsibility
Milton — Paradise Lost — Epic of the Fall
00:13:55
Kerouac — On the Road — Modern freedom and experience
Camus — (e.g. The Stranger) — Existential philosophy
00:14:31
Homer — Iliad, Odyssey — Foundational epics
Plato — Apology, Republic — Justice and philosophy
Shakespeare —
Romeo and Juliet — Tragic love
Julius Caesar — Politics and betrayal
Macbeth — Ambition and guilt
A Midsummer Night’s Dream — Comedy and illusion
King Lear — Suffering and authority
Hamlet — Existential tragedy
The Tempest — Reconciliation
00:16:21
Dostoevsky — Crime and Punishment — Guilt and redemption
Dostoevsky — The Brothers Karamazov — Faith and morality
00:21:31
Voyage of St. Brendan — Medieval Christian voyage
Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius — Apocalyptic text
The Golden Legend — Jacobus de Voragine — Saints’ lives
00:21:58
Cervantes — Don Quixote — Satire of chivalry, early novel
00:22:51
Jane Austen — Pride and Prejudice — Social psychology
00:23:59
Milton — Paradise Lost — (revisited, epic psychology)
00:26:11
Faulkner — (novels) — Fragmented modern storytelling
00:33:41
C.S. Lewis — On Stories — Defense of story over psychology
C.S. Lewis — Abolition of Man — Critique of modern values
C.S. Lewis — Miracles — Defense of the supernatural
00:37:05
Sondheim — Into the Woods — Modern fairy tale deconstruction
00:38:55
Rabelais — Gargantua and Pantagruel — Satirical, playful text
00:44:06
Melville — Moby-Dick — Epic-scale novel
Hemingway — The Sun Also Rises — Modern disillusionment
00:49:42
Ovid — Metamorphoses — Mythic transformations
00:46:13 (thinkers mentioned)
Lyotard — Postmodern philosophy
Derrida — Deconstruction
Heidegger — Phenomenology
00:53:14
Virgil — Aeneid — Roman epic
Bible — (Moses narrative) — Epic of calling and suffering

🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

Avsnitt(441)

411 - Dr. Michael Levin & Dr. John Vervaeke - Brave New Biology: Intelligence Trumps DNA

411 - Dr. Michael Levin & Dr. John Vervaeke - Brave New Biology: Intelligence Trumps DNA

Dr. Michael Levin is a professor in the Department of Biology at Tufts University and an associate faculty member at the Wyss Institute at Harvard. He directs the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts, wher...

20 Sep 20251h 24min

410 - Fractals: The World Is Full of Meaning (Midwestuary talk)

410 - Fractals: The World Is Full of Meaning (Midwestuary talk)

I’ve spoken about fractals on my channel for many years. In this talk, I explore the topic directly—showing how fractals are a fundamental structure of reality. Understanding these patterns is essenti...

12 Sep 202545min

409 - The Strange Symbolism of K-Pop Demon Hunters: Shame, Attention, LGBT, Jung

409 - The Strange Symbolism of K-Pop Demon Hunters: Shame, Attention, LGBT, Jung

I finally watched K-Pop Demon Hunters after so many of you kept asking about it. In this episode, I explore the strange mix of symbolism: demons, idols, and the way the film deals with shame, music, a...

5 Sep 202526min

408 - Andrew Gould & Michael Diamant - Architecture: The Most Important Art

408 - Andrew Gould & Michael Diamant - Architecture: The Most Important Art

In this conversation I’m joined by Andrew Gould and Michael Diamant to explore the importance of traditional architecture and city planning. We discuss why so much of our built environment feels alien...

30 Aug 20251h 12min

407 - Heather Pollington - Rapunzel and the Evil Witch

407 - Heather Pollington - Rapunzel and the Evil Witch

📖 RAPUNZEL AND THE EVIL WITCH IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR SALE: https://rapunzelbook.com/Heather Pollington and I are thrilled to share our brand-new storybook with you, 'Rapunzel and the Evil Witch'! Follo...

29 Aug 20251h 1min

406 - Symbolism Explained: The Fundamental WWII Duality That Still Haunts Us Today

406 - Symbolism Explained: The Fundamental WWII Duality That Still Haunts Us Today

In this episode, I explore the symbolism of World War II through the imagery of the Axis and the Allies. Beyond politics, these symbols reveal a deeper story about unity and multiplicity—the tension b...

19 Aug 202521min

405 - Fr. Josiah Trenham - Marriage: The Bedrock of Civilization

405 - Fr. Josiah Trenham - Marriage: The Bedrock of Civilization

In this episode, Father Josiah Trenham returns to the podcast for us to talk about the profound meaning and cosmic significance of marriage. We explore why marriage is a crucial civilizational corners...

5 Aug 20251h 7min

404 - Fr. Stephen De Young - How to Read Extra-Biblical Texts Like Jubilees (and Why It Matters)

404 - Fr. Stephen De Young - How to Read Extra-Biblical Texts Like Jubilees (and Why It Matters)

Fr. Stephen De Young returns to the channel to explore how we should approach extra-Biblical literature—looking especially at the Book of Jubilees in anticipation of his upcoming Symbolic World course...

31 Juli 202552min

Populärt inom Utbildning

historiepodden-se
rss-bara-en-till-om-missbruk-medberoende-2
det-skaver
alska-oss
harrisons-dramatiska-historia
nu-blir-det-historia
johannes-hansen-podcast
rss-foraldramotet-bring-lagercrantz
roda-vita-rosen
rss-viktmedicinpodden
not-fanny-anymore
sektledare
rss-sjalsligt-avkladd
i-vantan-pa-katastrofen
sa-in-i-sjalen
allt-du-velat-veta
rib-podcast
rss-basta-livet
rss-max-tant-med-max-villman
rss-traningsklubben