S3E80 Donnie Secreast joins Ash again to talk more about Hardcastle Crags, environmental themes in Plath's work and her search for a 'universal element'.
Read Donnie's article here:
muse.jhu.edu/article/750706
And follow her on Twitter:
@donniesecreast
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S3E79 Donnie Secreast joins Ash to discuss Plath's nonchalantly brilliant poem, Hardcastle Crags. Set in the Yorkshire Dales, of great interest for its ecological themes and musical intricacy.
Read Donnie's article here:
muse.jhu.edu/article/750706
And follow her on Twitter:
@donniesecreast
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S3E78 Emily Van Duyne returns to talk about her upcoming book, Loving Sylvia Plath, and further explore some of the biographical themes mentioned in yesterday's episode on 'The Jailor'.
You can read some of Emily's work here:
https://lithub.com/author/emily-van-duyne/
And follow her on Twitter:
@emilyvanduyne
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S3E77 Emily Van Duyne is Ash's special guest for today's episode on Sylvia Plath's poem, The Jailor. A portrait of abuse, gas-lighting and 'inescapable femininity', the poem has recently been studied by Plath scholars including Emily for its use of anti-black racist language.
You can read some of Emily's work here:
https://lithub.com/author/emily-van-duyne/
And follow her on Twitter:
@emilyvanduyne
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S3E76 Today Ash discusses the first story in Ovid's Metamorphoses, in which we see the world created, and populated with its first inhabitants.
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S3E75 Today's exclusive episode takes us to home turf with this Edinburgh based story of resurrection men...
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S3E74 Today I'm finally talking about Olalla! The crazy Spanish vampire story of Stevenson's that's come up on the podcast at least once before...
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S3E73 We've reached the fifth Marlowe adventure, The Little Sister. Tune in to hear about what critics call Chandler's "Hollywood novel", and what the author himself called "a gaudy piece of sarcasm masquerading as a mystery". We discuss Chandler's comedy, his cantankerous mood at the time of writing and his brushes with film legends like Billy Wilder and Alfred Hitchcock.
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S3E72 Ash discusses the fourth Marlowe novel, The Lady in the Lake. Tune in to hear about Arthurian references, Raymond Chandler's women, Marlowe's men and once again, fish.
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S3E71 In Philip Marlowe's third outing, he is on the trail of a missing Brasher Doubloon. Tracking down the coin, he unravels a dark family secret and a Beverly Hills murder.
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S3E70 The second Philip Marlowe adventure features the unforgettable Moose Malloy, bent Bay City cops and a dame to kill for.
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S3E69 It's back to Book 1 of Ovid's Metamorphoses as Ash tells the story of a wrathful Jove, destroying mankind with a great flood. But what does Ovid's flood have in common with the flood found in the Book of Genesis? Is this genocide or editing? And what is left, once the waters have settled?
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S3E68 Today, I'm analysing Sylvia Plath's poem Full Fathom Five, written in 1958 and eventually collected in her book The Colossus. Taking its title from Shakespeare's The Tempest, Full Fathom Five is full of classic Plath imagery: the seldom-surfacing sea-god muse, the lost father and the seascape of her childhood.
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S3E62 Today Ash discusses one of the most famous poems of the First World War, Wilfred Owen's Dulce Et Decorum Est. Tune in for an exploration of guilt and natural disorder in this "anti-souvenir" from the trenches.
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Ear Read This is creating Podcasts | Patreon
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Intro: Christopher Hitchens reading "Dulce Et Decorum Est"
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S3E61 Today Ash is joined again by special guest Emily Ingram to discuss her play-in-progress, based on the life of Mary Shelley.
You can find out more about Emily's work and her theatre company, Some Kind of Theatre, here:
https://www.somekindoftheatre.co.uk/
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Ear Read This is creating Podcasts | Patreon
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Intro: The Bell Jar (1979)
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S3E60 Join us for a dissection of Mary Shelley's iconic novel, Frankenstein, the tale of an ambitious young Swiss scientist, who in the course of penetrating the deepest mysteries of nature, creates artificial life. Ash's special guest this week is Emily Ingram, theatre practitioner and writer who is currently working on a play based on Shelley's life.
You can find out more about Emily's work and her theatre company, Some Kind of Theatre, here:
https://www.somekindoftheatre.co.uk/
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Ear Read This is creating Podcasts | Patreon
Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound.
Intro: The Bell Jar (1979)
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S3E58 Today, Ash is joined by Dr. Gail Crowther to discuss Sylvia Plath’s iconic novel, The Bell Jar. Tune in for a conversation about the book’s strange publication history, the perils of reading it as pure autobiography, and an exploration of some of Plath’s often unsettling and grotesque imagery.
Check back tomorrow for an extended interview with Gail, and in the mean time, find out more about her work here:
https://gailcrowther.com/
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Ear Read This is creating Podcasts | Patreon
Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound.
Intro: The Bell Jar (1979)
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S3E57 Ash is once again joined by Eilish Mulholland of the Plath and Co. podcast, to talk about Sylvia Plath. In a wide-ranging conversation they discuss Plath and Hughes' use of the occult, pandemic podcasting, the best biographies and fictional depictions of Plath and the hypnotising effect of hearing her voice.
You can find Eilish's podcast, Plath & Co, here:
https://soundcloud.com/user-611388248
Access bonus content here:
Ear Read This is creating Podcasts | Patreon
Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound.
Intro: A Birthday Present (1963)
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S3E56 Ash is joined by writer, researcher and fellow podcaster Eilish Mulholland to discuss Sylvia Plath's late poem, A Birthday Present. In it, a woman is taunted by a mysterious veiled gift, the significance of which is initially unclear.
You can find Eilish's podcast, Plath & Co, here:
https://soundcloud.com/user-611388248
Access bonus content here:
Ear Read This is creating Podcasts | Patreon
Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound.
Intro: A Birthday Present (1963)
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S3E55 Gods, werewolves and giants abound as Ash takes a look at the story of Lycaon in Book 1 of Ovid's Metamorphoses.
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Ear Read This is creating Podcasts | Patreon
Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound.
Intro: An American Werewolf in London (1981)
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S3E50 What did actors in Shakespeare's day sound like? To answer that question, Ash is once again joined by Ben Crystal, author of Shakespeare on Toast and expert in the field of original pronunciation.
Check out Ben's work here:
http://www.bencrystal.com/
And find him on Twitter @bencrystal
And check out our Patreon page here:
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S3E49 We have finally arrived at the end of Shakespeare's History plays, with the riotous Richard III. Joining Ash to discuss the play is Ben Crystal, author of Shakespeare on Toast and specialist in the field of original pronunciation, which we'll be discussing more on tomorrow's extended interview.
Check out Ben's work here:
http://www.bencrystal.com/
And check out our Patreon page here:
Ear Read This is creating Podcasts | Patreon
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S3E46 Ash is joined once again by Andrew Lycett to talk more about Arthur Conan Doyle - his spiritualism, his global politics and his round of golf with Rudyard Kipling. To find out more about Andrew's work click below:
Amazon.co.uk : andrew lycett
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S3E45 Conan Doyle's historical novel The White Company is today's subject of discussion; another of Edinburgh's most famous literary residents tackling material previously used by Shakespeare. A tale of a ragtag gang of archers in the Hundred Year's War, The White Company was once the most widely published historical novel after Ivanhoe. So why is it so rarely read today? Joining Ash to discuss The White Company is journalist and biographer Andrew Lycett, who has published two books on Conan Doyle, including a celebrated biography from 2007. Tune in next time to hear more about Andrew's work, and in the meantime check out his publications here:
Amazon.co.uk : andrew lycett
Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound.
Sound Bite: Most Haunted Live
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S3E44 A fascinating conversation today that's a must-listen for all Stevenson enthusiasts. Ash talks more to Jeremy Hodges about Stevenson's time in Paris, the damaging influence of Victorian Edinburgh and the story of Katharine de Mattos. Katharine was Stevenson's cousin and fellow author, who Jeremy has written about in his latest book, Mrs Jekyll and Cousin Hyde.
You can read Jeremy's biography of Stevenson, Lamplit Vicious Fairyland, here:
Lamplit, Vicious Fairy Land | Robert Louis Stevenson (robert-louis-stevenson.org)
Purchase a copy of Mrs Jekyll and Cousin Hyde here:
Mrs Jekyll and Cousin Hyde — Luath Press
Or order one from the fantastic Typewronger Books here:
Typewronger Books - Home
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S3E43 We're taking a break from Shakespeare but not from the Wars of the Roses. Today we look at another portrait of the civil war in Robert Louis Stevenson's The Black Arrow.
Joining Ash to talk about this lesser known novel by RLS is journalist and author Jeremy Hodges. Tune in next time to hear more about Jeremy's work. You can read his biography of Stevenson, Lamplit Vicious Fairyland, here:
Lamplit, Vicious Fairy Land | Robert Louis Stevenson (robert-louis-stevenson.org)
Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound.
Sound Bite: The Black Arrow (1988)
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S3E42 In the final Part of Henry VI, we see England descend fully into chaos. Today we discuss violence, ill-blowing winds and the rise of one of Shakespeare's most famous villains.
Joining Ash once again are Hailey Bachrach and Owen Horsley, who have worked on adaptations of the plays for the Globe and the RSC.
Selections for the play are read by actor Danielle Farrow. You can find more information about all three contributors below:
Hailey Bachrach:
https://haileybachrach.com/about/
@hbachrach
Owen Horsley:
https://www.owenhorsley.com/
@OwenHorsley
Danielle Farrow:
http://daniellefarrow.com/
@DFActing
Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound.
Sound Bite: The Wars of the Roses (1965)
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S3E41 Today, Ash talks more to his special guest for the Henry VI episodes, Owen Horsley, about adapting Shakespeare, cutting Henry VI, and working for the RSC.
You can visit Owen's website here:
https://www.owenhorsley.com
And get a glimpse of the RSC's The Wars of the Roses here:
https://www.rsc.org.uk/the-wars-of-the-roses-part-1
And follow Owen on Twitter:
@OwenHorsley
Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound.
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S3E40 It's Part 2 of Henry VI and things are going from bad to worse for King and country. Tune in to hear about witchcraft, beheadings, royal adultery and the beginning of the Wars of the Roses.
Joining Ash once again are Hailey Bachrach and Owen Horsley, who have worked on adaptations of the plays for the Globe and the RSC.
Selections for the play are read by actor Danielle Farrow. You can find more information about all three contributors below:
Hailey Bachrach:
https://haileybachrach.com/about/
@hbachrach
Owen Horsley:
https://www.owenhorsley.com/
@OwenHorsley
Danielle Farrow:
http://daniellefarrow.com/
@DFActing
Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound.
Sound Bite: The Wars of the Roses (1965)
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S3E39 Today, Ash talks more to his special guest for the Henry VI episodes, Hailey Bachrach, about adapting Shakespeare, diverse casting and the "protagonist vacuum" in Henry VI.
You can visit Hailey's website here:
https://haileybachrach.com/about/
Sign up to her newsletter, Dramatis Personae:
shakespeare.substack.com
And follow her on Twitter:
@hbachrach
Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound.
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S3E38 Today, we begin an ambitious podcast trilogy on Shakespeare's earliest history plays - the three parts of Henry VI. Picking up from where we left off, today's play opens with the funeral of Henry V. For his infant son, the first phase of his reign will be threatened by a French renaissance, and rumbles of civil war in his own country.
Joining Ash to discuss the Wars of the Roses and Joan of Arc are Hailey Bachrach and Owen Horsley, who have worked on adaptations of the plays for the Globe and the RSC.
And finally, selections from all three plays are read by actor Danielle Farrow. You can find more information about all three contributors below:
Hailey Bachrach:
https://haileybachrach.com/about/
@hbachrach
Owen Horsley:
https://www.owenhorsley.com/
@OwenHorsley
Danielle Farrow:
http://daniellefarrow.com/
@DFActing
Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound.
Sound Bite: David Warner in The Wars of the Roses
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S3E37 John Steinbeck’s The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights was published posthumously in 1976. Though unfinished, it is a fascinating record of a legendary American writer attempting to translate Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur into modern language. Tune in to learn all about Steinbeck’s process, his interpretation of Malory as a novelist and the mafia connection to King Arthur’s Knights.
Ash is joined today by special guests Caleb James and Spencer Church of the Drunken Pen Writing Podcast to provide an American perspective.
Check out their stuff here:
https://drunkenpenwriting.podbean.com/
https://drunkenpenwriting.com/
Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound.
Sound Bite: John Steinbeck's Nobel Acceptance Speech
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S3E36 A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is Mark Twain's rollicking attack on the Arthurian romances. Join us today as we discuss Twain, typewriters, and dynamiting wizards out of the water.
Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound.
Sound Bite: The Simpsons.
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S3E35 Today Ash is joined once again by special guest Aaron Sidwell to talk more about his recent performance of Henry V at the Barn Theatre in Cirencester, his YouTube Series Bard from the Barn and the future of theatre in a post-Covid world.
Watch Aaron's production here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynSpVRu_8kE
Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound.
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S3E34 We reach the end of Shakespeare's second cycle of English History plays with Henry V - the story of England's glorious King and his famous victories in France. Joining Ash to discuss the play is special guest Aaron Sidwell, who has recently played Henry in a production at the Barn Theatre in Cirencester.
Watch Aaron's production here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynSpVRu_8kE
Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound.
Sound Bite: Derek Jacobi in Henry V (1989).
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S3E33 Following on from our recent episode on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, today Ash talks more to Debbie Cannon about her solo show based on the poem, which premiered at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Find out more about Debbie's play Green Knight here:
www.debbiecannon.org/
Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound.
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S3E31 In 1609, for the first time, all 154 of Shakespeare's Sonnets were published. Initially attracting little attention, in the centuries that followed they have been censored, rearranged and scrutinised by critics and cryptomaniacs alike. To discuss the reasons why, Ash is joined by a very special guest: Sir Stanley Wells, who has recently published with Paul Edmondson a new edition of the sonnets.
You can buy yourself a copy here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Sonnets-Shakespeare-William/dp/1108490395/ref=sr_1_1?crid=S71PL6YL4C9I&dchild=1&keywords=all+the+sonnets+of+shakespeare&qid=1612212351&sprefix=all+the+sonnets+of+shak%2Caps%2C175&sr=8-1
Sound Bite: Star Trek (1969)
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