How To Love Lit Podcast

The Hobbit || JRR Tolkien || Episode 2 || Secondary Worlds,Elves, Goblins, Orcs, Trolls - and Gollum! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Hobbit || JRR Tolkien || Episode 1 || Meet The Writer That Created The Fantasy Genre! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oscar Wilde || The Importance Of Being Earnest || Episode 3I'm SmarTune Music, as the author of 'Irish Tale' www.melodyloops.com/tracks/irish-tale/, grants Melody Loops and it's licensees, including How To Love Learning , permission to use this Music. This Music may be used in commercial and personal projects and in monetized videos (such as Youtube or Vimeo) without paying additional fees or royalties to author. The Music must be used in accordance with the Melody Loops End User License Agreement https://www.melodyloops.com/support/full-license/ License #: 14467268443 CONFIRMATION SUMMARY Here are a few details of this Grant and Permission: It is conditional upon full receipt of payment; The Music may be used in various multimedia applications including as video games, educational software, powerpoint and keynote presentations, television advertisements, radio spots, documentaries, institutional and corporate advertising, hold on, jingles, websites, flashes, banners; The Music may be modified but may not resold or redistributed outright by licensees of Melody Loops, although it may be included as part of a production; and The Music is being licensed not sold. 'Melody Loops' referred to above means Melody Loops LP, operators of www.melodyloops.com (the 'Site'). SmarTune Music 2025-04-29  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oscar Wilde || The Importance Of Being Earnest || Episode 2I'm SmarTune Music, as the author of 'Irish Tale' www.melodyloops.com/tracks/irish-tale/, grants Melody Loops and it's licensees, including How To Love Learning , permission to use this Music. This Music may be used in commercial and personal projects and in monetized videos (such as Youtube or Vimeo) without paying additional fees or royalties to author. The Music must be used in accordance with the Melody Loops End User License Agreement https://www.melodyloops.com/support/full-license/ License #: 14467268443 CONFIRMATION SUMMARY Here are a few details of this Grant and Permission: It is conditional upon full receipt of payment; The Music may be used in various multimedia applications including as video games, educational software, powerpoint and keynote presentations, television advertisements, radio spots, documentaries, institutional and corporate advertising, hold on, jingles, websites, flashes, banners; The Music may be modified but may not resold or redistributed outright by licensees of Melody Loops, although it may be included as part of a production; and The Music is being licensed not sold. 'Melody Loops' referred to above means Melody Loops LP, operators of www.melodyloops.com (the 'Site'). SmarTune Music 2025-04-29  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oscar Wilde || The Importance Of Being Earnest || Episode 1I'm SmarTune Music, as the author of 'Irish Tale' www.melodyloops.com/tracks/irish-tale/, grants Melody Loops and it's licensees, including How To Love Learning , permission to use this Music. This Music may be used in commercial and personal projects and in monetized videos (such as Youtube or Vimeo) without paying additional fees or royalties to author. The Music must be used in accordance with the Melody Loops End User License Agreement https://www.melodyloops.com/support/full-license/ License #: 14467268443 CONFIRMATION SUMMARY Here are a few details of this Grant and Permission: It is conditional upon full receipt of payment; The Music may be used in various multimedia applications including as video games, educational software, powerpoint and keynote presentations, television advertisements, radio spots, documentaries, institutional and corporate advertising, hold on, jingles, websites, flashes, banners; The Music may be modified but may not resold or redistributed outright by licensees of Melody Loops, although it may be included as part of a production; and The Music is being licensed not sold. 'Melody Loops' referred to above means Melody Loops LP, operators of www.melodyloops.com (the 'Site'). SmarTune Music 2025-04-29 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels - Episode 5 - Insanity And The Dark Conclusion To Satire! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels - Episode 3 - Journey #3 - Sir Isaac Newton Under Fire! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels - Episode 3 - Journey #2 - From Giant To Tiny In One Trip! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels - Episode 2 - Journey #1 To Lilliput And Satire! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels - Episode 1 - Meet The Champion Of Satire And Personal Mystery!I'm SmarTune Music, as the author of 'Irish Tale' www.melodyloops.com/tracks/irish-tale/, grants Melody Loops and it's licensees, including How To Love Learning , permission to use this Music. This Music may be used in commercial and personal projects and in monetized videos (such as Youtube or Vimeo) without paying additional fees or royalties to author. The Music must be used in accordance with the Melody Loops End User License Agreement https://www.melodyloops.com/support/full-license Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Poetry Of Gwendolyn Brooks || Episode 2I'mDPmusic,astheauthorof'TouchOfHope' www.melodyloops.com/tracks/touch-of-hope/, grants Melody Loops and it's licensees, including How To Love Learning , permission to use this Music. This Music may be used in commercial and personal projects and in monetized videos (such as Youtube or Vimeo) without paying additional fees or royalties to author. The Music must be used in accordance with the Melody Loops End User License Agreement https://www.melodyloops.com/support/full-license/ License #: 71873185928 CONFIRMATION SUMMARY Here are a few details of this Grant and Permission: It is conditional upon full receipt of payment; The Music may be used in various multimedia applications including as video games, educational software, powerpoint and keynote presentations, television advertisements, radio spots, documentaries, institutional and corporate advertising, hold on, jingles, websites, flashes, banners; The Music may be modified but may not resold or redistributed outright by licensees of Melody Loops, although it may be included as part of a production; and The Music is being licensed not sold. 'Melody Loops' referred to above means Melody Loops LP, operators of www.melodyloops.com (the 'Site'). DPmusic 2025-03-14  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Poetry Of Gwendolyn Brooks || Episode 1I'mDPmusic,astheauthorof'TouchOfHope' www.melodyloops.com/tracks/touch-of-hope/, grants Melody Loops and it's licensees, including How To Love Learning , permission to use this Music. This Music may be used in commercial and personal projects and in monetized videos (such as Youtube or Vimeo) without paying additional fees or royalties to author. The Music must be used in accordance with the Melody Loops End User License Agreement https://www.melodyloops.com/support/full-license/ License #: 71873185928 CONFIRMATION SUMMARY Here are a few details of this Grant and Permission: It is conditional upon full receipt of payment; The Music may be used in various multimedia applications including as video games, educational software, powerpoint and keynote presentations, television advertisements, radio spots, documentaries, institutional and corporate advertising, hold on, jingles, websites, flashes, banners; The Music may be modified but may not resold or redistributed outright by licensees of Melody Loops, although it may be included as part of a production; and The Music is being licensed not sold. 'Melody Loops' referred to above means Melody Loops LP, operators of www.melodyloops.com (the 'Site'). DPmusic 2025-03-14  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nelson Mandela || Presidential Inauguration Speech || May 10, 1994I'm DPmusic (Content ID registered by Denis Pavlov (DPmusic) with Identifyy), as the author of 'Great Wonder' www.melodyloops.com/tracks/great-wonder/, grants Melody Loops and it's licensees, including How To Love Learning , permission to use this Music. This Music may be used in commercial and personal projects and in monetized videos (such as Youtube or Vimeo) without paying additional fees or royalties to author. The Music must be used in accordance with the Melody Loops End User License Agreement https://www.melodyloops.com/support/full-license/ License #: 16788443171 CONFIRMATION SUMMARY Here are a few details of this Grant and Permission: It is conditional upon full receipt of payment; The Music may be used in various multimedia applications including as video games, educational software, powerpoint and keynote presentations, television advertisements, radio spots, documentaries, institutional and corporate advertising, hold on, jingles, websites, flashes, banners; The Music may be modified but may not resold or redistributed outright by licensees of Melody Loops, although it may be included as part of a production; and The Music is being licensed not sold. 'Melody Loops' referred to above means Melody Loops LP, operators of www.melodyloops.com (the 'Site'). DPmusic (Content ID registered by Denis Pavlov (DPmusic) with Identifyy) 2025-03-03  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aung San Suu Kyi - Fear Creates Corruption - Nobel Acceptance Speech! Hi, I’m Christy Shriver and we’re here to discuss books that have changed the world and have changed us.    And I’m Garry Shriver, and this is the How to Love Lit Podcast.  This week, we want to turn our attention to the words and ideas of peace advocate and Nobel Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi.  Her story is set in Southeast Asia.  A region that includes the nations of Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.  It is the most diverse region of Asia and includes hundreds of different cultures, religions, racial make ups and languages.  Just politically there are nine different kinds of regimes represented in this region of the world, ranging from military juntas, like Myanmar to monarchies like Brunei to democracies like the Philippines. Freedom House, a non-profit that monitors democracies and indexes freedoms around the world, does not rate a single country in the region as “free”.  Countries such as The Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia are rated as partly free, but Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are not.  Of course, there are many variables that create barriers to freedom in the region, and each country has its own unique story.  This week, we want to explore the story of Myanmar and of a woman who has devoted her life to its survival.    Many people may know Myanmar by its other name, Burma.    Yes, and that is confusing.  Up until 1989, it was called Burma, but in 1989, the military dictatorship changed the name of the country claiming it was more historically accurate to call it Myanmar instead of the British-derived Burma.  However, there was no public referendum on that, and many opposed the change, including Aung San Suu Kyi.  She, along with many others continue to refer to the country as Burma.  This is just one indication of the many political problems that plague this nation.    The country is large, over 55 million people life there.  It’s natural beauty ranges from pristine beaches to the Himalayan mountains where many tribal groups live in relative seclusion.  Myanmar has cool wildlife like tigers and leopards and elephants.   It’s full of of buddhist temples, in fact, there are thousands pagodas in Myanmar earning the country the nickname, the land of pagodas, just the ancient Bagan city has over 2000 still standing.   Almost any landscape picture of Myanmar will showcase the glittery golden pagodas that dot the landscape, reminding us that this is a with a deep and rich history.  But before we get too far into politics or religion, let’s situate it geographically.   It is bordered by India to the West, and by Western China, Thailand and Laos to the east.  It is also the largest nation in continental Southeast Asia. Remember India is considered Southern Asia, and China is considered Eastern Asia, so Mynamar is between the two.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John F. Kennedy || Inaugural Address Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#keywords : #howtolovelitpodcast #christyshriver #teachingliterature #learnenglishthroughstory #literature #englishaudiobook #rhetoric #gcse #internationalbaccalaureate #apliteratureproseessaytips #literaryanalysis #examprep #poetryanalysis #poetryanalysisstructure #shortstoryanalysis #genrestudies #aplitexam #collegeboard #classicaleducation #teachingrhetoric #abrahamlincoln #abrahamlincolnbiography #abrahamlincolnbestquotes #abrahamlincolnquotesAbraham Lincoln - The Gettysburg Address - The Great Task Remaining Before Us.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The || Poetry || of || Paul || Laurence || Dunbar! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hermann Hess || Siddhartha || Episode 3#keywords #classicliterature, #hermanhesse, #demianhermanhesse, #hermanhessequotes, #hermannhesse, #bookreviews, #hermannhessequotesonmen, #besthermannhessequotes, #hermannhessebestquotes, #hermannhessequotes, #Siddhartha, #hermannhessepoems, #siddharthabookreview, #siddharthahermannhesse, #bookreviewsiddharthahermannhesse, #hermannhesseaudiobook, #hermannhesse'squotes, #hermannhesse'squotesinenglish, #hermannhessebooks, #howtolovelitpodcast, #christyshriver Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hermann Hess || Siddhartha || Episode 2#keywords #classicliterature, #hermanhesse, #demianhermanhesse, #hermanhessequotes, #hermannhesse, #bookreviews, #hermannhessequotesonmen, #besthermannhessequotes, #hermannhessebestquotes, #hermannhessequotes, #Siddhartha, #hermannhessepoems, #siddharthabookreview, #siddharthahermannhesse, #bookreviewsiddharthahermannhesse, #hermannhesseaudiobook, #hermannhesse'squotes, #hermannhesse'squotesinenglish, #hermannhessebooks, #howtolovelitpodcast, #christyshriver Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Herman Hesse || Siddhartha || Episode 1#keywords #classicliterature, #hermanhesse, #demianhermanhesse, #hermanhessequotes, #hermannhesse, #bookreviews, #hermannhessequotesonmen, #besthermannhessequotes, #hermannhessebestquotes, #hermannhessequotes, #Siddhartha, #hermannhessepoems, #siddharthabookreview, #siddharthahermannhesse, #bookreviewsiddharthahermannhesse, #hermannhesseaudiobook, #hermannhesse'squotes, #hermannhesse'squotesinenglish, #hermannhessebooks, #howtolovelitpodcast, #christyshriver Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sir Walter Scott - Wandering Willie's Tale - Scott Speaking Scots in Scotland! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sir walter Scott, Scotland, Edinburgh, Highlands, UK, Scottish literature. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

O. Henry - The Story Behind The Gift Of The Magi - Christmas Special! Hi, I’m Christy Shriver. We’re here to read works that have changed the world and have changed us. I’m Garry Shriver, and this is the How to Love Lit Podcast. If you’re listening to this in real time, we are in the second week of December 2020- and have just finished the excrutiatingly brutal book Wuthering Heights. So, as a sorbet to our spirits, for the next three weeks we will be doing a little light reading with traditional Christmas narratives. This week we are going to feature O Henry and his wildly popular short story “The Gift of the Magi”. Next week we feature “A Visit from St Nicholas” or better known as “Twas The Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moore (both American authors, btw), and finally, the week of Christmas we will rebroadcast our analysis of the Sacred Text from the book of Luke in the KJV of the Bible. But before we get into O Henry’s plot-twisting life story- let’s remind you that it is the month of giving- and we would like to give to you, our listeners, by featuring and promoting your small business on our social media platforms. Send us a picture of your shop, café, restaurant, school, whatever you do, we want to give you a shout out-wherever you live in our world. During this season of worldwide struggle, let’s help each other out by recognizing those so make our individual communities unique and identifiable - each as best we can. Well, highlighting working community builders is certainly in the spirit of O Henry. This famous short story illustrates this a little but the larger body of work by O Henry definitely features the working man- he identified with many of us and spoke to and for us- I guess this was a reason for his crazy success- but before we let loose and venture into the hills of North Carolina to meet the young Will Porter (and yes, his name wasn’t actually O Henry- let me ask all of you, if you’ve enjoyed our work, please continue to support us by sharing an episode of ours with a friend, visiting us on our social media and or giving us a rating. It really helps us grow. And now- after all of that ado- let’s chat about O Henry or, as he was born into this world William Sidney Porter on September 11, 1862. Not an awesome time to be born in the United States of America- for one thing, we were still in the throws of the American Civil War. There were massive casualities on both sides and no end in sight. But there were other deadly forces moving across the world, and not just in the United States and Europe namely and in this case- Tuberculosis- a deadly terrifying life-threatening plague- as it still is today in much of the world. At the time of O Henry’s birth it was more deadly than even the Civil War, (today it is still in the top ten killers on planet earth and has killed more humans on earth than any other single disease- but in O Henry’s day it was killing 1 of 7 people living in the United States- something we also saw in the Poe episodes. At that time there was no known cure. There was nothing anyone felt they do about this illness, and Porter’s mother died of it when he was 3 years old. Ironically, Will Porter’s Dad, was a doctor- except during the Civil War that meant a lot of work, but very little income. No one had money and this included the Porters. Dr Porter moved in with his mother, so she could help him take care of his three boys. But Dr. Porter had personal demons and soon became an alcoholic- a problem that would eventually get O Henry too. But for his part, Little Will Porter did okay as a kid, his aunt provided for him a pretty impressive education. He read a lot. He worked as a pharmacist at a local pharmacy- normal stuff- his big change came at age 19 when he was invited to accompany a couple that was moving to Texas. He was thrilled and embraced the change. In fact, typical Texan-style- he learned the ways of cattle ranching and speaking Spanish!!! Yeeehawww!! And it seems Texas was a good spot for him. He did well, in fact, he did well enough that by age 24 he was earning $100 a month working a job at the Texas Land Office. And that meant he was well off enough to elope with the 19 year old Athol Estes. Exciting as that plan sounds- this is where things started to take a bit of a bad turn- no fault to Athol, I might add. Sadly,she also had tuberculosis- which was why they had to elope- it seems, her parents didn’t feel comfortable with her getting married with this problem. Anyway, here’s the short version, short, thereafter Will took a job at a bank. His wife had two children, the first died within hours of his birth almost killing the mom, the second survived, but not without taking a toll on Athol’s health. Between those two child births and the tuberculosis, she just couldn’t recover and the medical bills started piling up. Porter, encouraged by his wife, still pursued his writing career, while also working at the bank. He started his own news paper called the

William Bradford - On Plymouth Plantation - The First In Colonial Literature! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

William Faulkner || A Rose For Emily || Part 2 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

William Faulkner || A Rose For Emily || Part 1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shirley Jackson - The Lottery - Her Most Famous Short Story! Hi, I’m Christy Shriver, and we’re here to discuss books that have changed the world and have changed us. And I’m Garry Shriver and this is the How to love Lit Podcast. Today we are finishing up our series on Shirley Jackson. Last week we concluded our discussion of her most famous book, the one that inspired the Netflix series by the same name The Haunting of Hill House. Today we are going to read the short story that made her a household name, “The Lottery.” It has had its share of movie inspiration. Anyone who has seen the opening of The Hunger Games would not be shocked at the plot of “The Lottery.” It’s inspired a bunch of other stories and movies besides that one; I think you mentioned the Stephen King one last week. I’m sure there are way more than that if we sat here and thought about it. True, and maybe I shouldn’t have been, but I was actually surprised as to how scandalous this story was when it was first published. If we’re talking solely about violence, by today’s standards, it’s mild. There is no blood or gore, it’s definitely no Squid Games. I agree- and I believe that is why this story- so deceptively simple and relatively tame- is actually taught in the eight grade in many school systems. It’s disturbing for reasons beyond the fact that someone is killed at the end- kiiling a main character is just par for the course in a standard English curriculum- in fact, that’s the big joke among English teachers- we don’t teach a story if we don’t kill someone at the end. “The Lottery” reads and feels so simple. And it is…so why the sensation? Let’s talk about the sensation, it’s definitely worth noticing how big a stir it actually created. For starters, the story generated more negative letters and subscription cancellations than anything the New Yorker had ever published. Jackson herself received over 300 letters just the summer it was published. In her own words she said this, “I can count only 13 that spoke kindly to me.” I want to point out that her mother, the ever-inspiring Geraldine could be counted on for a comment. She wrote her daughter with this to say, “Dad and I did not care at all for your story…it does seem, dear, that this gloomy kind of story is what all you young people think about these days. Why don’t you write something to cheer people up?” Dear Ole’ Geraldine- at least she’s consistent. But Jackson refused to explain the meaning of the story. She did once tell a journalist, “I suppose I hoped, by setting a particularly brutal rite in the present and in my own village, to shock the readers with a graphic demonstration of the pointless violence and general inhumanity of their own lives, but I gather that in some cases the mind just rebels. The number of people who expected Mrs. Hutchinson to win a Bendix washer at the end would amaze you.” Ha! Well, I don’t know how pointless violence and general inhumanity could have surprised anyone in 1948 when it was published. That was right after world war 2, especially the United States, had to stare the reality in the face that we had stood by and turned a blind eye for almost a decade to the atrocities committed by Hitler, and there was no one more cultured or sophisticated than the German people. I guess that’s true, but of course…for Americans that was always…over there…we, self-righteously could always claim we were not capable of such things... we after all were the victorious winners in that struggle between good and evil. And yet, Jackson’s simple story does seem to be pointing an accusing finger at someone. Yes, I totally think it does, and I do want us to take a different direction than many people who read this story. At first pass, and this is how I’ve most often heard this story discussed, this is a story that rails against tradition, against not questioning authority, specifically religious authority, against patriarchy…all very easy things to attack and very common in the American canon. Well, not just in the arena of literature either. We’ve been attacking cultural norms in one form or another since American invented baseball as its own American sports ritual over the sport of the British Empire- football or better known here as soccer. HA! I guess that’s true. We also have a way higher tolerance for gore than this story evokes- I mean we were comfortable with the headless horseman and the tell-tale heart. There was something personal about the Lottery that went beyond attacking traditions or killing an innocent victim. I also don’t think many of us would cancel our subscription to our favorite media streaming service (which would be the modern day equivalent), or take the trouble to dig up someone’s personal address and write them a personal letter if we did not feel personally attacked. “The Lottery” got under people’s skins because it was personal. So, that’s the question I want to ask? If this story is about pointless violence and general inhumanity, and if I’m

Taylor Swift || Commencement Address At NYU Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Macbeth || William Shakespeare || Episode 5 || The Tragic Conclusion...And The Conclusion Of Tragedy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Macbeth || William Shakespeare || Episode 4 || Equivocation, Ambiguity...And More Murder! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MacBeth || William Shakespeare || Episode 3 || Doubling Down On Bad Decisions...And Ghosts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MacBeth || William Shakespeare || Episode 2 || Ambition, Murder....and Witches! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MacBeth || William Shakespeare || Episode 1 ||Fair is Foul, and Foul is Fair! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Flannery O'connor || A Good Man Is Hard To Find || Part 2 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Flannery O'connor || A Good Man Is Hard To Find || Part 1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beowulf - Episode 3 - The Final Battle - The Final Word! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beowulf - Episode 2 - "Wyrd"-ness, Revenge and Female Aggression! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beowulf - Episode 1 - Old English Epic Poem - And Inspiration For JRR Tolkien! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Poetry of Christina Rossetti || Part 2 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Poetry of Christina Rossetti || Part 1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jurassic Park || Michael Crichton || Episode 3 || Natures Ultimate Power! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jurassic Park || Michael Crichton || Episode 2 || Chaos Theory, Fractals & The Power Of Nature Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jurassic Park || Michael Crichton || Episode 1 || The Business of Science!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Dolls House - Henrik Ibsen - Episode 3 - The End Of The Play That Shocked The World! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Dolls House - Henrik Ibsen - Episode 2 - Is It Or Is It Not A Feminist Play? Hi, I’m Christy Shriver and we’re here to discuss books that have changed the world and have changed us. I’m Garry Shriver and this is the How to Love Lit Podcast. This is episode two in our three part series over Ibsen’s explosive play A Doll’s House. Last week, we looked briefly at the life of Ibsen, his early origins in Norway, the beginning of his career all the way to this play- the one that launched him into stratosphere of Theater greats- It still amazes me that his plays are only outperformed by those of William Shakespeare. Crazy!!! We also looked at the very very beginning of this play- we entered the doll house by meeting Nora as she came back from a shopping trip. We talked about her unique role in this play- she is the entire focus of the play- Nora IS the doll- but we also began to expand the metaphor a little bit because we are also introducing the idea that Nora is not the only person playing a part- maybe she isn’t the only doll in the house. No, I don’t think she is- although she’s the most interesting and the focus, no doubt. This play is fascinating because there are so many subtle details that leave subtext about so many psychological and sociological ideas- this is, to a greater or lesser degree- a play about someone we all know- if not about ourselves. To what degree do we all play parts and to what degree do we want to? Do we use people? Are we used being? Are we in a relationship where both parties are using each other? What are the moral implications of this? Does an arrangement like this bring happiness? What are the inevitable consequences- and are these consequences different for men and women because of the different roles we absolutely can’t escape either sociologically or biologically on planet earth? And it is that last question that we will start discussing today. Because, if you google this play at all, the unanswered question that has plagued this play- to the chagrin of Ibsen himself for over 100 years is this- IS or is this NOT a feminist play? Is Ibsen advocating for women’s rights? HA!! It’s really amazing that so many books that have staying power over the centuries end up landing on gender politics? From Antigone to Wuthering Heights to The Scarlet Letter and the Great Gatsby- gender politics is absolutely inescapable at one level or another. Well, it absolutely IS- and speaking of gender politics in the 20s, Hermann Weigand a notable literary critic of that time period once said about having watched the doll’s house that “he was, like all men, momentarily shaken by the play. He said this, “Having had the misfortune to be born of the male sex, we slink away in shame, vowing to mend our ways.” Ha! That’s funny. I get the feeling since I’ve also had that very same misfortune that I’m supposed to feel that way after watching a lot of things. Indeed, and, that of course IS the goal of most things women write (I’m kidding- I’m not trying to insult anybody, just having a bit of fun), but having said that, Henrik Ibsen absolutely ran from this “feminist” label. So much so that in May 1898, he gave a speech at a banquet held in his honour by the Norwegian Women’s rights league and this is what he said at the speech. “I am not a member of the Women’s Rights League. Whatever I have written has been without any conscious thought of making propaganda. I have been more the poet and less the social philosopher than people generally seem included to believe. I thank you for the toast, but must disclaim the honor of having consciously worked for the Women’s Right’s Movement. I am not even quite clear as to just what this Women’s Rights Movement really is. To me, it has seemed a problem of mankind in general. And if you read my books carefully you will understand this. True enough, it is desirable to solve the woman problem, along with all the others; but that has not been the world purpose. My task has been the description of humanity. To be sure, whenever such a description is felt to be reasonably true, the reader will read his own feelings and sentiments into the work of the poet. These are then attributed to the poet; but incorrectly so. Every reader remolds the work beautifully and neatly, each according to his own personality. Not only those who write but also those who read are poets. They are collaborators. They are often more poetical than the poet himself. With these reservations, let me thank you for the toast you have given me. I do indeed recognize that women have an important task to perform in the particular directions; this club is working along. I will express my thanks by proposing a toast to the League for Women’s Rights, wishing it progress and success. The task always before my mind has been to advance our country and to give our people a higher standard. To achieve this, two factors are important. It is for the mothers, by strenuous and sustained labor, to awaken a conscious feeling

A Doll's House - Henrik Ibsen - Episode 1 - Norway At It's Literary Best! Hi, I’m Christy Shriver and we’re here to discuss books that have changed the world and have changed us. I’m Garry Shriver and this is the How to Love Lit Podcast. Today we begin our series on Henrik Ibsen and his great play- A Doll’s House. Ibsen was born in Norway, a country that shines a bright light on our view of the world more than most of us realize because it’s such a small place geographically. . Haha- shines a light- is that a pun- Norway is, after all, the land of the midnight sun! Where in the summer, the sun literally shines at midnight. Well, there is that, but I was actually thinking about the tremendous influence of the Nobel committee and the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize the famous committee that grants every year since 1901 on December 10th, from Oslo City Hall. There they announce which human, in their estimation, on planet earth has conferred the greatest benefit on mankind. What an amazing designation. Oh, that’s pretty important too. I know this is a tangent, but why IS the Nobel Peace Prize selected by and given out by Norwegians instead of the Swedish people, since Alfred Nobel was Swedish and not Norwegian. That’s a really good question, and I’m not sure anyone knows- but it was definitely stipulated by Alfred Nobel at his death that although the other awards would be awarded in Stockholm, the Peace Prize would be awarded in Oslo, Norway and it has been ever since. Norway is a country that has established itself for many years at the top of the lists of “best places to live on planet earth”- a designation it won again in 2020. It has the highest life expectancy in the world, (82.4 average) in case you’re wondering, second place went to Ireland, btw. It’s population on average is one of best educated in the world, and the gross national income is ranked third behind Switzerland and again Ireland. Wow, and yet Christy, I wonder if you would like living there- let me remind you that the average temperature in the summer is 65 degrees Fahrenheit or 18 degrees Celsius. I know, growing up in tropical climates where the average summer temperature is in the 90s or high 30s Celsius, I would definitely have to buy a new wardrobe, but that’s not always a negative. Ha! No, I guess that’s true. Norway is also a land we generally think of for its striking outdoor beauty characterized by those magnificient fjords. Fjord is one of the few Norwegian words that almost everyone knows. It literally means where one fares through- and if you see pictures of them, that makes sense why. They are fairy-tale like, truly and can be hundreds of miles long. Of course, Norway isn’t the only place where they exist, but they have over 1700 of them and two are featured on UNESCO’s world heritage list. Garry, describe what a fjord is for those of us, which includes me, who have never seen them. Well, I’ve never seen them in person either..yet…but I will. They are long narrow inlets of water with steep cliffs on both sides that were created by glaciers thousands of years ago. They are astonishingly deep, often thousands of feet or meters deep. They say one of the best ways to seem them is on a cruise ship, so that’s my plan. Ha!! Sounds like a great plan. Of course, right after Fjords and the Nobel Prize, the next thing that comes to mind when we think of Norway is still not Ibsen but- Vikings. Oh Vikings for sure have put their mark on northern Europe, and many of us have a very specific image in our minds of raiding warriors arriving in those amazing ships that could move around 15-17 knots. And although, the Vikings are mostly known for colonizing and conquering, which could be viewed negatively, you would be happy to know that women’s rights date back to before the 1100s among vikings. Women had the right to divorce, own property and were protected by law from sexual harassment. Well, there you go, and I guess that’s a good Segway to the reason for our interest today in Norway- because after those things- when we get to famous Norwegians, it’s hard to find one more well known then their native son, Henrik Ibsen, who was also quite the feminist- although as we will talk about next episode- he fought that label as he fought all labels. Yes- I guess he did. But let’s jump back just a little before we talk about Ibsen specifically, to talk a little more bit about Norway, because this little country has made such an important impact on the world but it isn’t a country that necessarily and deliberately draws a lot of attention to itself. I guess that’s true. Are you talking about Lasse Matberg- the real live version of Thor- Instagram and basically the internet has gone nuts over. Okay- Christy- no drooling. I was thinking King Harald the fifth. Most of us don’t even realize it is a constitutional monarchy with a very active monarch, Harald V who is 84 years old is known as a symbol of consolation and support; he and his beautiful queen Sonja- e

Romeo & Juliet - William Shakespeare - Episode 5 - The Worst Way To End A Story...And Become A Classic! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Romeo & Juliet - William Shakespeare - Episode 4 - The Power Of Impulse And Really Bad Ideas! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

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