Afleveringen
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In this episode, Liz and Grace discuss Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” and why it’s been considered a classic.
First published in 1813, it follows the story of Elizabeth Bennet and her four sisters. Their mother, Mrs Bennet, is determined to secure them advantageous marriages, and her hopes are set alight when the wealthy Mr Bingley arrives. Elizabeth, however, finds herself frustrated by Mr Bingley’s friend, the proud and taciturn Mr Darcy. A series of revelations then follow as Darcy and Elizabeth have to face their own shortcomings – and their true feelings for one another.
Is Mr Darcy actually the villain of the book? Has Mrs Bennet been overlooked? Why do we love the “enemies to lovers” trope? What makes “Pride and Prejudice” so great? And is it Jane Austen’s best book? These are just some of the questions Liz and Grace explore in the podcast.
Website: https://isthisbookaclassic.my.canva.site/ All links can be found on our Instagram: @isthisbookaclassicpodcast
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In this episode, Liz and Trudy turn their attention to the ultimate cool girl novel: Sally Rooney’s “Normal People”.
Heavily promoted, widely loved and critically acclaimed, “Normal People” is a knockout success. This episode looks at whether that popular success could translate into critical longevity as a classic.
Here, Liz and Trudy talk “Sad Girl Literature”, millennial disaffection and difficult relationships as they explore the ups and downs of Connell and Marianne’s relationship and consider Rooney’s book within its wider literary context.
Sally Rooney has been hailed as the “first great millennial novelist” and “J. D. Salinger for the Snapchat generation”. “Normal People” is her most popular novel and today they will be discussing whether it could also be considered a classic.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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After discussing "A Little Life" by Hanya Yanagihara, Liz and Grace now focus on Thomas Hardy’s “Jude the Obscure”, another novel critiqued for its bleak portrayals of personal struggle. First published in 1895, and considered to be one of Hardy’s most controversial novels, Jude the Obscure follows the life of Jude Fawley, a working-class man who dreams of studying at a university in Christminster.
His dreams are derailed, however, when he is tricked into marrying the deceitful Arabella. When she abandons him, Jude falls for his complicated and free-thinking cousin, Sue Bridehead. The couple then endure a series of tragic events as rigid Victorian class structures and beliefs surrounding marriage lead to their wider social rejection.
Here, Grace and Liz talk class and sex in what contemporary critics dubbed the “most indecent novel ever written”. They debate its place in the canon and talk about why books like this still matter in the 21st century.
Further reading can be found on our website
All links can be found on our Instagram
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“Misery porn” or a bona fide classic? Liz and Trudy discuss love, trauma, and friendship as they debate the book that has shaken both critics and the internet. “A Little Life” follows four friends who, after graduating, move to New York City and attempt to navigate their adult lives. As they grow and their complex relationships evolve, Yanagihara grapples with one key question: can anyone truly recover from the trauma of their past?
In this episode, we talk about how we first heard about the book, the mythology surrounding it, and the questions Yanagihara seems to raise. We discuss the controversial nature of the book, its critical and commercial success, and whether it should be dismissed for its relentless depiction of suffering or praised for its ability to evoke strong emotions. Finally, we consider why the book has struck such a chord in recent years and whether it will one day be regarded as a classic, using the criteria outlined by Italo Calvino in his seminal essay, “Why Read the Classics?”
Further reading can be found on our website
All links can be found on our Instagram
