The Norton Library Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The Strange, Wonderful Worlds of Nikolai Gogol (Selected Tales, Part 1) Oct 02, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of the Norton Library Podcast, we welcome translator Michael R. Katz and scholar of Russian literature Kate Holland to chat about one of the most celebrated figures in all of Russian literature: Nikolai Gogol. We discuss the influence of Gogol's Ukrainian background on his acclaimed short fiction as well as the challenges—and delights—of translating his singular comedic voice.
Michael R. Katz is C. V. Starr Professor Emeritus of Russian and East European Studies at Middlebury College. He has published translations of more than fifteen Russian novels, including Crime and Punishment, Notes from Underground, and The Brothers Karamazov.

Kate Holland is Associate Professor of Russian Literature in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Toronto. She is the author of The Novel in the Age of Disintegration: Dostoevsky and the Problem of Genre in the 1870s. She is President of the North American Dostoevsky Society.

To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of Selected Tales, go to https://seagull.wwnorton.com/selectedtales.
Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library.
Listen to our Spotify playlist inspired by Selected Tales: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0yzq1CO0wvOhq70CIk6Xar?si=6a4e9e7f261d470c.
Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter @TNL_WWN.
Episode transcript at: https://seagull.wwnorton.com/selectedtales/part1/transcript.

Call Me Ishmael, But Don't Call Moby-Dick "Boring" (Moby-Dick, Part 2) Sep 15, 2023

Show notes

In part 2 of our conversation on Moby-Dick, editor Jeffrey Insko breaks down his favorite lines and highlights the pleasures of uncovering the novel's endless layers of humor and meaning—even (especially?) in the dreaded Cetology chapter...
Jeffrey Insko is Professor of English at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, where he teaches courses in nineteenth-century American Literature and Culture and the Environmental Humanities. He is the editor of the Norton Library edition of Moby-Dick and the author of History, Abolition, and the Ever-Present Now in Antebellum American Writing (2018).

To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of Moby-Dick, go to https://seagull.wwnorton.com/moby-dick.
Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library.
Listen to our Spotify playlist inspired by Moby Dick: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/219UwEXN1UxNUmKpu2A8Vl?si=0473970620f34686.
Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter @TNL_WWN.
Episode transcript at: https://seagull.wwnorton.com/mobydick/part2/transcript.

The Ultimate Semester at Sea (Moby-Dick, Part 1) Aug 28, 2023

Show notes

In the first of our two-part episodes on Moby-Dick, editor Jeffrey Insko highlights the (sometimes-polarizing) delights of Herman Melville's outlandish nautical epic and describes how this iconic American novel was born from from the author's early adventures on the high seas.
Jeffrey Insko is Professor of English at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, where he teaches courses in nineteenth-century American Literature and Culture and the Environmental Humanities. He is the editor of the Norton Library edition of Moby-Dick and the author of History, Abolition, and the Ever-Present Now in Antebellum American Writing (2018).

Jane Eyre Has Emotional Motion Sickness (Jane Eyre, Part 2) Aug 14, 2023

Show notes

In Part 2 of our conversation with Sharon Marcus, we chat about popular adaptations of Jane Eyre and why the best one—which hasn't been written yet—would feature Phoebe Bridgers, PJ Harvey, and Sarah Vaughan on the soundtrack.
Sharon Marcus is the Orlando Harriman Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and editor of the Norton Library edition of Jane Eyre. Her research and teaching bring together literary theory, cultural and social history, and gender and sexuality studies.

To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of Jane Eyre, go to https://seagull.wwnorton.com/janeeyre.
Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library.
Listen to our Spotify playlist inspired by Jane Eyre: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/01LKJVTZCkvRKnjwX5I2Nu?si=30b1cd2bd1804bf3.
Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter @TNL_WWN.
Episode transcript at: https://seagull.wwnorton.com/janeeyre/part2/transcript.

The Madwoman in the Mirror (Jane Eyre, Part 1) Jul 24, 2023

Show notes

This week on the podcast, Sharon Marcus introduces us to one of the most enduringly popular coming-of-age novels in all of English literature—Charlotte Brontë's 1847 Gothic thriller, Jane Eyre.
Sharon Marcus is the Orlando Harriman Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and editor of the Norton Library edition of Jane Eyre. Her research and teaching bring together literary theory, cultural and social history, and gender and sexuality studies.

Blind Eyes and Open Ears (Oedipus Tyrannos, Part 2) Jul 03, 2023

Show notes

In Part 2 of our series on Oedipus Tyrannos, Emily Wilson highlights the delights and challenges of translating Greek tragedy into English, the play's long history of adaptation and live staging, and the ways in which Oedipus Tyrannos has continued to resonate with audiences over millennia. What can the titular tyrant's ill-fated mistakes still teach us about the dangers of misinformation and unchecked power?
Emily Wilson is Professor of Classical Studies and Graduate Chair of the Program in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory at the University of Pennsylvania. She has been named a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome in Renaissance and Early Modern scholarship, a MacArthur Fellow, and a Guggenheim Fellow. In addition to Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, she has also published translations of Sophocles, Euripides, and Seneca.

To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of Oedipus Tyrannos, go to https://seagull.wwnorton.com/OT.

Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library.
Listen to our Spotify playlist inspired by Oedipus Tyrannos: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4MD6ds83udqlbI8jvbR8ic?si=ea7aa9974f2e4fb1.
Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter @TNL_WWN.
Episode transcript at: https://seagull.wwnorton.com/oedipustyrannos/part2/transcript.

The Twist Is in the Title (Oedipus Tyrannos, Part 1) Jun 19, 2023

Show notes

On this week's episode of the Norton Library Podcast, we welcomeEmily Wilson, acclaimed translator of Homer's Odyssey and Iliad, to discuss her recent translation of Sophocles's Oedipus Tyrannos.
Emily Wilson is Professor of Classical Studies and Graduate Chair of the Program in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory at the University of Pennsylvania. She has been named a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome in Renaissance and Early Modern scholarship, a MacArthur Fellow, and a Guggenheim Fellow. In addition to Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, she has also published translations of Sophocles, Euripides, and Seneca.

To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of Oedipus Tyrannos, go to https://seagull.wwnorton.com/OT.

Du Bois and the Ongoing Project of Black Identity (The Souls of Black Folk, Part 2) Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

In Part 2 of our conversation with Jesse McCarthy, we discuss the spiritual and intellectual underpinnings of The Souls of Black Folk and break down common misperceptions about the work. Jesse also explains why he always teaches The Souls of Black Folk with music.
Jesse McCarthy is the editor of the Norton Library edition of The Souls of Black Folk andAssistant Professor in the departments of English and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. He has published articles and reviews in the journals transposition, NOVEL, and African American Review and contributed chapters to Richard Wright in Context and Ralph Ellison in Context as well as a new introduction for Vincent O. Carter’s long out-of-print memoir The Bern Book. He is also the author of Who Will Pay Reparations on My Soul? , a collection of essays; and a novel, The Fugitivities.
To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition ofThe Souls of Black Folk, go to https://seagull.wwnorton.com/TSOBF.
Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library.
Listen to our Spotify playlist inspired by The Souls of Black Folk: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Jx6YYSrTjRTFqgfWsT3vy?si=f7493ea35a7d4588.
Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter @TNL_WWN.
Episode transcript at: https://seagull.wwnorton.com/thesoulsofblackfolk/part2/transcript.

The Unorthodox Collection of Essays that Became a Masterpiece (The Souls of Black Folk, Part 1) May 22, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of the Norton Library Podcast, we welcome Jesse McCarthy to discuss who W. E. B. Du Bois was and how The Souls of Black Folk came to be. We also explore Souls' most enduring ideas and how these still resonate today with a variety of underrepresented groups.
McCarthy is the editor of the Norton Library edition of The Souls of Black Folk andAssistant Professor in the departments of English and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. He has published articles and reviews in the journals transposition, NOVEL, and African American Review and contributed chapters to Richard Wright in Context and Ralph Ellison in Context as well as a new introduction for Vincent O. Carter’s long out-of-print memoir The Bern Book. He is also the author of Who Will Pay Reparations on My Soul? a collection of essays and a novel, The Fugitivities.
To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition ofThe Souls of Black Folk, go to seagull.wwnorton.com/TSOBF
Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library.
Listen to our Spotify playlist inspired by The Souls of Black Folk: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Jx6YYSrTjRTFqgfWsT3vy?si=f7493ea35a7d4588.
Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter @TNL_WWN.
Episode transcript at: https://seagull.wwnorton.com/thesoulsofblackfolk/part1/transcript.

What the Movies Get Wrong about Frankenstein (Frankenstein, Part 2) May 08, 2023

Show notes

In Part 2 of our conversation with Michael Bérubé, we discuss the enduring legacy of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein—how a cautionary tale about reckless experimentation and radicalization speaks just as forcefully to our present moment as it did to readers in 1818.
Michael Bérubé is Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Literature at Penn State University and the editor of the Norton Library edition of Frankenstein. He is the author of ten books, including What’s Liberal About the Liberal Arts? Classroom Politics and “Bias” in Higher Education and Life As We Know It: A Father, a Family, and an Exceptional Child.
The Norton Library edition of Frankenstein features the complete text of the 1818 edition. To learn more or purchase a copy, go to http://seagull.wwnorton.com/frankenstein.
Learn more about the Norton Library series at http://wwnorton.com/norton-library.
Listen to our Spotify playlist inspired by Frankenstein: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3t8NNem7nWM3IV7BT6j7pW?si=960699708f7a49de.
Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter @TNL_WWN.
Episode transcript at: https://seagull.wwnorton.com/frankenstein/part1/transcript.

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