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Well, this has been a long hiatus for the podcast, but I am back with what should be required reading for every American. Find out why escaped slave Frederick Douglass is not only an American hero, but one of our greatest literary treasures. Some of this podcast may make you squirm, but if art doesn't challenge you, is it really art?
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The Catcher in the Rye is probably the most read piece of literature other than The Great Gatsby that I have featured on my podcast. And people have A LOT of opinions about this one. Tune in to hear mine. Spoiler alert: I love this kid.
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Author James Baldwin famously said, “You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read.” If you've never read one of James Baldwin's novels, Go Tell It On The Mountain, If Beale Street Could Talk, or Giovanni's Room, or his essays in The Fire Next Time or Notes of a Native Son, you should go do that. Immediately. Meanwhile, to gain an introduction, or a re-introduction, to one of America's most profound and beautiful voices, listen to my take on Baldwin's short story, "Sonny's Blues." Along the way, you'll get an earful, haha, on how songs sung by slaves are the foundation of virtually every American musical genre. And you'll hear why books are both windows and mirrors, and why we need both, now more than ever.
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T.S. Eliot's 1915 poem, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," was my gateway into loving verse. In this episode of Cocktail Party Takeaways, I take a slightly different approach and present this haunting and cryptic poem with little commentary, but with plenty of personal connections. If you want to know what this poem is "about," go elsewhere. If you want to learn how love can be disconnected from understanding, press play. Do you dare? Enjoy.
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Witches! Ghosts! Murders! Is it a new Netflix series? No, it's the Scottish play by William Shakespeare. Find out why you can't say Macbeth in a theater, why King James I hated witches, and why the word "filthy" means so much more than you think it does. Everyone likes to talk Shakespeare, so listen in and be the smartest person at your next party. You can be the one to give this sage advice: Once you're in a river of blood, don't turn back!
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Welcome to Season Two of Cocktail Party Takeaways, where we begin with Franz Kafka's masterpiece of yucky, The Metamorphosis. There are plenty of takeaways in this episode, including mini-lessons on existentialism, surrealism, Freudianism, and expressionism. I also share my dread fear of cockroaches, and I share some insights into why writers write. Don't worry, there's some sex and some Jesus too.
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So, is this really a story to make you believe in God? Only one way to find out! Listen as a seasoned English teacher continues to escort you through Yann Martel's Life of Pi. Learn about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, bildungsromans, the hero's journey, and why stories are essential to our humanity. This episode marks the end of Season One of Cocktail Party Takeaways. Come back in the fall for more great literature and clever observations to make you sound extra smart at your next party.
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In my most personal podcast episode to date, I examine my deep connection to Yann Martel's Life of Pi. This novel has it all: It is a grand adventure tale filled with thrills, unexpected twists, and hidden meanings, and it contains an enduring message about how faith, belief, and storytelling are at the heart of our humanity.
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It's likely you haven't heard of this short story by Joyce Carol Oates, but it is a staple of high school English classes. And Oates, author of more than 50 books, has said it is the literary endeavor she is most known for. Grab a cocktail and let a seasoned English teacher take you through this devastatingly moving and creepy tale. It is full of takeaway symbolism and hidden meanings that will make you sound smart at your next social gathering.
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One of the most read and studied short stories of all time, Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find" is a brutal and beautiful tale, set in the piney woods of America's Deep South. Let a seasoned English teacher take you through the grotesque and the grace of this masterpiece. Then you'll be the one at the party who can explain this famous line: "She would have been a good woman if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.”
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In Part Two of The Great Gatsby podcast, we reach the epic climax of the novel, which I turn into an old-fashioned radio soap opera. I also delve into how Jesus fits into this story, so tune in and get smarter!
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F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is THE novel of the American Dream. But is the dream still a reality for 21st century Americans? Was it dying even in 1922? Let's unpack one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. I'm here to help you sound so clever at your next party, and maybe even find your own green light.
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Welcome to the Spooktober episode! Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House is arguably the scariest haunted house novel of the 20th century. But did you know it's also a takedown of the patriarchy? You will sound SO smart at your next cocktail party after you hear my key takeaways from this under-read masterpiece.
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On the first full-length episode of Cocktail Party Takeaways, English teacher Anne Rochell Konigsmark will share what you need to know about the most famous doomed ruler in ancient Greece. Rule your next party with clever insights about Oedipus the king. Up your badinage by confidently expounding on how Neil de Grasse Tyson, Sam Harris, and Brene Brown bring Oedipus's tragedy into the 21st century.
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Want to sound smart about a classic, even if you haven't read it? Pour a drink and let an English teacher show you how it's done.
