The Belletrist Podcast w/ Dave Stephens
The Belletrist podcast features classic poetry and short fiction read with commentary from a former English prof. who hates the way contemporary universities have abandoned the reading of Literature in favor of grievance studies. Pieces range from ancient literature to mid-20th century. Belletrist: A term for one who loves Literature for its intrinsic and aesthetic properties. It is often used as a derogatory term within English studies.
Episodes
8 episodes
Episode 8: The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats
In this episode we walk through one of the most heavily cited and plundered poems of all time. "The Second Coming" is an apocalyptic vision that vividly describes the chaos which accompanies the breakdown of human civilization. The poem is most...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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21:45
Episode 7: The Haystack in the Floods by William Morris
In this episode I read the unusual and haunting poem, "The Haystack in the Floods," by William Morris. This poem is a 19th Century work by a member of what was called "the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood." We discuss some of the interesting and cult...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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29:40
Episode 6: A Clean Well-Lighted Place by Earnest Hemingway
In this episode of the podcast I read the classic short story, "A Clean Well-Lighted Place" by Earnest Hemingway. We talk a bit about Hemingway's intensely interesting life, his mother's penchant for dressing him up as a little girl as a toddle...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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36:24
Episode 5: Terence, This is Stupid Stuff by AE Housman
In this episode I read AE Housman's poem, "Terence This is Stupid Stuff," which explores the role of dark-themed poetry and literature. I do a selected close reading to explain a few of the lines that may be obscure to the modern ear. I also pr...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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28:51
Episode 4: Dolce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen
In this episode I read Wilfred Owen's gut-wrenching poem, "Dolce Et Decorum Est," which he wrote to describe his experiences in the trenches of World War One. We discuss the way in which war poetry contrasted with official government propaganda...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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15:45
Episode 3: Breakfast by John Steinbeck
In this episode I read Steinbeck's very short story, "Breakfast," from his collection The Long Valley. We discuss the importance of imagery, or sensory descriptions, in vividly imagined fiction and how the subconscious brain cannot dis...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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24:55
Episode 2: Church Going by Philip Larkin
In this episode I read Larkin's most beloved poem, "Church Going." We talk a bit about how Larkin's rather pathetic, pervy character shouldn't diminish the importance or relevance of his work. We then work through this multi-layered piece to ex...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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19:13
Episode 1: An Irish Airman Forsees His Death by WB Yeats
In the first episode I introduce the format of the podcast, and read a wonderful poem by WB Yeats entitled: "An Irish Airman Forsees His Death," which explores the theme of how the totality of a moment can coalesce into a total vastly greater t...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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12:36