Jan 28 2025 48 mins
Sean Graham is joined by Jennifer Neville, author of Truth is Trickiest: The Case for Ambiguity in the Exeter Book Riddles. They discuss the background of the riddles, who may have transcribed them and why, as well as the challenge of deciphering their meaning. They also talk about the literary tradition behind the riddles, the various interpretations and arguments surrounding potential answers, and what they can tell us about the nature of literature both 1,000 years ago and today.
Historical Headline of the Week
Jo Livingstone, "What do our oldest books say about us?" The New Republic, November 7, 2018.