The Norton Library Podcast

Jan 26 2025 44 ep. 31 mins 12

The Norton Library Podcast artwork

Welcome to the Norton Library Podcast, where we explore influential works of literature and philosophy with the leading scholars and teachers behind Norton’s newest series of classics. In each episode, with a Norton Library editor or translator as our guide, we'll learn something new and surprising about these classic works—why they endure, and what it means to read them today. Hosted by Mark Cirino and produced by Michael Von Cannon, the co-creators of the Hemingway Society's popular show One True Podcast.

Copy RSS

Subscribe on Podcast Addict

A Man Half Bull and a Bull Half Man (Metamorphoses, Part 2)

Jan 26 2025 26 mins

In Part 2 of our discussion on Ovid's Metamorphoses, translator Charles Martin returns to discuss his first encounter with Ovid, the potential to learn Greek and Roman mythology through reading Metamorphoses, and other scholars' work with the text in the twenty-first century. Charles Martin was born in New York City in 1942. He earned a Ph.D. in English from the State University of

The Secret Poet (Metamorphoses, Part 1)

Jan 12 2025 29 mins

In Part 1 of our discussion on Ovid's Metamorphoses, we welcome translator Charles Martin to discuss Ovid's well-documented life and his exile, the popularity and subversiveness of Ovid's writings, and the creation of a new epic form through the lack of one epic hero. Charles Martin was born in New York City in 1942. He earned a Ph.D. in English from the State University of New Yor

The Hog-Squeal of the Universe (The Jungle, Part 2)

Dec 15 2024 35 mins

In Part 2 of our discussion on Sinclair's The Jungle, editor Kenneth W. Warren returns to talk about how the novel stopped him in his tracks while reading it for school, the compelling question of the relationship between literature and propaganda, and the continued relevance of The Jungle today. Kenneth W. Warren is Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor in the Department

Meatpacking and Muckraking (The Jungle, Part 1)

Dec 02 2024 30 mins

In Part 1 of our discussion on Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, we welcome editor Kenneth W. Warren to discuss Sinclair's background, how his political commitments informed his literary endeavors, The Jungle's effect on regulatory efforts in the United States, and the techniques the novel uses to achieve its engrossing effect. Kenneth W. Warren is Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service

Nasty, Brutish, and Short (Leviathan, Part 2)

Nov 17 2024 29 mins

In Part 2 of our discussion on Hobbes's Leviathan, editor David Johnston discusses his personal history with Hobbes and the Leviathan, common challenges first-time readers face, his favorite line from the book, his approach to teaching the work, the details of the book's famous engraved title page, and more.David Johnston teaches political philosophy at Columbia University, where h

Artificial Kings (Leviathan, Part 1)

Nov 03 2024 29 mins

In Part 1 of our discussion on Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan, we welcome editor David Johnston to discuss Hobbes's life and the historical context of Leviathan, the book's central thesis and argument, and its controversial reception through time. David Johnston teaches political philosophy at Columbia University, where he has served as Nell and Herbert M. Singer Professor of Contempora

Imps and Snatchers and Spirits, Oh My! (The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Part 2)

Oct 20 2024 32 mins

In Part 2 of our discussion on Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, editor Caroline Levine discusses the lasting cultural impact of the novella, common challenges to teaching it, some of additional short stories by Stevenson which she included in the Norton Library edition, and more.Caroline Levine is David and Kathleen Ryan Professor of the Humanit

Who's the Real You? (The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Part 1)

Oct 06 2024 32 mins

In Part 1 of our discussion on Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, we welcome editor Caroline Levine to discuss Stevenson's biography; some of the novella's philosophical, scientific, and psychological themes; and how it fits in with other trends in late-nineteenth-century British literature.Caroline Levine is David and Kathleen Ryan Professor of t

A Passion for Dead Leaves (Sense and Sensibility, Part 2)

Sep 23 2024 34 mins

In Part 2 of our discussion on Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, editor Stephanie Insley Hershinow discusses her own history with Austen, common misconceptions about the novel, her favorite line in the novel, a Sense and Sensibility-inspired playlist, and more.Stephanie Insley Hershinow is an associate professor of English at Baruch College, CUNY, where she specializes in novel

The Last Eighteenth-Century Novel (Sense and Sensibility, Part 1)

Sep 08 2024 33 mins

In Part 1 of our discussion on Austen's Sense and Sensibility, we welcome editor Stephanie Insley Hershinow to discuss Austen's biography, including some misconceptions about her; the place of Sense and Sensibility in Austen's bibliography; the meaning of the novel's title in its context; and some of the work's major characters.Stephanie Insley Hershinow is an associate professor o