The Classic English Literature Podcast
The Classic English Literature Podcast

The Classic English Literature Podcast

M. G. McDonough

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Episodes

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Where rhyme gets its reason! In a historical survey of English literature, I take a personal and philosophical approach to the major texts of the tradition in order to not only situate the poems, prose, and plays in their own contexts, but also to show their relevance to our own. This show is for the general listener: as a teacher of high school literature and philosophy, I am less than a scholar but more than a buff. I hope to edify and entertain!

Recent Episodes

Food for Thought: Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" and Other Writings
DEC 31, 2025
Food for Thought: Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" and Other Writings
Send us a text I hope you've brought your appetite, because today we're looking at some of Dr. Swift's shorter prose satires (along with a couple of poems) and he certainly gives us plenty to chew on. "A Description of the Morning": https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45266/a-description-of-the-morning "A Description of a City Shower": https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50578/a-description-of-a-city-shower "The Battle of the Books": https://www.gutenberg.org/files/623/623-h/623-h.htm...
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39 MIN
Seditious Greetings!: The Political Code of "O Come All Ye Faithful"
DEC 21, 2025
Seditious Greetings!: The Political Code of "O Come All Ye Faithful"
Send us a text One of the most theologically and liturgically important Christmas carols may contain coded messages against the Throne of England! Additional Music: "Adeste Fidelis" by Bing Crosby with The Max Terr choir; John Scott Trotter and his orch.; Traditional; Decca (BM 03929) Support the show Please like, subscribe, and rate the podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you listen. Thank you! If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting it with a small donation. C...
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13 MIN
"Read All About It!": The Rise of the Public Press
NOV 26, 2025
"Read All About It!": The Rise of the Public Press
Send us a text In the early 18th century, the public press came to dominate English writing. Pamphlets, newspapers, and periodicals fed the appetite for news and commentary of an ever-hungrier reading public. Richard Steele and Joseph Addison were the great innovators of the periodical essay, a quintessentially English genre of writing. mosaic: Exploring Jewish Issuesmosaic is Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County's news magazine show, exploring Jewish...Listen on: Apple Podcasts...
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28 MIN
The First English Novel? Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe
NOV 9, 2025
The First English Novel? Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe
Send us a text On this trip, we're looking at the conventional candidate for the first modern novel in English. Defoe's story of a resourceful man shipwrecked on a desert island is so much more than a ripping yarn: it speaks to the rise of a literary vernacular language, the values of an increasing bourgeois and expansionist society, and of spiritual awakening. Come aboard! Text: https://ia600207.us.archive.org/26/items/cu31924011498676/cu31924011498676.pdf Additional Music: "Them...
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37 MIN
The First Ghost Story? Daniel Defoe's "The Apparition of Mrs. Veal"
OCT 26, 2025
The First Ghost Story? Daniel Defoe's "The Apparition of Mrs. Veal"
Send us a text For you today, Trick or Treaters, a discussion of what some critics assert is the first modern ghost story in English: Daniel Defoe's 1705 "The Apparition of Mrs. Veal." The text: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/36587/36587-h/36587-h.htm Support the show Please like, subscribe, and rate the podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you listen. Thank you! If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting it with a small donation. Click the "Support the Show" bu...
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21 MIN