Shows
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksEast of Eden: Chapters 51-55At long last, Ian, Megan, and Emily sit down to discuss East of Eden in all of its poignant fullness. We close read Steinbeck’s moving conclusion and use its thematic emphasis to look back over where we’ve come. How to Eat an Elephant will be taking a hiatus while Megan settles into her new living situation in Edinburgh (!). We hope to be back soon with announcements about what you can expect from the show going forward!P.S. Are you looking for our seasons on War and Peace or Les Misérables? Previous seaso...
2025-09-171h 03
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksEast of Eden: Chapters 48-50Today Megan and Emily discuss Cathy’s final escape, then they turn to the climactic Cain and Abel scene and unpack the implications of Cal’s decision to repeat ancient history. Be sure to join us next week for the big season finale!To follow our reading schedule, visit www.centerforlit.com/hee.P.S. Are you looking for our seasons on War and Peace or Les Misérables? Previous seasons of HEE are now available to paid Substack subscribers. The CenterForLit Podcast Network is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and suppor...
2025-09-0455 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksEast of Eden: Chapters 44-47Today the HEE crew talk about our growing admiration for Abra-cadabra, Kate’s human weakness, and the latent resemblances between parents and children. As we approach the end of the story, we begin to make some guesses about Steinbeck’s larger themes. To follow our reading schedule, visit www.centerforlit.com/hee.P.S. Are you looking for our seasons on War and Peace or Les Misérables? Previous seasons of HEE are now available to paid Substack subscribers. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bo...
2025-08-2847 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksEast of Eden: Chapters 40-43Today Ian, Emily, and Megan discuss the cracks in Kate’s armor, Aron’s unbearable purity, Cal’s responsibility-taking, and Lee’s masterful parenting. It’s a breathless race to a conclusion no one can anticipate!To follow our reading schedule, visit www.centerforlit.com/hee.P.S. Are you looking for our seasons on War and Peace or Les Misérables? Previous seasons of HEE are now available to paid Substack subscribers. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack
2025-08-1540 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksEast of Eden: Chapters 37-39In this episode, the HEE team discusses Adam’s business venture and the hope of holding on to dreams. We then turn to Cal’s incredible character development and what it means for the Cain and Abel imagery in the story. Is it possible that the Trask family can be redeemed through generational growth? To follow our reading schedule, visit www.centerforlit.com/hee.P.S. Are you looking for our seasons on War and Peace or Les Misérables? Previous seasons of HEE are now available to paid Substack subscribers.CenterForLit’s Substack is a...
2025-08-0751 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksEast of Eden: Chapters 34-36In this episode, Ian, Megan, and Emily weigh Steinbeck’s philosophical musings on the Great Question of life against the “enfleshed” experience of his characters. How much control do Lee, Adam, Cal, and Aron have over their lives? What role do the opinions of other people play in their identity? Do we have the power to change ourselves?To follow our reading schedule, visit www.centerforlit.com/hee.P.S. Are you looking for our seasons on War and Peace or Les Misérables? Previous seasons of HEE are now available to paid Substack subscribers.CenterForLit’s Sub...
2025-07-2443 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksEast of Eden: Chapters 31-33In this episode we ride the highest highs and the lowest lows. On the one hand, the HEE team triumphs in Adam’s victory over Cathy. On the other, we mourn the loss of Tom and puzzle over Steinbeck’s view of the world. To follow our reading schedule, visit www.centerforlit.com/hee.P.S. Are you looking for our seasons on War and Peace or Les Misérables? Previous seasons of HEE are now available to paid Substack subscribers.CenterForLit’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider be...
2025-07-1843 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksEast of Eden: Chapters 28-30After a few weeks of traveling hither and yon, HEE is finally back for the summer!In this episode, Megan and Emily discuss Lee’s backstory and consider the nature of modern art in light of his concept of “dreadful beauty.” They then look at the Trasks’ disturbing inability to confront the truth of their own dark history. To follow our reading schedule, visit www.centerforlit.com/hee.P.S. Are you looking for our seasons on War and Peace or Les Misérables? Previous seasons of HEE are now available to paid Substack subscribers.Cent...
2025-06-2638 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksEast of Eden: Chapters 25-27Did this week’s reading make you cheer or cringe? The HEE team discusses the triumph of Adam over Cathy and the unmasking of her true nature, but we also worry over the future of Cal and Aron. At the risk of sounding like fools to those who have already read the whole novel, we spend time hypothesizing about what the second half of the story holds.What do you think? Is history doomed to repeat itself or will there be a repetition with a difference?To follow our reading schedule, visit www.centerforlit.com/hee.
2025-05-1554 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksEast of Eden: Chapters 22-24Today's episode is a big one! In our reading this week we're finally introduced to "timshel." The HEE crew wrestles with the term's significance and the power of naming. To follow our reading schedule, visit www.centerforlit.com/hee.Subscribe to our Substack so that you never miss a new episode! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2025-04-241h 12
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksEast of Eden: Chapters 19-21Have we finally figured out Cathy's character motivation? This week the HEE team follows our villain where angels fear to tread, comparing and contrasting her to Samuel Hamilton along the way.To follow our reading schedule, visit www.centerforlit.com/hee.Subscribe to our Substack so that you never miss a new episode! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2025-04-1040 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksEast of Eden: Chapters 16-18It's ladies' day at HEE! (Gentlemen listeners can still tune in..) Emily and Megan forge ahead with a conversation that touches on Samuel Hamilton's intuitive insight into Cathy, overcoming first impressions of Liza, and what in the world lies ahead for Adam and his newborn twins.To follow our reading schedule, visit www.centerforlit.com/hee.Subscribe to our Substack so that you never miss a new episode! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ce...
2025-04-0545 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksEast of Eden: Chapters 13-15This week Ian, Emily, and Megan discuss Steinbeck's ideas about individualism. He wants to protect the rights of the individual over the collective at all costs, but what do we do about the "rugged individualism" of characters like Cathy? We also laugh about Olive's chapter and explore water imagery in the novel thus far. To follow our reading schedule, visit www.centerforlit.com/hee.Subscribe to our Substack so that you never miss a new episode! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other su...
2025-04-0149 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksEast of Eden: Chapters 10-12The conflict of our story comes into a little more focus in today's reading as the Cathy and Trask plotlines converge. We take a final crack at comparing the two brothers and then end our conversation by looking at Steinbeck's introduction to Part II. Believe it or not, we're once again talking about the philosophy of history...To follow our reading schedule, visit www.centerforlit.com/hee.Subscribe to our Substack so that you never miss a new episode! This is a public episode. If you'd like to disc...
2025-03-2046 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksEast of Eden: Chapters 7-9Have we found the Eve to our Adam Trask? Before we dive into the terrifying world of Cathy Ames, the HEE team talks about Steinbeck's ideas concerning love and faith and continues to wrap their heads around the complex characterization of Adam and Charles. To follow our reading schedule, visit www.centerforlit.com/hee.Subscribe to our Substack so that you never miss a new episode!Come discuss The Grapes of Wrath and learn more about CenterForLit's Pelican Society Membership. This is a p...
2025-03-0352 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksEast of Eden: Chapters 4-6This week we're discussing Chapters 4-6 of John Steinbeck's East of Eden. We compare Charles and Adam’s relationship to the Cain and Abel story, wonder about Steinbeck’s use of water imagery, and provide our initial reactions to the Hamilton family. We also reveal the kinds of books we read when we're not reading elephants!To follow our reading schedule, visit www.centerforlit.com/hee. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2025-02-2057 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksEast of Eden: Chapters 1-3Surprise! How to Eat an Elephant is FINALLY back for our season on John Steinbeck's East of Eden.We kick off our conversation of the first three chapters by discussing the biblical overtones of the novel. We consider themes of genesis as they may come to apply to artistic creation, westward expansion in America, and individual human lives. To follow our reading schedule, visit www.centerforlit.com/hee. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit...
2025-02-1349 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksSeason 3 TrailerYou thought it'd never happen! (We were getting nervous ourselves...) Ian, Megan, and Emily are finally back to reveal the next large book the podcast will be consuming, one bite at a time!We also introduce our new host, Charlotte Andrews! (Just kidding...although she makes a rather insistent contribution to this trailer, she will not be joining us for future episodes.)Find a copy of our edition of the next title and the episode schedule at www.centerforlit.com/hee. This is a public episode. If you'd like to...
2024-09-1213 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationJuvenile and YA Fiction: ConclusionIn the final episode of our season on Juvenile and YA Fiction, the entire CenterForLit crew gathers to reminisce about how they got hooked on reading as children. We also discuss how to go about guiding young readers through the current environment of juvenile and YA literature.
Referenced Works:
You can support the CenterForLit Podcast Network by making a purchase through our affiliate programs!
American Adventure Stories for Boys
Forever Island by Patrick D. Smith
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
A Girl...
2023-12-1246 minBiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationJuvenile and YA Fiction: John GreenEmily joins Ian in this episode to talk about our first author who writes solely in the YA genre: John Green. They discuss what makes his work so different from others we’ve covered this season and what that means for parents and readers who want to benefit from his rich, literary voice.
Referenced Works:
You can support the CenterForLit Podcast Network by making a purchase through our affiliate programs!
Turtles All the Way Down
Longing for an Absent God: Faith and Doubt in Great American Fiction by Nick Ripatrazone
...
2023-11-2844 minBiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationJuvenile and YA Fiction: Jeanne BirdsallIn this episode, Megan joins Ian to talk about the magic of Jeanne Birdsall’s Penderwicks series. They discuss what it is about this series that appeals so well to audiences of all ages and what that can teach us about good writing for young readers.
Referenced Works:
You can support the CenterForLit Podcast Network by making a purchase through our affiliate programs!
The Penderwicks Boxed Set
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy
The Penderwicks on Gardam St...
2023-11-2135 minBiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationJuvenile and YA Fiction: Gary D. SchmidtWhat can CenterForLit’s favorite children’s author teach us about the difference between juvenile and YA fiction? Adam and Missy sit down with Ian in this episode to talk about what makes the work of Gary D. Schmidt so special.
Referenced Works:
You can support the CenterForLit Podcast Network by making a purchase through our affiliate programs!
BiblioFiles Episode #19: An Interview with Author Gary D. Schmidt
Orbiting Jupiter
Okay for Now
The Labors of Hercules Beal
Straw Into Gold
Lizzie Bright and the...
2023-11-1048 minBiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationJuvenile and YA Fiction: Mystery NovelsThe next genre we're discussing this season has a special place in Andrews family lore. By tradition, each new generation is handed a mystery novel as they come of age to encourage a lifetime love of reading. Adam joins Ian in this episode to discuss his own affinity for the genre, and the two reminisce about their first encounters with detective fiction.
Referenced Works:
You can support the CenterForLit Podcast Network by making a purchase through our affiliate programs!
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
And...
2023-10-2335 minBiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationJuvenile and YA Fiction: Dystopia!No other genre has been influenced by the emergence of YA fiction quite like dystopian literature. In this episode, Megan and Emily join Ian to compare recent dystopian contributions aimed at young adults like Divergent and The Hunger Games to 20th century classics like 1984 and Lord of the Flies.
Referenced Works:
You can support the CenterForLit Podcast Network by making a purchase through our affiliate programs!
The How to Eat an Elephant podcast
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Mazerunner by James Dashner
Ender’s Game by...
2023-10-1643 minBiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationJuvenile and YA Fiction: Monster StoriesEmily and Megan join Ian for a conversation about our culture's fascination with the monstrous. They discuss how we progressed from the beasts of Greek and Anglo-Saxon mythology all the way to love-struck vampires and werewolves, and they ask why it is that humans remain so intrigued with the mystery and danger of the Other.
Referenced Works:
You can support the CenterForLit Podcast Network by making a purchase through our affiliate programs!
The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Dracula by...
2023-10-0640 minBiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationJuvenile and YA Fiction: Fantasy LiteratureIn this episode, Ian and Megan sit down to talk about what is arguably the most popular genre among young readers today: fantasy literature. They discuss the history leading up to the state of fantasy today, the unique thematic features of world-building, and their own childhood obsession with these books.
Referenced Works:
You can support the CenterForLit Podcast Network by making a purchase through our affiliate programs!
The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald
The Light Princess by...
2023-09-2946 minBiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationJuvenile and YA Fiction: Historical FictionThe first corner of juvenile literature we are exploring this season is historical fiction! Adam (our resident historian) and Missy (the one who stuffed the Andrews shelves full of historical fiction titles) join Ian for a conversation about what makes a good contribution to this genre, how the art of literature relates to the study of history at this age level, and which titles stand out as family favorites.
Referenced Works:
You can support the CenterForLit Podcast Network by making a purchase through our affiliate programs!
A Tale of Two...
2023-09-2248 minBiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationJuvenile and YA Fiction: What's the difference?BiblioFiles is back! To launch our season on Juvenile and YA Fiction, Adam and Missy join Ian for a conversation about the state of literature for young readers today. What is the difference between a “juvenile” and “YA” classification? Should such a differentiation between genres exist in the first place? The CenterForLit Directors talk about the history of the split, their concerns for such specialization in the publishing industry, and a few ways they also see YA fiction currently being used for good.
Referenced Works:
You can support the CenterForLit Podcast Network by makin...
2023-09-1641 minBiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles: Season 3 Trailer!BiblioFiles is back at long last with a new season on juvenile and YA fiction! Look for our first episode to drop on Friday September 15th.
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We love hearing your questions and comments! You can contact us by emailing i.andrews@centerforlit.com, or you can visit our website www.centerforlit.com to find even more ways to participate in the conversation.
2023-09-0801 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksLes Misérables: Book 1, Chapters 7-8Ian, Emily, and Megan follow Jean Valjean down the twisty-turny corridors of his subconscious and try not to get lost along the way. Join the Facebook discussion group here!Follow along with our reading schedule: https://www.centerforlit.com/hee This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2022-11-0244 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationAt the Movies: And....Scene!In this wrap-up episode to our season “At the Moves,” the CenterForLit crew members take turns casting their own literary film adaptations and offering final thoughts on the genre.
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333790777396633Shop BiblioFiles: www.centerforlit.com/the-bibliofiles-shop
We love hearing your questions and comments! You can contact us by emailing i.andrews@centerforlit.com, or you can visit our website www.centerforlit.com to find even more ways to participate in the conversation.
2022-10-2846 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksLes Misérables: Book 1, Chapters 5-6The story of Fantine continues. Meanwhile, we meet both M. Madeleine and Javert: one suspiciously familiar, the other a compelling but unambiguous symbol. Join the Facebook discussion group here!Follow along with our reading schedule: https://www.centerforlit.com/hee This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2022-10-2643 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationAt the Movies: The Miniseries, or the Novelization of TelevisionThis week we’re talking about what differentiates a film from a miniseries. Using our beloved BBC production of War and Peace, we discuss the strengths that this increasingly popular form brings to the art of adaptation.
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333790777396633Shop BiblioFiles: www.centerforlit.com/the-bibliofiles-shop
We love hearing your questions and comments! You can contact us by emailing i.andrews@centerforlit.com, or you can visit our website www.centerforlit.com to find even more ways to participate in the conversation.
2022-10-2146 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationAt the Movies: Joe WrightBritish director Joe Wright has a unique ability to use cinematography in his film adaptations to convey what is otherwise only communicable in words. The CenterForLit crew discuss his use of the medium, the great Pride and Prejudice debate, and more in this episode of BiblioFiles.
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333790777396633Shop BiblioFiles: www.centerforlit.com/the-bibliofiles-shop
We love hearing your questions and comments! You can contact us by emailing i.andrews@centerforlit.com, or you can visit our website www.centerforlit.com to find even more ways to participate in the conversation.
2022-10-1551 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksLes Misérables: Book 1, Chapters 3-4n this episode, the HEE team walks through Fantine’s tragic backstory and tries to process that firehose of a chapter on “The Year 1817.”Join the Facebook discussion group here!Follow along with our reading schedule: https://www.centerforlit.com/hee This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2022-10-1248 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationAt the Movies: Sir Kenneth Branaghn this episode, we form a mutual admiration society around a CenterForLit hero: Sir Kenneth Branagh. We talk about his directorial principles on the topic of film adaptation, why we think he’s great, and why some people disagree with us. Conversation ranges from Henry V and Much Ado About Nothing to Cinderella and Branagh’s Agatha Christie ambitions.
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333790777396633Shop BiblioFiles: www.centerforlit.com/the-bibliofiles-shop
We love hearing your questions and comments! You can contact us by emailing i.andrews@centerforlit.com, or you can visit our website www.centerforlit.com to f...
2022-10-0744 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksLes Misérables: Book 1, Chapter 2This week we are at last introduced to Jean Valjean! The HEE team members discuss “The Fall” and try to pinpoint the conflict which will carry our protagonist throughout the rest of the novel. Join the Facebook discussion group here!Follow along with our reading schedule: https://www.centerforlit.com/hee This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2022-10-0653 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationAt the Movies: The Tale of DisappointmentIn this episode, Missy presents the CenterForLit crew with what is, in her opinion, a bad film adaptation: the visually stunning 2008 rendition of The Tale of Despereaux. We try to pinpoint what it is that actually causes an adaptation to fail, even when the cinematic elements are on point.
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333790777396633Shop BiblioFiles: www.centerforlit.com/the-bibliofiles-shop
We love hearing your questions and comments! You can contact us by emailing i.andrews@centerforlit.com, or you can visit our website www.centerforlit.com to find even more ways to participate in the conversation.
2022-09-3049 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksLes Misérables: Book 1, Chapter 1Our journey begins! Ian, Emily, and Megan discuss “An Upright Man.” They unpack Monseigneur Bienvenu’s character and try to determine why Hugo began his novel from such an indirect angle. Join the Facebook discussion group here!Follow along with our reading schedule: https://www.centerforlit.com/hee This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2022-09-2857 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationAt the Movies: Sir Gawain and Responsive ArtIn this episode of BiblioFiles: At the Movies, Emily takes a shot at defending a work of responsive art. Thus far the CenterForLit crew has said that a good film adaptation at least echoes the themes of the original, but what happens when a director uses a story to say something different from the author?
Learn more about Teaching the Classics.
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333790777396633Shop BiblioFiles: www.centerforlit.com/the-bibliofiles-shop
We love hearing your questions and comments! You can contact us by emailing i.andrews@centerforlit.com, or you can visit our website www...
2022-09-231h 01
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationAt the Movies: The Limitations of Film in To Kill a MockingbirdMissy takes centerstage in this episode of BiblioFiles to discuss what is arguably the best film adaptation of all time: the 1962 rendition of To Kill a Mockingbird. The crew discusses what makes this classic so great, and takes a chance to hash out the differences between the mediums of novel and film.
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333790777396633Shop BiblioFiles: www.centerforlit.com/the-bibliofiles-shop
We love hearing your questions and comments! You can contact us by emailing i.andrews@centerforlit.com, or you can visit our website www.centerforlit.com to find even more ways to participate...
2022-09-1648 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationClose Reads x BiblioFiles: What to Make of "Rings of Power"The discourse around Amazon’s Rings of Power has been fraught. So in this special crossover episode between Close Reads and BiblioFiles, David Kern and Ian Andrews try to figure out what works, what doesn’t, and why the conversation has been they way it is.
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333790777396633Shop BiblioFiles: www.centerforlit.com/the-bibliofiles-shop
We love hearing your questions and comments! You can contact us by emailing i.andrews@centerforlit.com, or you can visit our website www.centerforlit.com to find even more ways to participate in the conversation.
2022-09-1655 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksLes Misérables: IntroductionHow to Eat an Elephant is back! Ian, Emily, and Megan kick off their discussion of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables with an introductory overview of the historical context of the novel and author. Download a timeline of relevant French history.Purchase the edition we’re reading.Victor Hugo: A Biography by Graham RobbJoin the Facebook discussion group here!Follow along with our reading schedule: https://www.centerforlit.com/hee This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get acces...
2022-09-1440 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationAt the Movies: Interpreting GatsbyAdam compares notes on the 1974 and 2013 adaptations of The Great Gatsby. Then the CenterForLit crew considers whether or not a director has a responsibility to stay faithful to the text, and the extent to which a classic story can be effectively updated for contemporary audiences.
Learn more about CenterForLit’s Online Academy.
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333790777396633Shop BiblioFiles: www.centerforlit.com/the-bibliofiles-shop
We love hearing your questions and comments! You can contact us by emailing i.andrews@centerforlit.com, or you can visit our website www.centerforlit.com to find even more ways to participate in...
2022-09-0951 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationAt the Movies: Little Women – The Good, the Bad, and the UglyMegan is first in the hot seat to give us her rankings of three Little Women film adaptations. We talk about the relative values of the different movies and, to our own peril, discuss whether or not it’s possible to improve on a work of literature without doing violence to it.
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333790777396633Shop BiblioFiles: www.centerforlit.com/the-bibliofiles-shop
We love hearing your questions and comments! You can contact us by emailing i.andrews@centerforlit.com, or you can visit our website www.centerforlit.com to find even more ways to participate in...
2022-09-0256 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationAt the Movies: Understanding Film AdaptationsBiblioFiles is back! In the first episode of our new season, the CenterForLit crew sits down to wrap their heads around what makes a good film adaptation. What distinguishes the mediums of film and literature? And what does a movie version need to do to appease the angry mob of book lovers?
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333790777396633Shop BiblioFiles: www.centerforlit.com/the-bibliofiles-shop
We love hearing your questions and comments! You can contact us by emailing i.andrews@centerforlit.com, or you can visit our website www.centerforlit.com to find even more ways to participate...
2022-08-2656 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles: "At the Movies" TrailerIan and Emily tease the upcoming season of BiblioFiles, set to begin airing on Friday August 26th. We’ll be talking all about the process of adapting books for the big screen: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Shop BiblioFiles: www.centerforlit.com/the-bibliofiles-shop
We love hearing your questions and comments! You can contact us by emailing i.andrews@centerforlit.com, or you can visit our website www.centerforlit.com to find even more ways to participate in the conversation.
2022-08-1905 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBonus Episode: An Interview with Leslie and Carey Bustard (Square Halo Books)Surprise! We’re jumping into your podcast feed with a special bonus episode this week. Ian recently interviewed Leslie and Carey Bustard, the masterminds behind the recently published essay collection, Wild Things and Castles in the Sky: A Guide to Choosing the Best Books for Children from Square Halo Books. Leslie and Carey talk about their vision for encouraging others to share God’s kingdom in all of its beautiful variety with the children in their lives through good books and thoughtful reading.
Visit their website to get a hold of this beautiful book (which includes an essay from our very...
2022-08-1359 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationThe Great Questions: "Is this the end or the beginning?The CenterForLit crew wraps up our first official season of the new and improved BiblioFiles with a look back at where we’ve been. We talk about the relationship between questions and answers in literature, and how that relationship influences the way we approach contemporary works of art. Be sure to stay tuned to the end to find out what you can expect from season 2!
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333790777396633
Referenced Works:
– The Buried Giant and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
– Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
– The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
–...
2022-03-1844 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationThe Great Questions: "What is love?"For our last Great Question this season, we’re taking up “What is love?” and we promise not to hurt you. We look over a variety of love stories from vastly different periods in literary history, and are surprised to find a common thread through them all.
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333790777396633
Referenced Works:
– Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy–Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis– Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers– Miranda (2009-2015), written by Miranda Hart– The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien– The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis– Modern L...
2022-03-1153 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationThe Great Questions: "What is friendship?"Our next Great Question leads us on a romp through some old CenterForLit favorites. We’re asking, “What is friendship?” And we look at some of the best friendships in literature, adding a couple of contemporary examples along the way, in pursuit of identifying what C.S. Lewis meant when he said friendship “has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.”
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333790777396633
Referenced Works:
– “On Friendship” in The Prophet by Khalil Gibran
– The Office (2005-2013), NBC
– The Professor and the Madman (2019), directed by Farhad Safinia
– The Profes...
2022-03-0545 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationThe Great Questions: "Why do we suffer?"In this episode the CenterForLit crew looks at what is perhaps the most universal of all the questions: the problem of pain. It goes something like this, “If we live in a world governed by a good and just God, why do innocent people suffer?” We trace a common desire for justice and revenge in works of art old and new, and look for signs of hope that one day our wrongs will be righted.
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333790777396633
Referenced Works:
– You’ve Got Mail (1998), directed by Nora Ephron
– While You Were Sleeping (1995), directed by John Turte...
2022-02-2559 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationThe Great Questions: "What is a good death?"It had to come up eventually. In this episode, the CenterForLit crew tackles the question, “What is a good death?” But what could easily have become a morose conversation quickly becomes an occasion for joy and laughter with a little help from the Christian tradition.
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333790777396633
Referenced Works:
– Pride and Prejudice (1995), screenplay by Andrew Davies
– The Bishop’s Wife (1947), directed by Henry Koster
– Enchanted April (1991), directed Mike Newell
– Midnight in Paris (2011), directed by Woody Allen
– Harry Potter (2001-2011), Warner Bros. Pictures
– “Prediction-based neural mechanisms for shielding the self from existential threat” by Zidermanm, Lutz, and Gol...
2022-02-1852 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationThe Great Questions: "What is a good life?"In today’s episode, the CenterForLit crew tackles the next question in our series of conversations about the Great Questions of art and literature. This time we’re asking, “What is a good life?” Nobody wants to come to the end of their life and feel it has been wasted. But how can we be sure we’ll be satisfied? We look for answers in all kinds of places as we meditate on the significance of this question.
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333790777396633
Referenced Works:
– Teaching the Classics: A Socratic Method for Teaching Literature
– “Why Georgia” by John Mayer
– Jayb...
2022-02-111h 00
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationThe Great Questions: "What is the image of God in man?"Scripture tells us that God made man in his image, but what does that mean? If man is not god, what part of human nature reflects his creator? The CenterForLit crew dives into another of the tradition’s great questions, and the answers they suggest might not be what you expect.
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333790777396633
Referenced Works:
– Bladerunner (1982), directed by Ridley Scott
– Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
– Westworld (2016-present), created by Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan
– I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
– The Terminator (1984), directed by James Cameron
– The Great Tradition, edited by Richa...
2022-02-0448 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationThe Great Questions: "What is man?"Our season on “The Great Questions” continues with an episode in which we ask, “What is man?” As our attention turns from the heavens to earth, Shakespeare is a natural companion, and we find some new and unexpected voices to add to the conversation along the way!
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333790777396633
Referenced Works:
– Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), directed by Wes Anderson
– “Every Riven Thing” by Christian Wiman
– Rev. (2010-2014), created by Tom Hollander and James Wood
– “That Nature is a Herclitean Fire and of the comfort of the Resurrection” by Gerard Manley Hopkins
– Hamlet, King Lear, and Henry V by William Shake...
2022-01-2849 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationThe Great Questions: "Is there a god?"We’re opening our season on “The Great Questions” by asking the most important question of them all: “Is there a god?” In this episode, the CenterForLit crew talks about why this question is important, even if someone already believes they have the answer. Then they look to works of art, new and old, to see how culture wrestles with the problem now, and how we have wrestled with it in the past.
2022-01-141h 07
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksWar and Peace: War and Peace Volume 1 RecapThis is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2020-11-2557 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksWar and Peace: 1.3.16-19This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2020-11-1150 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksWar and Peace: 1.3.11-15This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2020-11-0437 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksWar and Peace: 1.3.6-10This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2020-10-2843 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksWar and Peace: 1.3.1-5This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2020-10-2146 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksWar and Peace: 1.2.16-21This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2020-10-1455 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksWar and Peace: 1.2.11-15This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2020-10-0756 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksWar and Peace: 1.2.6-10This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2020-09-3048 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksWar and Peace: 1.2.1-5This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2020-09-2353 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksWar and Peace: 1.1.21-25This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2020-09-1657 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksWar and Peace: 1.1.16-20This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2020-09-0944 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles #94: Should Literary Criticism Uncover Hidden Meaning?
2020-09-0442 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksWar and Peace: 1.1.11-15This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2020-09-0253 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksWar and Peace: 1.1.6-10This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2020-08-2651 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles #93: The Search for Meaning in Camus's The Plague (What Are We Reading?)
2020-08-2244 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksWar and Peace: 1.1.1-5This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2020-08-1955 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles #92: Literary History with Dr. Sam Negus
2020-08-101h 03
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksHow to Eat an Elephant: IntroductionThis is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2020-08-0525 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationHow to Eat an Elephant: Trailer
2020-07-2702 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles #91: Cancel Culture and the Great Books
2020-07-2545 min
How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large BooksHow to Eat an Elephant: TrailerThis is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subscribe
2020-07-2202 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles #90: The Good Society
2020-07-1044 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationLit, Period #11: The Victorian Novel
2020-06-1946 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles #89: Writing Habits, Mystery Reads, and Atmospheric Escapes (WAWR)
2020-06-0547 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles #88: Facing Our Control Issues
2020-05-2239 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles #87: Literary Criticism for Children's Literature
2020-05-0939 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles #86: Productivity and Quarantine
2020-04-2437 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles #85: Post-Apocalypic Fiction – Too Soon?
2020-04-1044 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles #84: Mr. Norrell, Very Long Reads, and the Library Fine System (What Are We Reading?)
2020-03-2732 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationLit, Period #10: English Renaissance
2020-03-1440 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles #83: You Are What You Read?
2020-02-2846 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBONUS EPISODE: A BiblioFiles Book Match
2020-02-2114 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles #82: Learning to Love Little Women
2020-02-1439 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles #81: Netflix's The King and Literary Film Adaptations
2020-01-3130 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles #80: Anagogical Reading
2020-01-1748 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles #79: The First Thanksgiving and Historical Deconstruction (What Are We Reading?)
2020-01-0342 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles #78: The High School Booklist Game
2019-12-2043 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles #77: On Misreading by the Literary
2019-11-2939 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles #76: Literature as Life in the Russian Tradition
2019-11-1538 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationLit, Period #9: Middle English
2019-11-0138 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles #75: Memory, Human Dignity, and the Lions
2019-10-1940 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBiblioFiles #73: How Do You Measure a Literary Education? (Introducing CenterForLit Schools)
2019-09-1342 min
BiblioFiles: A CenterForLit Podcast about Great Books, Great Ideas, and the Great ConversationBonus Episode: What Is CenterForLit Up To?
2017-03-311h 21