Today we’re talking about the differences between men and women, focusing primarily on women, by virtue of two great books of philosophy: Human, All Too Human and Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche. Trigger warning: Nietzsche has been charged with being a complete misogynist. I took a risk with offending my prime audience with this one […]
King Lear Naked on the Heath (Shakespeare Deep Dive Analysis)
King Lear naked on the heath in the middle of a storm, berating the heavens, daring them to drown him and everybody else too. The scene haunts me. I’ve read it hundreds of times, watched countless actors tackle Shakespeare’s rabid poetry, and find myself replaying the scene in my mind, like a fever dream or […]
How to Read Deeply (Podcast)
We’re talking about book reading challenges, how to choose your books, making time for reading, rereading, reading synoptically connecting it to everything else you’ve read), and more. Show Timestamps: 3:55 – quantity shouldn’t be the measure of success 5:40 – on reading diversely 7:00 – against the gatekeepers of the literary world 12:00 – are […]
How to Talk to Your Shadow: Practical Tips from Jungian Psychology (Podcast)
Today’s episode of Hardcore Literature is all about how to talk to and befriend your shadow. We all have a dark side lurking within. But how do you access it? And how do you access you inner king, warrior, lover, magician, or trickster? How do you analyse your dreams and improve your life? These questions, […]
Let’s Deep Read Chekhov’s Short Stories Together (‘Volodya’ Analysis & Appreciation)
Let’s deep read Anton Chekhov’s short stories together, starting with my personal favourite: ‘Volodya’. If you want to read along in real time, there are two ways to do that: You can watch/listen to the video reading and analysis. You can listen to the podcast version of the reading and analysis. If you want the […]
The Vision for Hardcore Literature
I’ve sketched out my goals for Hardcore Literature before, but I want to get better at giving you a behind-the-scenes look. So here are a few things I’m thinking about for the direction of Hardcore Literature until the end of the year. The Vision for Hardcore Literature The podcast had a good first season, and […]
The Psychological Significance of the Classic Myths: Ovid’s Daedalus and Icarus (Podcast)
Today we’re kicking off a new series called ‘The Psychological Significance of the Classic Myths’, starting with the Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus taken from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. We’re about to deep dive into the greatest stories ever told in human history, extract their gold, their wisdom, and make the poetic practical. Over the course […]
Aristotle’s Virtues: Ambition and Good Temper (Podcast)
Today’s Hardcore Literature episode is about Aristotle’s ethics and the virtues of ambition and good temper. We’re talking about honour, how to cultivate the right ambition, snowflake syndrome, the four common types of anger, how to challenge your unconscious underlying beliefs about the world, and much more. And I’m giving away three copies of Aristotle’s Nicomachean […]
Should We Boycott Straight White Male Writers? (Podcast)
Should we ever boycott a writer on the basis of their sex, race, or orientation? Here’s what I have to say on the subject in season two, episode two, of Hardcore Literature. Should We Boycott Straight White Male Writers? Let me know what you think. We’re talking mansplaining, virtue signalling, and culling male writers from […]
The Silence of the Lambs Podcast
Kicking off Season Two of the Hardcore Literature Podcast with a good one: Thomas Harris’ The Silence of the Lambs. Let me know how you like the new opening intro music. The Silence of the Lambs Podcast: Hardcore Literature S2 E1 We’re talking about: 0:34: “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice […]