Month: October 2017

Global currents in US literature (with Wai Chee Dimock)

What connects Langston Hughes to Hong Kong, Malcolm X to Mecca, and Syrian merchants to the 9/11 memorial? In this episode, English professor Wai Chee Dimock shows us how to read quintessentially American writers from an international perspective. From this angle, major American concerns like race and money start to look a little different.

Click here for more about the episode…Global currents in US literature (with Wai Chee Dimock)

The long history of reading aloud (with Roger Chartier)

The idea of putting spaces between written words didn’t develop until thousands of years after writing itself was invented. Before then, even literate people could only recognize words by reading aloud. And since then, we’ve read aloud for many different reasons. Our guest Roger Chartier walks us through a few of the most interesting — from raucous Shakespearean theaters to railway passengers cozying up with strangers to listen to a novel.

Click here for more about the episode…The long history of reading aloud (with Roger Chartier)