The Norton Library Podcast

In Part 2 of our discussion on Dubliners, editor Ian Whittington discusses the inspiration for the cover of his Norton Library edition, his favorite lines in the collection, his Dubliners hot take, and some suggestions for a Dubliners playlist.

Ian Whittington is an independent scholar whose research and teaching focus on twentieth-century anglophone literature and culture. He is the author of Writing the Radio War: Lit...

In Part 1 of our discussion on Dubliners, we welcome editor Ian Whittington to discuss
how this collection of short stories was received by its publisher, by its literary audience, and by the people who made up its subject matter; the Dublin in which Joyce grew up; and, of course, Ian's favorite story.

Ian Whittington is an independent scholar whose research and teaching focus on twentieth-century anglophone lite...

In Part 2 of our discussion on Medea, editor Sheila Murnaghan discusses her teaching of the drama, what Medea shows us about the nature of revenge, and her approach to the challenges of translating this tragedy.  

Sheila Murnaghan is the Alfred Reginald Allen Memorial Professor of Greek at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of Disguise and Recognition in the Odyssey and numerous articles on Greek epic and tr...

In Part 1 of our discussion on Medea, we welcome translator Sheila Murnaghan to discuss the historical and dramatic context in which Euripides wrote the play, its basis in the Medea myth, and the plays most prominent characters.

Sheila Murnaghan is the Alfred Reginald Allen Memorial Professor of Greek at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of Disguise and Recognition in the Odyssey and numerous articles on G...

In Part 2 of our discussion on The Marrow of Tradition, editor Autumn Womack discusses her background with the novel, teaching the novel, her favorite line, and her hot take on The Marrow of Tradition.

Autumn Womack is an Assistant Professor in the departments of African American Studies and English at Princeton University, where she specializes in late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century African American literary cul...

In Part 1 of our discussion on The Marrow of Tradition, we welcome editor Autumn Womack to discuss Charles W. Chestnut's biography, his ambitions in writing the novel, the historical realities depicted in it, and some of its major characters.

Autumn Womack is an Assistant Professor in the departments of African American Studies and English at Princeton University, where she specializes in late-nineteenth- and early-t...

In Part 2 of our discussion on Dracula, editor Rachel Feder discusses the inspiration for the cover of her Norton Library edition, her favorite line in the novel, how the novel relates to the popular cultural understanding of vampires, and notions of the sublime in  Gothic literature.

Rachel Feder is an associate professor of English and literary arts at the University of Denver, where her courses often bring literary his...

In Part 1 of our discussion on Dracula, we welcome editor Rachel Feder to discuss whether Bram Stoker's biography is relevant to our interpretations of the novel, Dracula's place in the history of Gothic literature, different types of Gothic literature, and some of the most prominent characters in the novel.

Rachel Feder is an associate professor of English and literary arts at the University of Denver, where he...

In Part 2 of our discussion on The Canterbury Tales, translator and editor Sheila Fisher uncovers her favorite line(s) in the text, tells us how she approaches teaching the Tales, gives us a cross-centuries Chaucer playlist, and reflects on the text's relevance to readers today.

Sheila Fisher is Professor of English at Trinity College (Hartford). She is the author of Chaucer’s Poetic Alchemy: A Study of Value and Its...

In Part 1 of our discussion on The Canterbury Tales, we welcome translator and editor Sheila Fisher to discuss Geoffrey Chaucer's life and times, his great accomplishment in crafting these Tales, and the intricacies of Sheila's favorite tale, that of the Wife of Bath.

Sheila Fisher is Professor of English at Trinity College (Hartford). She is the author of Chaucer’s Poetic Alchemy: A Study of Value and Its Trans...

In Part 2 of our discussion on Emma , editor Stephanie Insley Hershinow tells us how she first encountered Jane Austen's work, highlights some of her preferred techniques for teaching Emma, gives her hot take on Austen, and reflects on some of the most affecting adaptations of Emma in popular media.  

Stephanie Insley Hershinow is an associate professor of English at Baruch College, CUNY, where she specializes in nove...

In the first of our two episodes on Emma , we welcome editor Stephanie Insley Hershinow to discuss what popular conceptions of Jane Austen get right and get wrong about her, how Austen is both similar to and different from the titular protagonist of the novel, Austen's place in the history of marriage stories, and some of the novel's most memorable characters. 

Stephanie Insley Hershinow is an associate professo...

In part 2 of our discussion on the short fiction of Nikolai Gogol (as selected in the recently published Norton Library edition), translator Michael Katz and introducer Kate Holland tell us their favorite lines from Gogol's work and highlight the qualities of his unique style and voice that have captured readers across the centuries. 

Michael R. Katz is C. V. Starr Professor Emeritus of Russian and East European Stud...

In this episode of the Norton Library Podcast, we welcome translator Michael R. Katz and scholar of Russian literature Kate Holland to chat about one of the most celebrated figures in all of Russian literature: Nikolai Gogol. We discuss the influence of Gogol's Ukrainian background on his acclaimed short fiction as well as the challenges—and delights—of translating his singular comedic voice.

Michael R. Katz is C. V....

 In part 2 of our conversation on Moby-Dick, editor Jeffrey Insko breaks down his favorite lines and highlights the pleasures of uncovering the novel's endless layers of humor and meaning—even (especially?) in the dreaded Cetology chapter...

Jeffrey Insko is Professor of English at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, where he teaches courses in nineteenth-century American Literature and Culture and the Environ...

 In the first of our two-part episodes on Moby-Dick, editor Jeffrey Insko highlights the (sometimes-polarizing) delights of Herman Melville's outlandish nautical epic and describes how this iconic American novel was born from from the author's early adventures on the high seas. 

Jeffrey Insko is Professor of English at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, where he teaches courses in nineteenth-century Amer...

In Part 2 of our conversation with Sharon Marcus, we chat about popular adaptations of Jane Eyre and why the best one—which hasn't been written yet—would feature Phoebe Bridgers, PJ Harvey, and Sarah Vaughan on the soundtrack.   

Sharon Marcus is the Orlando Harriman Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and editor of the Norton Library edition of Jane Eyre. Her research and teaching b...

This week on the podcast, Sharon Marcus introduces us to one of the most enduringly popular coming-of-age novels in all of English literature—Charlotte Brontë's 1847 Gothic thriller, Jane Eyre. 

Sharon Marcus is the Orlando Harriman Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and editor of the Norton Library edition of Jane Eyre. Her research and teaching bring together literary theory, cul...

In Part 2 of our series on Oedipus Tyrannos, Emily Wilson highlights the delights and challenges of translating Greek tragedy into English, the play's long history of adaptation and live staging, and the ways in which Oedipus Tyrannos has continued to resonate with audiences over millennia.  What can the titular tyrant's ill-fated mistakes still teach us about the dangers of misinformation and unchecked power?