<p>Macbeth, Act Two, Scene Two.  In the inaugural episode of Professing Literature we examine a conversation held in the aftermath of one of literature’s most famous murders.  Macbeth has just stabbed a king to gain a throne he will never sit upon securely.  His tense exchange of words with Lady Macbeth discloses the moral and psychological stakes of the act, and hints at the consequences that will follow.  </p>

EP02 - Losing Your Way at a Picnic | Austen, "Emma"

Why do great novels, poems and plays move us and excite us? How can they change the way we look at ourselves and the world? What do these authors have to teach us? Why do they matter? There are no better answers to these questions than those provided by the authors themselves. We want to let them speak. Professing Literature is not a broad summary of major works. Instead, it will zero in on one or two key passages, looking at them closely in order to figure out what is at stake. The goal will be to appreciate an author’s brilliance by seeing him or her in action. We will unpack key phrases, images and metaphors and we will consider the techniques the writer uses to make ideas come alive.