In Part 2 of our discussion on Homer's Odyssey, translator Emily Wilson returns to discuss the cinematic spectacle of Christopher Nolan's film, the different responsibilities of translation and adaptation, and the challenges of weaving together multi-layered narrative episodes and characters into a single movie. Emily Wilson is a professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She has been named a fellow of the American Academy in Rome, a Guggenheim Fellow, and a MacA...
Aug 4
30 min
In Part 1 of our discussion on Homer's Odyssey, we welcome translator Emily Wilson to discuss Odysseus as a complicated character, the roles of women and divine beings in the poem, and the centuries-old stories within stories that pose questions of hospitality, power, fatherhood, and time still relevant today. Part 2, coming tomorrow (8/4), will center Wilson's reaction to Christopher Nolan's recent film. Emily Wilson is a professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsy...
Aug 3
34 min
In Part 2 of our discussion on Apuleius's The Golden Ass, translator Ellen Finkelpearl returns to discuss the striking cover of the Norton Library edition, her favorite line from the text and the paradox of the title, and the ways Apuleius thinks of and comments on human and animal rights in the ancient world. Ellen Finkelpearl is the Helen Chandler Garland Professor of Ancient Studies at Scripps College, and a scholar of Apuleius. To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library ...
Jul 13
27 min
In Part 1 of our discussion on Apuleius's The Golden Ass, we welcome translator Ellen Finkelpearl to discuss the author's surviving and lost works, the process of translating such an ancient text, and the challenge of preserving Apuleius's rhythmic and exuberant writing style. Ellen Finkelpearl is the Helen Chandler Garland Professor of Ancient Studies at Scripps College, and a scholar of Apuleius. To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of The Golden Ass, go to h...
Jun 29
27 min
In Part 2 of our discussion on Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, translator Michael Katz returns to discuss the symbolic colors of the cover of the Norton Library edition, his first encounter with Dostoevsky's work and other Russian literature, and his favorite line from the novel. Michael R. Katz is the C. V. Starr Professor Emeritus of Russian and East European Studies at Middlebury College. He has translated over twenty Russian novels, including The Brothers Karamazov, Crime ...
Jun 15
29 min
In Part 1 of our discussion on Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, we welcome translator Michael Katz to discuss the effects of Dostoevsky's personal and family life on his writing, the "big questions of life" and morality woven into Dostoevsky's works, and the challenge of translating Dostoevsky's repetitive writing style. Michael R. Katz is the C. V. Starr Professor Emeritus of Russian and East European Studies at Middlebury College. He has translated over twenty Russian novels,...
Jun 1
31 min
In Part 2 of our discussion on Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, editor Susan M. Ryan returns to discuss the artistic inspiration behind the Norton Library edition, her favorite scene in the book, and the essential historical context readers need to fully understand the text. Susan M. Ryan is Professor of English and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs at the University of Louisville. She is the author of The Grammar of Good Intentions: Race and the Antebellum Culture of Benevol...
May 18
29 min
In Part 1 of our discussion on Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, we welcome editor Susan M. Ryan to discuss the author's background and politics, the book's reception as both political commentary and nonpolitical drama, and the historical and narrative significance of the "Uncle Tom" figure. Susan M. Ryan is Professor of English and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs at the University of Louisville. She is the author of The Grammar of Good Intentions: Race and the Antebellum Cu...
May 4
30 min
In Part 2 of our discussion on Charles Dickens's Great Expectations, editor Daniel Wright returns to discuss the appropriately rich color scheme of the Norton Library edition, his favorite awkward and heartbreaking line from the novel, and the reasons that Great Expectations is not a love story. Daniel Wright is an associate professor of English at the University of Toronto. He is the author of The Grounds of the Novel (Stanford, 2024) and Bad Logic (Johns Hopkins, 2018). To l...
Apr 20
31 min
In Part 1 of our discussion on Charles Dickens's Great Expectations, we welcome editor Daniel Wright to discuss the author's busy and eventful life, the historical context and social issues behind his creation of Great Expectations, and the three entangled plots of which readers should be aware when first encountering this text. Daniel Wright is an associate professor of English at the University of Toronto. He is the author of The Grounds of the Novel (Stanford, 2024) and Bad Logi...
Apr 6
30 min
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