7-10 minute audio summaries of classic literature you didn't have the time or attention span to read :-)
…
continue reading
Steven C Shaffer Podcasts
Send us a text "The Trial", written by Franz Kafka between 1914 and 1915 and published posthumously in 1925, is a seminal work of modernist literature, reflecting Kafka’s preoccupation with absurdity, bureaucracy, and existential dread. Set in an unnamed city, the novel follows Josef K., a bank clerk inexplicably arrested and prosecuted by a myster…
…
continue reading
Send us a text "Ulysses", written by Irish novelist James Joyce and first published in its entirety in 1922, is a modernist masterpiece that chronicles a single day—June 16, 1904—in the lives of Leopold Bloom, Stephen Dedalus, and Molly Bloom in Dublin, Ireland. Structured as a loose parallel to Homer’s *Odyssey*, the novel’s 18 episodes explore th…
…
continue reading
Send us a text The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest known works of literature, originates from ancient Mesopotamia, likely composed around 2100 BCE in Sumerian, with later Akkadian versions, notably the Standard Babylonian version from the 13th–10th centuries BCE. Preserved on clay tablets in cuneiform script, the epic emerged from the city-sta…
…
continue reading
Send us a text Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë Wuthering Heights, published in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell, is Emily Brontë’s only novel and a cornerstone of English literature, renowned for its dark, passionate exploration of love, revenge, and social class on the desolate Yorkshire moors. Set in the late 18th to early 19th century, the…
…
continue reading
Send us a text Madame Bovary, published in 1856 by Gustave Flaubert, is a seminal French novel that follows the life of Emma Bovary, a young woman trapped in a stifling marriage to Charles Bovary, a dull and unambitious country doctor. Disenchanted with her provincial life and yearning for passion, luxury, and excitement inspired by romantic novels…
…
continue reading
Send us a text War and Peace, written by Leo Tolstoy and published serially between 1865 and 1869, is a monumental Russian novel that intertwines historical events with the lives of fictional characters during Napoleon’s invasion of Russia from 1805 to 1820. Set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, it explores the lives of aristocratic fami…
…
continue reading
Send us a text Le Morte d'Arthur, written by Sir Thomas Malory in the late 15th century, is a seminal work of English literature that compiles and reimagines the Arthurian legends, drawing heavily from earlier French and English sources. Completed around 1470 and first printed by William Caxton in 1485, the book chronicles the rise and fall of King…
…
continue reading
Send us a text All Quiet on the Western Front, written by Erich Maria Remarque and published in 1929, is a seminal anti-war novel set during World War I, drawing from the author’s own experiences as a German soldier. Narrated by Paul Bäumer, a young soldier, it vividly portrays the brutal realities of trench warfare, the physical and psychological …
…
continue reading
Send us a text In 1831, a young French aristocrat named Alexis de Tocqueville arrived in the United States, tasked with studying its prison system. What began as a narrow mission blossomed into a profound exploration of American democracy, captured in his seminal work, Democracy in America, published in two volumes in 1835 and 1840. Tocqueville, a …
…
continue reading
Send us a text The Importance of Being Earnest, a comedic play by Oscar Wilde, premiered in 1895 in London and is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of Victorian satire. Subtitled "A Trivial Comedy for Serious People," the play is a sharp-witted farce that explores themes of identity, social hypocrisy, and the absurdities of Victorian so…
…
continue reading
Send us a text Ivanhoe, written by Sir Walter Scott and published in 1819, is a historical novel set in late 12th-century England during the reign of Richard I, a time marked by tension between the conquering Normans and the dispossessed Saxons. Often regarded as a cornerstone of the historical fiction genre, it weaves a romantic tale of chivalry, …
…
continue reading
Send us a text The Hound of the Baskervilles, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and published in 1902, is one of the most famous novels featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes and his loyal companion, Dr. John Watson. Set against the eerie backdrop of the Devonshire moors, the story was serialized in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 19…
…
continue reading
Send us a text The Tempest, written by William Shakespeare around 1610–1611, is one of his final plays and a quintessential romance, blending elements of tragedy, comedy, and the supernatural. Likely first performed at the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe in London, it reflects the early 17th-century fascination with exploration and colonialism, po…
…
continue reading
Send us a text Moby-Dick, published in 1851 by Herman Melville, is a landmark American novel that follows the obsessive quest of Captain Ahab, a whaling ship commander, to seek revenge on Moby Dick, a formidable white sperm whale that previously bit off his leg. Narrated by Ishmael, a sailor who joins the crew of Ahab’s ship, the Pequod, the story …
…
continue reading
Send us a text The Scarlet Letter, published in 1850 by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a classic American novel set in the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony during the 1640s. It explores themes of sin, guilt, and redemption through the story of Hester Prynne, a young woman who bears an illegitimate child and is forced to wear a scarlet "A" on her chest as …
…
continue reading
Send us a text The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, written by Mark Twain and published in 1876, is a classic American novel set in the fictional town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, along the Mississippi River in the 1840s. Drawing from Twain’s own childhood in Hannibal, Missouri, the story follows the mischievous and imaginative Tom Sawyer, a young boy who…
…
continue reading
Send us a text Robinson Crusoe, written by Daniel Defoe and first published in 1719, is often regarded as one of the earliest English novels, blending adventure, survival, and spiritual reflection. Set in the 17th century, it follows the life of Robinson Crusoe, a young Englishman who defies his father’s wishes for a stable career to pursue a life …
…
continue reading
Send us a text Dracula, published in 1897 by Irish author Bram Stoker, is a seminal Gothic horror novel that introduced the iconic vampire Count Dracula, shaping the modern vampire archetype. Written in an epistolary format through letters, journal entries, and newspaper clippings, it follows solicitor Jonathan Harker’s journey to Transylvania to a…
…
continue reading
Send us a text Oedipus Rex, also known as Oedipus the King, is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles around 429 BCE, considered one of the greatest works of classical literature. Set in the city of Thebes, the play follows King Oedipus, a man of intellect and determination, who seeks to save his city from a devastating plague by uncovering the murde…
…
continue reading
Send us a text Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen and first published in 1813, is a classic English novel set in rural Regency-era England, exploring themes of love, social class, family, and personal growth. Centered on the spirited Elizabeth Bennet and the wealthy but initially aloof Mr. Darcy, the novel traces their evolving relationshi…
…
continue reading
Send us a text Lysistrata, a comedic play by the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes, was first performed in 411 BCE during the Peloponnesian War, a protracted conflict between Athens and Sparta that strained Greek society. Written against the backdrop of war-weariness and political turmoil, the play centers on Lysistrata, an Athenian woman who o…
…
continue reading
Send us a text The Odyssey, attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer, is one of the two major epic poems of ancient Greece, alongside The Iliad, likely composed in the late 8th or early 7th century BCE. Emerging from an oral tradition, it reflects the values, mythology, and societal structures of the Archaic Greek world, blending historical echoe…
…
continue reading
Send us a text Gulliver’s Travels, published in 1726 by Jonathan Swift under the pseudonym Lemuel Gulliver, is a satirical novel that stands as one of the most enduring works of English literature. Written as a parody of travel narratives popular in the 18th century, it follows the voyages of Lemuel Gulliver, a ship’s surgeon, to fantastical lands …
…
continue reading
Send us a text Don Quixote, written by Miguel de Cervantes and published in two parts (1605 and 1615), is widely regarded as the first modern novel and a cornerstone of Western literature. Set in early 17th-century Spain, it emerged during the Spanish Golden Age, a period of cultural flourishing amid political decline. Cervantes, a former soldier a…
…
continue reading
Send us a text The Divine Comedy, written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and 1321, is an epic poem considered one of the greatest works of Western literature. Composed during Dante’s exile from Florence due to political conflicts between the Guelphs and Ghibellines, it reflects his personal struggles, theological convictions, and critique of conte…
…
continue reading
Send us a text The Iliad, attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer, is one of the oldest and most influential works of Western literature, likely composed in the 8th century BCE. Set during the Trojan War, it narrates a few weeks in the conflict’s tenth year, focusing on Achilles’ wrath and its consequences. Though rooted in oral storytelling tra…
…
continue reading
Send us a text Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust, a two-part dramatic masterpiece, is rooted in the German legend of a scholar who sells his soul to the devil. Goethe began Faust, Part One in the 1770s, publishing it in 1808, depicting Faust’s pact with Mephistopheles and his tragic love for Gretchen. Faust, Part Two, completed in 1832, expands in…
…
continue reading
Send us a text Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust, a two-part dramatic masterpiece, is rooted in the German legend of a scholar who sells his soul to the devil. Goethe began Faust, Part One in the 1770s, publishing it in 1808, depicting Faust’s pact with Mephistopheles and his tragic love for Gretchen. Faust, Part Two, completed in 1832, expands in…
…
continue reading
Send us a text Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare around 1606, is a dark tragedy that explores ambition, guilt, and the corrupting influence of power. Set in medieval Scotland, the play follows the rise and fall of Macbeth, a noble warrior who is spurred by a prophecy from three witches and the ruthless ambition of his wife, Lady Macbeth, to m…
…
continue reading
Send us a text Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare around 1599–1601, is a tragedy set in the Kingdom of Denmark, exploring themes of revenge, madness, morality, and existential uncertainty. The play follows Prince Hamlet, who is tasked by his father’s ghost to avenge his murder by Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, who has usurped the throne and married …
…
continue reading
