Exploring The Greats

Recent episodes

1. Exploring Moby-Dick with Rob Delaney and Hester Blum

   Jul 31, 2026

   "It is not down on any map; true places never are." Over 21 episodes, join Professor Hester Blum and Rob Delaney as they navigate Moby-Dick, the devastating and hilarious journey of men at odds with the sea and themselves. To sign up and add this podcast to your feed, head to exploringthegreats.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2. Welcome to Exploring The Greats

   Jul 31, 2026

   To join a club, head to exploringthegreats.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

3. Exploring Shakespeare's Othello with James Shapiro and John Douglas Thompson

   Jul 31, 2026

   "O, now, for ever Farewell the tranquil mind; farewell content." Love, betrayal, regret: this is William Shakespeare's Othello. Join Professor James Shapiro and John Douglas Thompson as they examine this Shakespearean tragedy through literary and theatrical perspectives. To join the club, head to exploringthegreats.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

4. Exploring The Odyssey with Mary Beard and Charlotte Higgins

   Jul 31, 2026

   Join Mary Beard and Charlotte Higgins as they deep dive into this greatest of all stories, sharing their lifetime’s enjoyment of it while putting it in context and unpicking the trickiest bits. The Odyssey, along with its sister text, The Iliad, is often considered the bedrock of western literature. In it are the seeds of the road movie, the family drama, fantasy fiction, the Western, and many more. Journey home with us! To join the club, head to exploringthegreats.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

5. Exploring Plato's Republic with Agnes Callard and Tim Blake Nelson

   Jul 31, 2026

   What is justice? And how can societies achieve it? These are central questions in Plato's The Republic, a text that steadfastly questions the core tenets of liberalism. Join in dialogue with Professor Agnes Callard and Tim Blake Nelson for 24 episodes as they deconstruct Plato’s crowning achievement, and as a result, the structures and systems that make up human life. To join the club, head to exploringthegreats.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices