Exploring literature and ideas. Inspired discussion on great or pertinent texts and the ideas that grow from them.
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Paul discusses one of the most bizarre but beloved characters in all of Tolkien. Ryelund, Morten. "Tom Bombadil's Song (I)", The Fellowship of the Ring. CDklassic, 2000. Tolkien, Christopher. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. London, Houghton Mifflin, 2000. Tolkien, J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring. London, HarperCollins, 2010.…
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Ancient Applicability: Our Man Marcus
12:19
12:19
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12:19
Paul discusses why Emperor Marcus Aurelius's Meditations remains a worthwhile read almost two millennia after it was written. Aurelius, Marcus. Meditations. (Translated by Gregory Hays). New York, Modern Library, 2002.Door Paul Sonsteby
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Dirty Rotten Superheroes: The Boys
12:47
12:47
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12:47
Paul looks at Amazon's nasty and fun superhero satire, The Boys.Door Paul Sonsteby
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Stephen King's The Dark Tower Series: 4. The Wizard and Glass
25:58
25:58
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25:58
Paul Continues his journey through King's fantasy opusDoor Paul Sonsteby
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Stephen King's The Dark Tower Series: 3. The Waste Lands
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17:52
Paul picks up on his continuing study of Stephen King's fantasy opus.Door Paul Sonsteby
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I Hate Deadpool, #notmyWolverine, but a Fun Movie
31:35
31:35
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31:35
Paul kicks the hornet's nest and talks the good and considerable bad of Deadpool & Wolverine. For a much nicer review, check out The Good Enough Gaming Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/good-enough-gaming-pod/id1553128355?i=1000663926773Door Paul Sonsteby
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Great Scott's Great, Serious-Ridley
22:53
22:53
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22:53
That's an awful title. Here's an episode on director Ridley Scott.Door Paul Sonsteby
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Trump, Terrorism, and Eight Texts
31:46
31:46
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31:46
Paul discusses the recent near-assissnation of Donald Trump but keeps that rambling structured. Adler, Mortimer. Aristotle for Everybody. New York, Macmillan, 1978.Door Paul Sonsteby
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"Trickling into the Stream"
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16:42
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16:42
Paul considers what generational technology usage and the advent of AI writing will do to reading, thinking, and writing.Door Paul Sonsteby
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Rewatch: Game of Thrones
37:21
37:21
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37:21
Paul talks Game of Thrones .Door Paul Sonsteby
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A Brief Discussion on the Mentor
15:09
15:09
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15:09
Paul chats about the mentor character, so significant to the Hero's Journey.Door Paul Sonsteby
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Villeneuve In Review: Dune 2
15:57
15:57
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Paul talks about the second take on his favourite book.Door Paul Sonsteby
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The Better Story Post Script: Papa Lu and "Man of the Hour"
18:29
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18:29
Vedder, Eddie. "Man of the Hour," Big Fish: Music from the Motion Picture. Seattle, Pearl Jam, 2003.Door Paul Sonsteby
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The Better Story: Life of Pi and Big Fish
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25:13
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25:13
Inspired by one of his teaching lessons, Paul discusses the concept of "the better story" which forms a connection between Yann Martel's 2001 novel Life of Pi and Tim Burton's 2004 film, Big Fish. Burton, Tim. Big Fish. United States, Sony Pictures, 2003. Martel, Yann. Life of Pi. Toronto, Vintage, 2001.…
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Stephen King's The Dark Tower Series: 2. The Drawing of the Three. Best book in the series? Best SK book EVER?
22:36
22:36
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22:36
Paul continues his exploration of the Dark Tower series with this Master's Class of character building. King, Stephen. The Drawing of the Three. New York, Plume, 2003.Door Paul Sonsteby
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Stephen King's The Dark Tower Series: 1.The Gunslinger. Mostly just get through it.
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16:16
Paul starts an extended re-read and analysis of Stephen King's Dark Tower series.Door Paul Sonsteby
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Dys or Dat-Topia? (Brave New World Vs. 1984)
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40:10
Paul compares the futuristic worlds presented in two classic novels of 20th century speculative fiction: Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Huxley, Aldous. Brace New World. Toronto, Vintage, 2007. Orwell, George, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Toronto, Signet, 1977.
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Pop-Punk's Power People: Green Day
26:22
26:22
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26:22
I'm not gonna lie, I probably broke a bunch of copyrights for this episode. I'm gonna trust the boys to be cool with it.Door Paul Sonsteby
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Paul gushes about his favourite Viking-Age historian and poet.Door Paul Sonsteby
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Paul waxes retrospective. https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8864790044362597696/8064845359125547896Door Paul Sonsteby
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Sometimes we overread symbols. But there are SOME objects--water, fire, a door--that are ALWAYS symbolic.Door Paul Sonsteby
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The False Myth of the American Western
23:56
23:56
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23:56
Paul discusses that most derivative, forced, and American of genres: The WesternDoor Paul Sonsteby
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What Should We Know About the War?
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26:26
As memory fades and current events become history, what are the specific things "kids these days" should need to know about World War 2?Door Paul Sonsteby
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The Beauty of the Short Story
16:04
16:04
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16:04
Paul talks about this lovely and underappreciated form of text.Door Paul Sonsteby
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Paul talks about the revelations that can happen on second and subsequent of books.Door Paul Sonsteby
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Heat (1995) By Michael Mann.
30:00
30:00
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30:00
Way better than a great a$$Door Paul Sonsteby
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Vinland and the Norse Sagas (for Tim and Allie)
29:41
29:41
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29:41
Paul explores the sketchy history of the Norse landings in Newfoundland, after fulfilling a lifelong dream of visiting the site at L'anse aux Meadows last month. This episode is dedicated to Tim and Allie.Door Paul Sonsteby
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The Barbarity of Banning Books
32:49
32:49
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32:49
Paul weighs in on literary fasciscm. Thomposon, Hunter S. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. New York, Random House, 1971.Door Paul Sonsteby
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Speaking of a Death, Let's Talk About Death: Cormac McCarthy's the Sunset Limited
28:45
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28:45
Don't read or watch this play if you're feeling low. McCarthy, Cormac. The Sunset Limited: A Novel in Dramatic Form. New York, Dramatists Play Service, Inc., 2006.Door Paul Sonsteby
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Hey, for what it is, have a happy one. Downie, Gord. "Fireworks" from Phantom Power. Ontario, Universal, 1998.Door Paul Sonsteby
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Paul talks about his love for the often-misunderstood and mis-appreciated genre of theatre.Door Paul Sonsteby
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Spoiler: The King Returns
28:23
28:23
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28:23
After far too long of promising, Paul discusses the third volume of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Tolkien, J.R.R. The Return of the King. London, Harper Collins, 2010.Door Paul Sonsteby
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Stoicism in the Modern World
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It's amazing how Ancient Greek philosphy is still so applicable to us today, and Paul argues that none is MORE applicable still than stoicism. But, you have to jettison the weaknesses. Aurelius, Marcus. Meditations. New York, Pengion, 2006. Herbert, Frank. Dune. New York, Chilton, 1965.Door Paul Sonsteby
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In today's episode, Paul talks about Metallica, a band he's never going to be too proud to like, although his favourite era is often the band's most-reviled.Door Paul Sonsteby
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Best-PERIOD-Show-PERIOD-Ever-PERIOD: The Newsroom by Aaron Sorkin (for J. on her birthday)
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Paul analyzes the exceptional three seasons of The Newsroom for his favourite person. Newman, Thomas, "The Newsroom Main Theme," Apple Music.Door Paul Sonsteby
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On Revisiting the Terminator and T2: Judgement Day
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21:14
Paul considers the first (and as far as he's concerned ONLY) two Terminator films having watched them with new viewers.Door Paul Sonsteby
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The Water Bond Between Gollum and Frodo (Special Episode)
44:53
44:53
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44:53
This is the audio of a presentation Paul recently gave at Signum University's Sunshine Moot 2023 about characters from J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/LUMFo-XoLHA Works Cited Carpenter, Humprey ed. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. New York, Houghton Mifflin, 2000. Tolkien, J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring. London, Harpe…
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What does Shakespeare really mean about "to be" and what does Hamlet learn about it, himself, and ALL OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE by the end of the most famous work in English? Bloom, Harold. Shakeseapre: Invention of the Human. Riverhead Books: New York, 1998. McCartney, Paul. "Let It Be." from Let It Be. Apple: London, 1970. Shakespeare, William. Ham…
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Comics Can't Change
1:18:09
1:18:09
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1:18:09
In this epic walk through history and nostalgia of the superhero genre, Paul laments the fact that comic books are immune to any sort of real change, and that's a shame.Door Paul Sonsteby
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Prophecies and Walkin' Trees: That time Shakespeare annoyed Tolkien.
36:44
36:44
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36:44
It's a little known fact that the Ents of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings were actually inspired by the author's extreme dislike of a scene in Shakespeare's Macbeth. Paul talks the prophecies of Macbeth, their influence on LOTR, and Tolkien's brief use of prophecy himself. Carpenter, Humphrey, Ed. The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien. London: Houghton M…
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Quentin and Tarantinoed by Quentin Tarantino
58:29
58:29
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58:29
In this episode, Paul looks at the most Tarantino-style director of them all: Quentin Tarantino. Paul rates all of his movies from least best to best!Door Paul Sonsteby
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Pig Politicians: The Enduring Applicability of George Orwell's Animal Farm
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Paul looks at a specific allegorical novel that continues to have meaning. Orwell, George. Animal Farm. London: Martin Secker and Warburg, Ltd, 1945.Door Paul Sonsteby
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Paul talks about the most significant books, films, shows, and albums he encountered in the year that was 2022. Here's a link to the whole list: https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8864790044362597696/73039281794381240Door Paul Sonsteby
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Names Upon Names Upon Names: The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien
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36:21
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36:21
By request, Paul talks about the Tolkien book that most people don't finish, which is funny because it's about 700 pages shorter than his best one. Tolkein, J.R.R. The Silmarillion. Christopher Tolkien, ed. Houghton Mifflin: London, 1977.Door Paul Sonsteby
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Prey Doesn't Suck and I'm Surprised
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18:13
Paul discusses the 2022 film Prey, the umpteenth sequel to 1987's Predator, and the only one that's not bad, Trachtenburg, Dave. Prey. USA: 20th Century Studios, 2022.Door Paul Sonsteby
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Alexander the Far Side Allusion
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16:31
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16:31
Paul discusses the life and times of that one and only Warrior Philosopher King Alexander the Great, and we consider how having a good edcation can propel you. Savill, Agnes. Alexander the Great and His Times. London: Rockliffe, 1956.Door Paul Sonsteby
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The Play's the Thing: Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead
52:37
52:37
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52:37
Hamlet is much bigger and better than it was supposed to be, so it's only natural that its existential death satire (if that's a genre) is too. Paul talks Tom Stoppard's brilliant 1966 play Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Toronto: Thompson and Nelson, 2003. Stoppard, Tom. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. New Y…
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Rings of Power review with Special Guests Fynn and Coen
27:44
27:44
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Paul is joined by returning guests Fynn and Coen to discuss the Rings of Power TV series. McKay, Patrick and J. D. Payne. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. NZ and UK: Amazon Studios and New Line Cinema, 2022.Door Paul Sonsteby
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You don't need to ever go to a movie theatre again. Paul's suggestion: don't!Door Paul Sonsteby
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Utterly Fantastic Fantasy
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22:00
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22:00
Paul talks about speculative fiction, and how some of its best writers proved that their escapism is more real than many of the best writing reality. Apologies to Cormac McCarthy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormac_McCarthy Shippey, Tom. J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century. London: HarperCollins, 2001.…
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