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PODCAST

Books of All Time

Books of All Time tackles classic literature in chronological order. Each month, host Rose Judson summarizes a classic work of literature in one episode and then dives into the story behind it in the second episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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All Episodes

52:43

Episode 41 – Plato, The Republic, Part 3 – I...

Books of All Time ·

2025/11/09

We come to the end of our three-episode exploration of Plato’s Republic, the seminal work of political philosophy composed mostly around 380 BCE. This episode covers pre-Socratic philosophy, the life of Socrates, and a really regrettable period of Plato's life when he tried to go into business as a political consultant and wound up stuck in the middle of what almost became a civil war. Don't leave the academy, bro.In this episode, Rose also announces an exciting upcoming guest spot on the Omnibus

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47:19

Episode 40 – Plato, The Republic, Part 2 – Out of the...

Books of All Time ·

2025/10/05

In this episode, we continue our three-part, supersized exploration of Plato's Republic. Having defined morality and the ideal society in the first half of the book, we now move on to the pure philosophy part, which features Plato's theory of forms, his ideas about what constitutes true knowledge, and, of course, a ton of allegories—including the famous Allegory of the Cave. Listen now and know the true, Platonic form of a podcast. Want to read the transcript or see our reading list? Click here

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43:40

Episode 39 – Plato, The Republic, Part 1 – The...

Books of All Time ·

2025/09/14

It's philosophy time, friends. Join us for the first of three episodes about the ancient Greek philosopher Plato's book The Republic, the most influential work of philosophical literature ever written by a single author. It's the record of a long conversation Socrates has with some friends, in which they pick over two questions: what is morality? and does morality really have any intrinsic benefits for those who practice it? This conversation also covers what the ideal society should look like,

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38:16

Episode 38 - Aristophanes, Frogs, Part 2 – Criminally...

Books of All Time ·

2025/08/31

Aaaaaand we're back. Aristophanes, the comedian of ancient Athens, has a reputation for getting into hot water for his jibes about the demagogue Cleon (which landed him in hot water, legally) and his portrayal the philosopher Socrates (which, according to Plato, fatally damaged Socrates' image for a generation). But is this reputation deserved? This episode looks at the evidence for how much Aristophanes really influenced Athenian politics and discourse.Want to read the transcript? Click here. Don't

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39:59

Episode 37 - Aristophanes, Frogs, Part 1 – You Idiots...

Books of All Time ·

2025/08/03

Produced in 405 BCE, just months before Athens' disastrous loss of the Peloponnesian War, Aristophanes' Frogs is a play about how important — and ridiculous — great art can be. Featuring a poetic battle royale between the ghosts of Aeschylus and Euripides, the play blends highbrow literary satire, bawdy sight gags, and more than a little bit of reactionary xenophobia. So nothing's changed there, then.Walk through the story with us as we wrap up our Big Fat Greek Summer of Theatre. Want to read the

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57:52

Episode 36: Euripides, The Trojan Women, Part 2 - I...

Books of All Time ·

2025/07/20

Euripides's plays, including The Trojan Women, include a great many complex and sympathetic female characters. In this episode, we use Euripides's interest in women as a jumping-off point to look at the real lives of women in Classical Athens during the 5th century BCE, when Euripides would have been alive and writing.Or at least, we try to. Join us on a slightly frustrating journey through the slim evidence for actual Greek women's existence, exploring childhood, marriage, funerals, and the

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43:47

Episode 35 – Euripides, Trojan Women, Part 1 – This...

Books of All Time ·

2025/06/29

Our Greek Theatre summer continues with the last of the great tragedians, Euripides (c. 480–406 BCE). While less successful than Aeschylus and Sophocles when it came to winning prizes at the Athenian Dionysia, Euripides was more popular in his day—according to the historian Thucydides, Athenian prisoners of war were able to win favors, and sometimes freedom, by reciting his lines to their captors. He has also left us the largest body of work of any of the other tragedy writers. He is known for a

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38:45

Episode 34: Sophocles, Oedipus Rex, Part 2 – The Soil...

Books of All Time ·

2025/06/15

Since 1900 or so, anyone trying to engage with Sophocles' play Oedipus Rex has had Sigmund Freud breathing over their shoulders. This episode looks at how Freud, inspired by (and slightly obsessed with) Sophocles' play, concocted a theory that began as a stage of child development but soon expanded to become a universal explanation for all of culture, religion, and art.CONTENT NOTE: This episode contains discussions of sex and sexuality from very early in the runtime (and more than one Hall and

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39:56

Episode 33 - Sophocles, Oedipus Rex, Part 1: The...

Books of All Time ·

2025/05/29

Sophocles (496 - 406 BCE) is considered the greatest of the great tragedians of Athens. In this episode, we take a look at his charmed life and at the play which, more than any other, has come to define his legacy: Oedipus Rex, which was probably staged in the 430s or 420s. It's basically a cold-case investigation that goes horribly, horribly wrong for its investigator.Want to read a transcript of this episode and see the reading list Rose used to write it? Click here. Don't forget to rate, review,

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41:07

Episode 32 – The Art of War, Part 2: An Ex-Jesuit in...

Books of All Time ·

2025/05/15

In our second episode on Sun-Tzu's The Art of War, we dive into the cultural movement that introduced it to the west: the first Jesuit mission to China. From 1552 until 1773, the missionary priests of the Society of Jesus were the primary channel for communication between China and Europe. While their main goal was the conversion of souls, they wound up sharing science, technology, and literature with their hosts and their hundreds of correspondents back home. Listen to the story of Jean Joseph

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43:31

Episode 31 – The Art of War, Part 1: A Way of Deception

Books of All Time ·

2025/05/01

"Know your enemy, know yourself, and victory is never in doubt, not in a hundred battles." So wrote the legendary Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu sometime in the 6th or possibly 5th or possibly 4th century BCE. While Sun Tzu's existence and the exact date of the composition of the text associated with his name are uncertain, the work has influenced commanders, diplomats, C-suite executives, and World Cup-winning soccer coaches for more than two thousand years. In this episode, host Rose Judson

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56:23

Episode 30: Herodotus, The Histories, Part 2 -...

Books of All Time ·

2025/04/17

If Herodotus is the father of history, who are some of his children? This episode looks into it. Starting with a brief look at Herodotus's reputation down the ages, we examine the works of three ancient historians whose works can be said to derive from our pal Herodotus. They include:Thucydides of Athens (c. 460-404 BCE), who purged his History of the Peloponnesian War of all that messy stuff about myths and gossipProcopius of Caesarea (c. 500-565 CE), who worked as an official historian for the

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40:59

Episode 29 – Herodotus, The Histories, Part 1, Part...

Books of All Time ·

2025/03/27

Last week we summarized books 1-5 of Herodotus's Histories. This week we cover books 6-9, which is heaving with military history. Marathon! Thermopylae! Salamis! While not as entertaining as the initial parts of the Histories, there are some iconic scenes and characters to meet here, from surprisingly sensitive Xerxes to the brave, doomed Spartan King Leonidas. Listen now!Want to read a transcript? Click here. Don't forget to follow us on social media. Thanks also for your ratings and reviews! They

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45:39

Episode 28: Herodotus, The Histories Part 1 (Part 1)...

Books of All Time ·

2025/03/20

Year two begins with a two-part summary episode! Herodotus of Halicarnassus (c. 484 - 425 BCE) wrote his epic history of the Greco-Persian wars and was an instant sensation. The Histories ("history" in those days meaning an inquiry or research) cover the rise of the Persians, the customs of all the peoples with whom they fought, architecture, geography, animals, religious practices, and smutty court gossip. This episode covers the first five books of The Histories, and (trigger warning) also

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39:22

Episode 27: The Oresteia, Part 2 - Deus Ex Machina

Books of All Time ·

2025/03/08

Fasting, abstaining from sex, risking the literal wrath of god - today's method actors have nothing on the pioneers of ancient Athenian drama. Following on from our episode about Aeschylus's Oresteia, this episode offers an overview of Greek tragedy and the theater - how it evolved from ritual, what actors and chorus members did on stage, and how an awful lot of the surrounding pageantry reminds our host Rose of the NFL.Want to read a transcript or check out Rose's reading list for this episode

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53:44

Episode 26: The Oresteia, Part 1 - Torment Bred in...

Books of All Time ·

2025/02/20

Cycles of violence. Legacies handed from famous fathers to uncertain sons. The trajectory of a society moving from retribution to democracy and justice. Robert F. Kennedy probably did not have all these things in mind on April 4, 1968 when he announced the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. to a crowd in Indianapolis. But he brought them to the surface nevertheless by quoting the ancient Greek dramatist Aeschylus, father of tragedy in his successful attempt to keep the city at peace on that terrible

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35:53

Episode 25: The Book of Isaiah, Part 2 - Wizards That...

Books of All Time ·

2025/02/06

Looking for some divine assistance on a tough decision? Have you considered shooting some arrows? Dropping oil in water? What about sacrificing a sheep? This week's episode uses the Book of Isaiah, the first work of prophecy on our reading list, as a springboard for looking at divination, magic, and prophecy in the ancient world.Need a transcript or want to check out the references Rose used to write this episode? Click here to visit our website. Don't forget to rate and review us or share us on

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39:46

Episode 24: The Book of Isaiah, Part 1 - A Voice in...

Books of All Time ·

2025/01/23

For episode 24, we return to the Hebrew Bible. By itself, the Book of Isaiah is one of humanity's most influential works of spiritual literature. In addition to laying the foundations of Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity, Isaiah has contributed dozens of phrases into our language, such as "swords into plowshares", "a little child shall lead them," and, of course, "a voice in the wilderness." Follow along with Rose Judson as she walks through it, talking you through the historical context, theories

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32:10

Episode 23 – Aesop’s Fables, Part 2: The Moral of the...

Books of All Time ·

2025/01/09

Snarky, satirical, scatological - how did the original Aesop's Fables wind up getting sanitized for children? This week's episode follows the thread through two thousand years of interpretation and adaptation, from Roman villas to medieval scriptoria to French drawing rooms.Want to read a transcript? Here you go! Don't forget to rate and review us on your podcast app of choice - it really helps people find the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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0:50

Announcements: Schedule Change for Episode 23

Books of All Time ·

2025/01/02

Happy New Year! This is just a short announcement to let you all know that BoAT episode 23 will be out on January 9th. Also, we are coming to the end of the year 1 reading list! Year 2 will be out later this month. Prepare for a Greek drama overload, plus our first visit to Persia and, toward the end of the year, Rome!Thanks for sticking with us this year! We appreciate each and every one of you, and wish you all the best for 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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