If a dark and twisty stream of consciousness narrative in translation sounds like an intriguing read, Blind Owl by Sadeq Hedayat is perfect for you. Penned by the forefather of the Modernist movement in Iranian literature, this surrealist story blends Western influences, Iranian folklore, and psychology. In today’s episode, we discuss key themes and questions raised by Hedayat’s text (so. many. questions). Today’s pairings include a contemporary Iranian work in translation, a Persian fairy tale retelling, and a polarizing love-it-or-hate-it novel that is perfect for group discussions.
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If you love our extra nerdy discussion on the podcast today, we have a hunch that you would also love our Novel Pairings Patreon community. Our Patreon is a great space to take part in public scholarship and talk about books with a smart, eclectic group of readers. Subscriptions start at just $5 a month, and yearly discounts are available. To learn more about our Patreon, visit patreon.com/novelpairings.
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What is the difference between literary historical fiction and “woman with her back turned on the cover” historical fiction? In today’s episode of Modern Readers, we’re discussing the literary landscape and rise in popularity of the historical fiction genre. We explore the definition of historical fiction, significant time periods, craft vs. plot, and “literariness” to understand whether a historical book is literary or a really entertaining read—or both! Plus, we share Novel Pairings episodes and book recommendations to pair with our nuanced conversation.
If you enjoyed today’s episode and want more conversations similar to this nerdy genre deep dive, you should check out our Patreon community where for just $5 a month, you can access weekly bonus episodes just like this one. At our $10 Literature Scholar level, patrons have access to classes and our virtual book club, where we’ll be discussing The Blind Owl by Sadeq Hedayat this month. To join, visit patreon.com/novelpairings.
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Timestamps
Recent Reads – 2:13
What is Historical Fiction? – 10:23
What makes a text Literary Historical Fiction? – 23:19
Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”, first published in The New Yorker in 1948, feels relevant in every decade. Whether it’s discussed in the high school classroom or revisited in adulthood, this shocking story leaves a mark. We’re back with another Short Story Club episode on Novel Pairings in which we take a closer look at Jackson’s haunting text, considering its wider themes, and touch on how one of the most widely known short stories by an American writer continues to live on as a quintessential classic.
If you love our extra nerdy discussion on the podcast today, we have a hunch that you would also love our Novel Pairings Patreon community. Our Patreon is a great space to take part in public scholarship and talk about books with a smart, eclectic group of readers. Subscriptions start at just $5 a month, and yearly discounts are available. To learn more about our Patreon, visit patreon.com/novelpairings.
Listeners can also stay in the loop with all things Novel Pairings by giving us a follow on Instagram and subscribing to our weekly newsletter on Substack. Thank you for supporting public scholarship!
Let’s discuss one of our most requested classics! Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is an eerie gothic novel with elements of mystery, fairy tale, and domestic suspense–and you’ve been asking for us to cover it on the show for years. In today’s episode, we speculate on why this classic remains so popular today, discuss the magic of reading a classic just for fun (and then returning to it with literary lenses), and analyze our unnamed narrator. This is the kind of book that you can’t discuss without spoilers, so we included fair warning and a timestamp if you wish to avoid them.
To access our deep dive on unreliable narrators, go to patreon.com/novelpairings and join our community for just $5.
Get ready for your TBR pile to actually topple over as we discuss a truly abundant season of publishing and books. The fall publishing calendar has a lot of hype-worthy titles, and in today’s episode you’ll hear our pared down lists (it was a struggle!) of excellent fall fiction due to hit shelves soon. This includes big books from BIG authors, intriguing titles from small indie presses, and a smattering of assorted fiction and non-fiction we think you’ll love. Plus, each title we preview in today’s episode is perfectly paired with a backlist book for your consideration, giving us the option to explore additional titles while we wait for our library holds and pre-orders to come in.
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You may have heard us mention the term “public scholarship” when talking about the mission of our podcast and our community of readers here at Novel Pairings. But what exactly is public scholarship, and how does it apply to us as lifelong learners? Today in our first Modern Readers episode, we’re sitting down to define public scholarship, share how our backgrounds in academia and the classroom help us on our mission of public scholarship, and discuss how we hope this framework will open up conversations and allow our fellow readers to think of themselves as public scholars, too. You’ll also hear about our recent reads that surprisingly fit the theme of today’s discussion, and we’ll share some additional titles and resources readers can check out to keep learning about this topic.
Episode Timestamps:
Recent Reads – 2:42
What is Public Scholarship? – 11:15
Further Reading for Public Literature Scholars – 38:39
Today we’re sharing our (sometimes controversial) opinions about some of the buzziest books of LAST summer. We love it when our reading overlaps off the podcast and gives us a chance to come together for some off-the-cuff book conversation. Of the slew of buzzy books that released in Summer 2022, there were a handful both of us somehow made time to read. We’re deep diving into five of those books, sharing what worked for us, what didn’t, and why we can love a reading experience even when we don’t love a book.
This episode originally aired on our Patreon bonus feed. To hear all about the buzzy books we read THIS summer, sign up to join Classics Club at patreon.com/novelpairings. We would love to see you in our community this semester!
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Even though it’s still warm outside and we foresee another month or so of sweltering weather before we break out our fall sweaters, we can’t help but get giddy thinking about our plans for this year’s Fall Semester—which is why we’re excited to unveil our line-up of books!
This Fall, we’ll be diving into into Postmodernism, and we have three intriguing titles with which to explore this theme. Postmodernism is best known for its rejection of narrative norms, playing with realities and truthfulness, and its creative use of structure. These books are a bit more contemporary when it comes to the classics we’ve read, as we’ll be reading books published in the mid-1920s and beyond. Let’s take a look at what’s coming up for our fall semester!
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier – Daphne du Maurier’s most famous novel is an oft-requested title in our community, and we’re delighted to get the chance to read and discuss it with fellow bookworms. This anxious and suspenseful novel chronicles the story of a young women whose life is changed when she meets a wealthy and handsome widower who proposes marriage and whisks her away to his estate. Easily attributed as an origin text for domestic thrillers and literary suspenses, we can’t wait to talk about how this novel pushes back on literary tropes and plays with archetypes from other texts.
The Blind Owl by Sadegh Hedayat (see also: Blind Owl by Sadeq Hedayat) – This new-to-us classic is an Iranian work in translation that is perfect for studying Postmodern theory this semester. A story told in two parts, The Blind Owl follows the hazy, dreamlike recollections of a narrator who, with a fragile relationship with time and reality, seeks to paint a singular artistic scene when readers suddenly find our narrator covered in blood and waiting for the police. In part two, readers glimpse grim realities that unlock the mysteries from prior chapters. This short novel has been compared to other classics by Poe, Doestoevsky, and Kafka—and we’re interested to see what might make great pairings for this Iranian suspense novel!
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf– For our late fall selection, we’ll be diving into what many writers and scholars consider one of the literary masterpieces of the 20th century. One of Woolf’s most well-known and beloved novels, To the Lighthouse follows the the Ramsay family and their excursions to the to the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Woolf often plays with time and structure in her narratives, weaving in and out of perspectives, flashbacks, and time jumps, and this iconic novel is no different. In addition to exploring Woolf’s unique writing style, we look forward to expanding our understanding of what it was like to live before, during, and between the World Wars. Such a pivotal moment in Western history spawned incredible Postmodern art and writing, and we’re ready to discuss historical context and critical theory with all of you.
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As always, we would love to see you this semester in Classics Club, our Patreon community for curious readers and lifelong learners. We’ll release a full Fall Schedule soon, but know that you can expect better-than-ever classes, bonus episodes, book club discussions, and behind the scenes content with a membership starting at $5.
Train Compartment by Agnes Cleve-Jonand (1876 – 1951)
Today, we’re sharing six classic titles from the 1920s that make excellent additions to your late summer or early fall reading stack, whether you’re reading them for the first time or returning with fresh eyes. The 1920s is a time period we both love to read and explore. In this mini TBR-toppler episode, you’ll have your picks from dense and delightfully nerdy tomes, a slim spiritual journey in translation, a children’s series that sparked one thousand fantasies about running away from home, and a work of nonfiction that shaped the way women thought about the spatial and financial freedom to create.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts or through this link.
This episode previously aired on our exclusive bonus Patreon feed. If you’d like to hear more episodes like this one, go to patreon.com/novelpairings to support the show for just $5 and access out backlog of bonus episodes. Thank you for keeping our show running!
It’s the last stretch of our Slow Down Summer with The Odyssey, and for this week’s discussion, we’re sharing final thoughts on The Odyssey’s staying power and impact on modern literature. We dive into talking about what we noticed in our full read-though of Emily Wilson’s translation. We also share themes to consider when reading, thoughts on reading a text symbolically, and guesses for why the story of a complicated man like Odysseus has staying power—in scholarship, public discussion, and as an inspiration of countless retellings and allusions. Finally, if you need some more #MythologyGirl energy in your reading life, we share additional titles for discovery.
If you enjoyed today’s episode and would love to get even nerdier with us, we have a wealth of extra content for all our listeners. Our Patreon is the place to be for our listeners who want to feel like they’re back in English class without the homework. Head on over to patreon.com/novelpairings and sign up for instant access to all our recorded classes, webinars, and bonus episodes. In addition to all our recorded content, we host monthly book discussions and for August we’ll be discussing Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer. We’d love to have you join the discussion.
Novel Pairings 