- 13
- Episodes
- 7
- Ratings
- 2024
- First episode
About Among the Ancients II
Emily Wilson, celebrated classicist and translator of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, is back to take on another twelve vital works of Greek and Roman literature with the LRB’s Thomas Jones, loosely themed around truth and lies – from from Aesop’s Fables to Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations. Among the Ancients is part of the Close Readings podcasts from the London Review of Books. To listen to all the series in full, subscribe: Directly in Apple Podcasts at the top of this podcast; For Spotify and other podcast apps here: https://lrb.supportingcast.fm/close-readings
- Publisher
- London Review of Books
- Category
- arts · history
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 1 Jan 2024
- Latest episode
- 24 Dec 2024
Latest episodes
13 episodes in the feed.
24 Dec 2024
Marcus Aurelius
For their final conversation Among the Ancients, Emily Wilson and Thomas Jones turn to the contradictions of the Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius. Said by Machiavelli to be the last of the ‘five good emperors’ who ruled Rome for most of the second century CE, Marcus oversaw devastating wars on the frontiers, a deadly plague and economic turmoil. The writings known in English as The Meditations, and in Latin as ‘to himself’, were composed in Greek in the last decade of Marcus’ life. They reveal the emperor’s preoccupations with illness, growing old, death and posthumous reputation, as he urges himself not to be troubled by such transient things. Non-subscribers can hear the full version of this episode with ads. To listen ad-free and in full to other episodes of Among the Ancients II, and to all our other Close Readings series, sign up: Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPq (https://apple.co/3pJoFPq ) In other podcast apps: https://lrb.me/closereadings (https://lrb.me/closereadings) Or purchase a gift subscription: https://lrb.me/audiogifts (https://lrb.me/audiogifts) Further reading in the LRB: Mary Beard: Was he quite ordinary? https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v31/n14/mary-beard/was-he-quite-ordinary (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v31/n14/mary-beard/was-he-quite-ordinary) Emily Wilson: I have gorgeous hair https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n11/emily-wilson/i-have-gorgeous-hair (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n11/emily-wilson/i-have-gorgeous-hair) Shadi Bartsch: Dying to Make a Point https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v29/n22/shadi-bartsch/dying-to-make-a-point (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v29/n22/shadi-bartsch/dying-to-make-a-point) M.F. Burnyeat: Excuses for Madness https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v24/n20/m.f.-burnyeat/excuses-for-madness (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v24/n20/m.f.-burnyeat/excuses-for-madness) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
24 Nov 2024
Apuleius
Apuleius’ ‘Metamorphoses’, better known as ‘The Golden Ass’, is the only ancient Roman novel to have survived in its entirety. Following the story of Lucius, forced to suffer as a donkey until the goddess Isis intervenes, the novel includes frenetic wordplay, filthy humour and the earliest known version of the Psyche and Cupid myth. In this episode, Tom and Emily discuss Apuleius’ anarchic mix of the high and low brow, and his incisive depiction of the lives of impoverished and enslaved people. Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up: Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPq (https://lrb.me/ataapple) In other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadings (https://lrb.me/atasignuppod) Further reading in the LRB: Peter Parsons: Ancient Greek Romances https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v03/n15/peter-parsons/ancient-greek-romances (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v03/n15/peter-parsons/ancient-greek-romances) Leofranc Holford-Strevens: God’s Will https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v25/n10/leofranc-holford-strevens/god-s-will (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v25/n10/leofranc-holford-strevens/god-s-will) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
24 Oct 2024
Juvenal
In this episode, we tackle Juvenal, whose sixteen satires influenced libertines, neoclassicists and early Christian moralists alike. Conservative to a fault, Juvenal’s Satires rails against the rapid expansion and transformation of Roman society in the early principate. But where his contemporary Tacitus handled the same material with restraint, Juvenal’s work explodes with vivid and vicious depictions of urban life, including immigration, sexual mores and eating habits. Emily and Tom explore the idiosyncrasies of Juvenal’s verse and its handling in Peter Green’s translation, and how best to parse his over-the-top hostility to everyone and everything. Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up: Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPq (https://lrb.me/ataapple) In other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadings (https://lrb.me/atasignuppod) Further reading in the LRB: Remembering Peter Green https://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2024/september/peter-green-1924-2024 (https://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2024/september/peter-green-1924-2024) Claude Rawson: Blistering Attacks https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v02/n21/claude-rawson/blistering-attacks (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v02/n21/claude-rawson/blistering-attacks) Clare Bucknell & Colin Burrow: What is satire? https://www.lrb.co.uk/podcasts-and-videos/podcasts/close-readings/on-satire-what-is-satire (https://www.lrb.co.uk/podcasts-and-videos/podcasts/close-readings/on-satire-what-is-satire) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
24 Sept 2024
Tacitus
The Annals, Tacitus’ study of the emperors from Tiberius to Nero, covers some of the most vivid and ruthless episodes in Roman history. A masterclass in political intrigue (and how not to do it), the Annals features mutiny, senatorial backstabbing, wars on the imperial frontiers, political purges and enormous egos. Emily and Tom explore the many ambiguities that make the Annals rewarding, as well as difficult, reading and discuss Tacitus’ knotty style and approach to history. Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up: Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPq (https://lrb.me/ataapple) In other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadings (https://lrb.me/atasignuppod) Further reading in the LRB: Mary Beard: Four-Day Caesar https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v26/n02/mary-beard/four-day-caesar (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v26/n02/mary-beard/four-day-caesar) Anthony Grafton: Those Limbs We Admire https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v33/n14/anthony-grafton/those-limbs-we-admire (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v33/n14/anthony-grafton/those-limbs-we-admire) Shadi Bartsch: Fratricide, Matricide and the Philosopher https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v37/n12/shadi-bartsch/fratricide-matricide-and-the-philosopher (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v37/n12/shadi-bartsch/fratricide-matricide-and-the-philosopher) Mark Ford: The Death of Petronius https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v30/n24/mark-ford/the-death-of-petronius (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v30/n24/mark-ford/the-death-of-petronius) Emily Wilson is Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jones is an editor at the London Review of Books. Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
24 Aug 2024
Lucan
In his prodigious, prolific and very short career, Lucan was at turns championed, disavowed and finally forced into suicide at 25 by the emperor Nero. His only surviving work is Civil War, an account of the bloody and chaotic power struggle between Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great. In their first episode on Latin literature’s so-called ‘Silver Age’, Tom and Emily dive into this brutal and unforgiving epic poem. They explore Lucan’s slippery relationship to power, his rhetorical virtuosity and the influence of Stoicism on his worldview. Non-subscribers will only hear an extract form this episode. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up: Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPq (https://lrb.me/ataapple) In other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadings (https://lrb.me/atasignuppod) Further reading in the LRB: John Henderson: Dead Eyes and Blank Faces https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v20/n07/john-henderson/dead-eyes-and-blank-faces (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v20/n07/john-henderson/dead-eyes-and-blank-faces) Nora Goldschmidt: Pompeian Group Therapy https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v44/n18/nora-goldschmidt/pompeian-group-therapy (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v44/n18/nora-goldschmidt/pompeian-group-therapy) Thomas Jones: See you in hell, punk https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v40/n23/thomas-jones/see-you-in-hell-punk (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v40/n23/thomas-jones/see-you-in-hell-punk) Emily Wilson is Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jones is an editor at the London Review of Books. Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
24 Jul 2024
Plautus and Terence
In episode seven, we turn to some of the earliest surviving examples of Roman literature: the raucous, bawdy and sometimes bewildering world of Roman comedy. Plautus and Terence, who would go on to set the tone for centuries of playwrights (and school curricula), came from the margins of Roman society, writing primarily for plebeians and upsetting the conventions they simultaneously established. Plautus’ ‘Menaechmi’ is full of coinages, punning and madcap doubling. Terence’s troubling ‘Hecyra’ tells a much darker story of Roman sexual mores while destabilizing misogynistic stereotypes. Emily and Tom discuss how best to navigate these very early and enormously influential plays, and what they lend to Shakespeare, Sondheim and the modern sitcom. Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up: Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPq (https://lrb.me/ataapple) In other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadings (https://lrb.me/atasignuppod) Further reading in the LRB: Emily Wilson: Ave, Jeeves! https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v30/n04/emily-wilson/ave-jeeves (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v30/n04/emily-wilson/ave-jeeves) James Davidson: Laugh as long as you can https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v37/n14/james-davidson/laugh-as-long-as-you-can (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v37/n14/james-davidson/laugh-as-long-as-you-can) Emily Wilson is Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jones is an editor at the London Review of Books. Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
24 Jun 2024
Lucian
The broad theme of this series, truth and lies, was a favourite subject of Lucian of Samosata, the last of our Greek-language authors. A cosmopolitan and highly cultured Syrian subject of the Roman Empire in the second century CE, Lucian wrote in the classical Greek of fifth-century Athens. His razor-sharp satire was a model for Erasmus, Voltaire and Swift. Emily and Tom share some of their favourite excerpts from ‘A True History’ and other works – with trips to the moon, boundary-pushing religious scepticism and wildly improbable but not technically untrue readings of Homer – and discuss why they still read as fresh and funny today. Non-subscriber will only hear extracts from the rest of this series. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up: Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPq (https://lrb.me/ataapple) In other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadings (https://lrb.me/atasignuppod) Further reading in the LRB: Tim Whitmarsh: Target Practice https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v32/n04/tim-whitmarsh/target-practice (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v32/n04/tim-whitmarsh/target-practice) James Davidson: Stomach-Churning https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v19/n02/james-davidson/stomach-churning (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v19/n02/james-davidson/stomach-churning) Emily Wilson is Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jones is an editor at the London Review of Books. Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
24 May 2024
Plato's 'Symposium'
Plato’s 'Symposium', his philosophical dialogue on love, or eros, was probably written around 380 BCE, but it’s set in 416, during the uneasy truce between Athens and Sparta in the middle of the Peloponnesian War. A symposium was a drinking party, though Socrates and his friends, having had a heavy evening the night before, decide to go easy on the wine and instead take turns making speeches in praise of love – at least until Alcibiades turns up, very late and very drunk. In this episode of Among the Ancients, Emily and Tom discuss the dialogue’s philosophical ideas, historical context and narrative form, and why Aristophanes gets the hiccups. Non-subscriber will only hear extracts from the rest of this series. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up: Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPq (https://lrb.me/ataapple) In other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadings (https://lrb.me/atasignuppod) Further reading: Donald Davidson: Plato’s Philosopher https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v07/n14/donald-davidson/plato-s-philosopher (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v07/n14/donald-davidson/plato-s-philosopher) Anne Carson: Oh What a Night (Alkibiades) https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v42/n22/anne-carson/oh-what-a-night-alkibiades (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v42/n22/anne-carson/oh-what-a-night-alkibiades) M.F. Burnyeat: Art and Mimesis in Plato’s Republic https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v20/n10/m.f.-burnyeat/art-and-mimesis-in-plato-s-republic (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v20/n10/m.f.-burnyeat/art-and-mimesis-in-plato-s-republic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
24 Apr 2024
Pindar and Bacchylides
In the fifth episode of Among the Ancients II we turn to Greek lyric, focusing on Pindar’s victory odes, considered a benchmark for the sublime since antiquity, and the vivid, narrative-driven dithyrambs of Bacchylides. Through close reading, Emily and Tom tease out allusions, lexical flourishes and formal experimentation, and explain the highly contextual nature of these tightly choreographed, public-facing poems. They illustrate how precarious work could be for a praise poet in a world driven by competition – striking the right note to please your patron, guarantee the next gig, and stay on good terms with the gods. Non-subscriber will only hear extracts from the rest of this series. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up: Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPq (https://lrb.me/ataapple) In other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadings (https://lrb.me/atasignuppod) Further reading in the LRB: Leofranc Holford-Strevens: Dithyrambs for Athens https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v27/n04/leofranc-holford-strevens/dithyrambs-for-athens (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v27/n04/leofranc-holford-strevens/dithyrambs-for-athens) Barbara Graziosi: Flower or Fungus? https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v27/n04/leofranc-holford-strevens/dithyrambs-for-athens (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v27/n04/leofranc-holford-strevens/dithyrambs-for-athens) Emily Wilson is Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jones is an editor at the London Review of Books. Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
24 Mar 2024
Herodotus
Some of the most compelling stories of the Classical world come from Herodotus‘ 'Histories', an account of the Persian Wars and a thousand things besides. Emily and Tom chart a course through Herodotus‘ history-as-epic, discussing how best to understand his approach to history, ethnography and myth. Exploring a work full of surprising, dramatic and frequently funny digressions, this episode illustrates the artfulness and deep structure underpinning the 'Histories', and, despite his obvious Greek bias, Herodotus‘ genuine interest in and respect for cultural difference. Non-subscriber will only hear extracts from the rest of this series. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up: Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPq (https://lrb.me/ataapple) In other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadings (https://lrb.me/atasignuppod) Further reading in the LRB: Peter Green: On Liking Herodotus https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v36/n07/peter-green/on-liking-herodotus (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v36/n07/peter-green/on-liking-herodotus) Emily Wilson is Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jones is an editor at the London Review of Books. Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
24 Feb 2024
Aesop
Supposedly an enslaved man from sixth-century Samos, Aesop might not have ever really existed, but the fables attributed to him remain some of the most widely read examples of classical literature. A fascinating window into the ‘low’ culture of ancient Greece, the Fables and the figure of Aesop appear in the work of authors as diverse as Aristophanes, Plato and Phaedrus, serving new purposes in new contexts. Emily and Tom discuss how Aesop’s fables as we know them came to be, make sense of their moral contradictions and unpack some of the fables that are most opaque to modern readers. Non-subscriber will only hear extracts from the rest of this series. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up: Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPq (https://lrb.me/ataapple) In other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadings (https://lrb.me/atasignuppod) Further reading in the LRB: Tim Whitmarsh: Crashing the Delphic Party https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v33/n12/tim-whitmarsh/crashing-the-delphic-party (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v33/n12/tim-whitmarsh/crashing-the-delphic-party) Emily Wilson is Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jones is an editor at the London Review of Books. Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
24 Jan 2024
Hesiod
Emily Wilson and Thomas Jones kick off their second season of Among the Ancients with a return to the eighth century BCE, exploring the poems of Homer’s near contemporary, Hesiod, the first western writer to craft a poetic persona. In Works and Days, brilliantly translated by A.E. Stallings, Hesiod weaves his personality into a narrative that encompasses everything from brotherly bickering to cosmic warfare. Emily and Tom unpack this wildly entertaining window into Ancient Greek life, and discuss how Stallings’s translation highlights the humour and linguistic flavour of the original text. This episode is free to listen to. Non-subscriber will only hear extracts from the rest of this series. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up: Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPq (https://lrb.me/ataapple) In other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadings (https://lrb.me/atasignuppod) Further reading in the LRB: Barbara Graziosi https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v31/n16/barbara-graziosi/where-s-the-gravy (https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v31/n16/barbara-graziosi/where-s-the-gravy) Emily Wilson is Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jones is an editor at the London Review of Books. Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
1 Jan 2024
Introducing Among the Ancients II
Emily Wilson, celebrated classicist and translator of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, is back to take on another twelve vital works of Greek and Roman literature with the LRB’s Thomas Jones, loosely themed around truth and lies – from from Aesop’s Fables to Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations. Non-subscribers will only hear extracts from most of the episodes in this series. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up: Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPq (https://lrb.me/ataapple) In other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadings (https://lrb.me/atasignuppod) Emily Wilson is Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jones is an editor at the London Review of Books. Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
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