A podcast in which two friends read contemporary literature and debate whether or not it will one day be considered a classic.
In the Classics Edition of the podcast, they read books from the canon and discuss why they have been labelled "classics".
Episode 6.2. Sula by Toni Morrison (Classics Edition)
In this episode, Grace and Liz read Toni Morrison’s Sula and discuss why it’s been considered a classic.
First published in 1973, it follows two friends, Sula and Nel, as they grow up in Medallion, Ohio. Bound by a shared girlhood and a firm longing for adventure, their friendship takes a profound turn when an unexpected tragedy occurs. As the girls grow, they start to adopt increasingly different philosophies about life: Nel is taken down a more conventional path whilst Sula lives a more defiant and non-conformist existence.
What can Sula tell us about the mystery of identity? How are friendships affected when people take different life paths? Why is this book still so relevant today? These are just some of the questions they ask in the episode.
Website: https://isthisbookaclassic.my.canva.site/ (https://isthisbookaclassic.my.canva.site/)
All links can be found on our Instagram: @isthisbookaclassicpodcast
Music: Isla Cummings
Logo: @jinny_lee_photography
6 Jul 2025
Ep 6. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
Hosts Liz and Grace analyze Elena Ferrante's "My Brilliant Friend," exploring themes of female friendship and educational inequality to determine its potential future status as a literary classic in this interview episode.
1 Jun 2025
Ep 5.2. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (Classics Edition)
Hosts Grace and Liz analyze Emily Brontë's *Wuthering Heights*, exploring its classic status through character analysis and thematic discussions in this interview episode.
4 May 2025
Ep 5. The Vegetarian by Han Kang
In this episode, Liz and Trudy read Han Kang’s “The Vegetarian” and talk about whether it will one day be considered a classic.
The story follows a quote ‘unremarkable’ woman who, following a series of strange and violent dreams, decides to become a vegetarian. The novel tracks how this decision goes on to impact her relationships with the characters around her, resulting in a series of strange and disturbing events.
In this episode, Liz and Trudy delve into the novel’s complex – and sometimes confusing – imagery. They ask why Yeong-hye decides to become a vegetarian and why Han Kang doesn’t write a chapter from her point of view. They also discuss the Bastard and Babe of the Book and debate whether or not “The Vegetarian” will one day be considered a future classic.
Website: https://isthisbookaclassic.my.canva.site/ (https://isthisbookaclassic.my.canva.site/)
All links can be found on our Instagram: @isthisbookaclassicpodcast
Music: Isla Cummings
Logo: @jinny_lee_photography
6 Apr 2025
Ep 4.2. Dracula by Bram Stoker (Classics Edition)
In this episode, Grace and Liz read Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” and discuss why it’s been considered a classic.
First published in 1897, the novel revolves around Count Dracula, a vampire from Transylvania who seeks to move to London. Jonathan Harker, a lawyer, Mina, his fiancée, Lucy, her friend, and John Seward, a doctor with a mysterious patient, all fall prey to the dangerous influence of Dracula. Only with the help of vampire slayer, Van Helsing, can they hope to end the Count’s destructive chaos.
Why is Dracula so iconic? What makes a good villain? Is Lucy unlucky, or is she being punished? Does a book have to be a masterpiece in order to be considered a classic? These are just some of the questions they ask in the episode.
Website: https://isthisbookaclassic.my.canva.site/ (https://isthisbookaclassic.my.canva.site/)
All links can be found on our Instagram: @isthisbookaclassicpodcast
Music: Isla Cummings
Logo: @jinny_lee_photography
2 Mar 2025
Ep 4. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
In this episode, Liz and Trudy read Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” and talk about whether it will one day be considered a classic.
The story follows Bella Swan, a teenager who moves to the town of Forks and falls in love with a mysterious student called Edward Cullen. He, and the entire Cullen family, are beautiful and enigmatic – they’re also vampires, making the line between love and death very thin indeed.
In this episode, Liz and Trudy ask why the Twilight series became the subject of such ridicule online. At one time, fans of the books were the butt of late-night jokes, they were ranted about by YouTubers and in 2009, a group of people actually stormed Comic-Con and shouted ‘Twilight sucks’ over and over again. Despite this, the series has been a huge popular success, selling over 160 million copies worldwide.
What does that popular success tell us about life in the early 2000s? Why was the book so successful, and why is Bella so clumsy in the books? Should we be Team Edward or Team Jacob? Will “Twilight” be a future classic? All this will be explored in the episode.
Website: https://isthisbookaclassic.my.canva.site/ (https://isthisbookaclassic.my.canva.site/)
All links can be found on our Instagram: @isthisbookaclassicpodcast
Music: Isla Cummings
Logo: @jinny_lee_photography
2 Feb 2025
Ep 3.2. The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (Classics Edition)
In this episode, Liz and Grace read Patricia Highsmith’s “The Talented Mr Ripley” and discuss why it’s been considered a classic.
First published in 1955, the novel follows Tom Ripley, a con artist sent to Italy to bring back the son of a wealthy American. Upon arrival, Tom finds himself charmed by the charismatic Dickie Greenleaf and jealous of his writer girlfriend Marge. Tom doesn’t just like Dickie, however, he actually wants to be him – and it soon becomes clear that he’s willing to achieve this goal at any cost.
Is Tom the villain, or the hero of the book? Why do we find ourselves rooting for him? What made Patricia Highsmith so radical? And why are we still talking about her work? These are just some of the questions they ask in the podcast.
Website: https://isthisbookaclassic.my.canva.site/ (https://isthisbookaclassic.my.canva.site/)
All links can be found on our Instagram: @isthisbookaclassicpodcast
5 Jan 2025
Ep 3. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
In this episode, Liz and Lily discuss Donna Tartt’s iconic novel “The Secret History”. In it, they talk aesthetics, immorality and elitism as they debate the book that launched a thousand dark academia books.
Why has this novel been such a popular success? What should we make of Donna Tartt’s portrayal of women? What makes dark academia so alluring – and why does it always seem to involve the humanities? These are just some of the questions they explore in the podcast.
Described as a “literary giant” and “one of the most revered” writers of her generation, Donna Tartt burst onto the literary scene as something of a sensation. The Secret History is already considered to be a cult classic and in the podcast, Liz and Lily will be discussing whether it will be given a place in the literary canon.
“The Secret History” is a novel about a group of Classics students who attempt to go beyond the boundaries of cognitive existence. Inspired by a love of the ancient Greeks and encouraged by their charismatic professor, the students partake in a Dionysian ritual: a frenzied and mysterious activity with deadly consequences.
Website: https://isthisbookaclassic.my.canva.site/ (https://isthisbookaclassic.my.canva.site/)
All links can be found on our Instagram: @isthisbookaclassicpodcast
1 Dec 2024
Ep 2.2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Classics Edition)
Liz and Grace dissect Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice', exploring its timeless themes, memorable characters, and enduring appeal as a classic of English literature.
9 Nov 2024
Episode 2 - Normal People by Sally Rooney
In this episode, Liz and Trudy turn their attention to the ultimate cool girl novel: Sally Rooney’s “Normal People”.
Heavily promoted, widely loved and critically acclaimed, “Normal People” is a knockout success. This episode looks at whether that popular success could translate into critical longevity as a classic.
Here, Liz and Trudy talk “Sad Girl Literature”, millennial disaffection and difficult relationships as they explore the ups and downs of Connell and Marianne’s relationship and consider Rooney’s book within its wider literary context.
Sally Rooney has been hailed as the “first great millennial novelist” and “J. D. Salinger for the Snapchat generation”. “Normal People” is her most popular novel and today they will be discussing whether it could also be considered a classic.
Further reading can be found on our website (https://isthisbookaclassic.my.canva.site/ )
All links can be found on our Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/isthisbookaclassicpodcast/)
9 Oct 2024
Episode 1.2 Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy (Classics Edition)
After discussing "A Little Life" by Hanya Yanagihara, Liz and Grace now focus on Thomas Hardy’s “Jude the Obscure”, another novel critiqued for its bleak portrayals of personal struggle. First published in 1895, and considered to be one of Hardy’s most controversial novels, Jude the Obscure follows the life of Jude Fawley, a working-class man who dreams of studying at a university in Christminster.
His dreams are derailed, however, when he is tricked into marrying the deceitful Arabella. When she abandons him, Jude falls for his complicated and free-thinking cousin, Sue Bridehead. The couple then endure a series of tragic events as rigid Victorian class structures and beliefs surrounding marriage lead to their wider social rejection.
Here, Grace and Liz talk class and sex in what contemporary critics dubbed the “most indecent novel ever written”. They debate its place in the canon and talk about why books like this still matter in the 21st century.
Further reading can be found on our website (https://isthisbookaclassic.my.canva.site/reading)
All links can be found on our Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/isthisbookaclassicpodcast/)
9 Sept 2024
Episode 1 - A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
“Misery porn” or a bona fide classic? Liz and Trudy discuss love, trauma, and friendship as they debate the book that has shaken both critics and the internet. “A Little Life” follows four friends who, after graduating, move to New York City and attempt to navigate their adult lives. As they grow and their complex relationships evolve, Yanagihara grapples with one key question: can anyone truly recover from the trauma of their past?
In this episode, we talk about how we first heard about the book, the mythology surrounding it, and the questions Yanagihara seems to raise. We discuss the controversial nature of the book, its critical and commercial success, and whether it should be dismissed for its relentless depiction of suffering or praised for its ability to evoke strong emotions. Finally, we consider why the book has struck such a chord in recent years and whether it will one day be regarded as a classic, using the criteria outlined by Italo Calvino in his seminal essay, “Why Read the Classics?”
Further reading can be found on our website (https://isthisbookaclassic.my.canva.site/ )
All links can be found on our Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/isthisbookaclassicpodcast/)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 32 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
52
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
Contact Is This Book a Classic?
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