The Norton Library Podcast

83 Episodes

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A Revenge Story (Wuthering Heights, Part 2)

2026-10-1930:05

In Part 2 of our discussion on Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights, editor Deborah Lutz returns to discuss the cover design of the Norton Library edition, her favorite line from the novel, and the strengths and weaknesses of various film adaptations. Deborah Lutz is the author of six books, including This Dark Night: Emily Brontë, A Life and The Brontë Cabinet: Three Lives in Nine Objects, which was shortlisted for the PEN/Weld Award for Biography. She has been a Guggenheim Fellow, a Cullm...

Haunted (Wuthering Heights, Part 1)

2026-10-0531:42

In Part 1 of our discussion on Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights, we welcome editor Deborah Lutz to discuss collaborative writing amongst the Brontë sisters, the initially negative reception of Wuthering Heights, and the process of unpacking parts of the author's mysterious life. Deborah Lutz is the author of six books, including This Dark Night: Emily Brontë, A Life and The Brontë Cabinet: Three Lives in Nine Objects, which was shortlisted for the PEN/Weld Award for Biography. She ...

An Account of Yourself (Walden, Part 2)

2026-09-2130:31

In Part 2 of our discussion on Henry David Thoreau's Walden, editor Jedediah Britton-Purdy returns to discuss misconceptions about the author's philosophy, the balancing act of isolation and civic duty, and Thoreau's possible influence on important figures including Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Jedediah Britton-Purdy is Professor of Law at Duke University and a scholar of environmental and constitutional law. His books on environmental themes include After Na...

Thoreau is Punk! (Walden, Part 1)

2026-09-0732:51

In Part 1 of our discussion on Henry David Thoreau's Walden, we welcome editor Jedediah Britton-Purdy to discuss the relevance of Thoreau's questions about modernity to today's AI debate, the similarities and differences between Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, and common misconceptions about Thoreau's life in the woods. Jedediah Britton-Purdy is Professor of Law at Duke University and a scholar of environmental and constitutional law. His books on environmental themes include After Nat...

Who Doesn't Understand Thunder? (The Odyssey, Part 2)

2026-08-0430:51

In Part 2 of our discussion on Homer's Odyssey, translator Emily Wilson returns to discuss the cinematic spectacle of Christopher Nolan's film, the different responsibilities of translation and adaptation, and the challenges of weaving together multi-layered narrative episodes and characters into a single movie. Emily Wilson is a professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She has been named a fellow of the American Academy in Rome, a Guggenheim Fellow, and a MacA...

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