Episode · EconTalk · 2023-03-13
Books mentioned on Zach Weinersmith on Beowulf and Bea Wolf
Tolkien read it as a tale about mortality. The poet David Whyte said it was a metaphor for the psychological demons deep in our minds.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Faerie queene
The Faerie Queene is an epic poem by Edmund Spenser that has historically exerted enormous influence on subsequent literature, including the works of Shakespeare and the Romantic poets.
Discussed“and yet it's one of the lasting poems in English like nobody wants to read Spencer's the fairy queen anymore”
Where to get it
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Beowulf
Beowulf is an Old English epic heroic poem recounting the exploits of the hero Beowulf as he defeats monsters like Grendel and a dragon.
Discussed“people find Milton very difficult but people will still pick up like the Sheamus Haney edition of Beowulf and read the first 30 which is all monster fights and kind of Mumble through the middle part”
Where to get it
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The Seven Silly Eaters
The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman is a delightful and humorous children's rhyming book about a quirky family and their demanding children with very particular culinary preferences.
Recommended“Dr Seuss being an obvious example but also one of my favorite books I'll just mention here for children's uh Seven Silly Eaters magnificent book”
Where to get it
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The Iliad
The Iliad by Homer is an epic ancient Greek poem that recounts the wrath of Achilles and key dramatic events near the end of the Trojan War.
Discussed“like you know it would be very hard to remember 100 lines of nonsense but like underlines of The Iliad is quite doable”
Where to get it
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The Odyssey
Homer's ancient epic poem The Odyssey recounts the arduous ten-year journey of the Greek hero Odysseus as he strives to return home to Ithaca following the Trojan War, facing mythical monsters, divine wrath, and perilous temptations along the way.
Discussed“so we don't as far as I know I I can't speak for every faculty member we teach The Iliad and the Odyssey here and I don't know whether people memorize any bits of it or chunks of it”
Where to get it
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Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost by John Milton is an epic blank-verse poem published in the seventeenth century that recounts the biblical fall of man, including the temptation of Adam and Eve by Satan.
Discussed“I can't read Milton you've confessed similarly I I've tried re-paradise lost can't do it I even have a book that he happened to have bought before he took the course called reading Paradise losses was to help you”
Where to get it
