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Every book Camille Paglia recommended on podcasts
Camille Paglia appeared on Conversations with Tyler to discuss various literary and intellectual works that have shaped cultural history. During the conversation, she highlighted Edmund Spenser's epic poem The Faerie Queene, noting that while it is largely forgotten today, it exerted an enormous historical impact on Shakespeare and the Romantic poets. Paglia also referenced Erving Goffman's sociological work The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, identifying it as one of the major influences on intellectual thought. Furthermore, she mentioned James George Frazer's comprehensive study The Golden Bough, observing that although it was once considered obsolete, the book carried a massive impact on modernist literature, including T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land and other works of the era. Through these discussions, Paglia emphasized the enduring, often underestimated lineages connecting classic and modern texts across centuries of Western culture, highlighting how foundational commentary continues to ripple through subsequent artistic movements, philosophy, and sociological theory.
Books recommended by Camille Paglia
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Faerie queene
The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser is an epic, allegorical English poem celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Queen Elizabeth I while exploring moral virtues through the adventures of various knights.
Discussed“We should tell them that "The Faerie Queene" is quite forgotten now, but it had enormous impact, Spenser's Faerie Queene, on Shakespeare, and on the Romantic poets”
Where to get it
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The Golden Bough
The Golden Bough by James George Frazer is a seminal 1890 anthropological and comparative religion study that explores ancient folklore, myths, and rituals of sacrificed kings.
Discussed“James George Frazer, "The Golden Bough," which was considered completely gone but had a huge impact on "The Wasteland" and other works of modernism.”
Where to get it
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The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
Why people recommend it: This classic 1956 sociology text by Erving Goffman uses theatrical metaphors to examine how individuals manage impressions and perform social roles in everyday life.
Discussed“one of the biggest influences on him was Erving Goffman, of Philadelphia, who was the great sociologist ‑‑ originally Canadian ‑‑ who wrote "The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life."”
Where to get it
Books Camille Paglia wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camille Paglia on her Lifestyle of Observation (Live at Mason) | Conversations with Tyler | 2016-04-25 | 3 |
Other mentions (3: passing, ad reads, own books)
“It directly inspired my writing of "Sexual Personae," absolutely.”
“"Sexual Personae" was rejected by seven publishers and five agents.”
“I gave her her due in "Glittering Images," because she was a very important figure in the development of conceptual art.”