AE Housman's guest appearances

AE Housman

Classic Poetry Aloud

Modern Poetry in Translation

Poetry plain and simple

Poem for the Week

 The Belletrist Podcast w/ Dave Stephens

Prosodia

William Morris

Wilfred Owen

Chris Beckett

Denise Riley

John Steinbeck

Tara Bergin

Michael Rosen

Philip Larkin

Han Kang

Sasha Dugdale

George Szirtes

Philip Gross

Durs Grünbein

Gerda Stevenson

Ken Cockburn

OwlTail

In this episode I read AE Housman's poem, "Terence This is Stupid Stuff," which explores the role of dark-themed poetry and literature. I do a selected close reading to explain a few of the lines that may be obscure to the modern ear. I also provide you with interesting and tragic details of Housman's life and unrequited love. Finally, I discuss the ways in which poetry and literature can help armor your soul for tragedy, and obtain "Asch-Milgram Negative" resilience. I hope you enjoy it.Original theme music by Van CliftonEdit: Do you know the real problem with reading? It is this: One can read an author for decades. One can read analysis of their work from others. One can write papers on the author's work. You can do all of this. Yet one can still learn, to one's shrinking and cringing horror,  that you have been mis-pronouncing their silly, lacking-an-E-where-it-should-be, name in your brain for all this time! HOUSE-MAN. Not HOOS-MAN. Sigh. Every time you think you're Yoda, you fall face-first into the swamp and realize you're still Luke with a sunken X-Wing fighter that someday needs to be lifted. This will happen again. I'm sure of it. 

In this episode I read AE Housman's poem, "Terence This is Stupid Stuff," which explores the role of dark-themed poetry and literature. I do a selected close reading to explain a few of the lines that may be obscure to the modern ear. I also provide you with interesting and tragic details of Housman's life and unrequited love. Finally, I discuss the ways in which poetry and literature can help armor your soul for tragedy, and obtain "Asch-Milgram Negative" resilience.  I hope you enjoy it. Original theme music by Van Clifton Edit: Do you know the real problem with reading? It is this: One can read an author for decades. One can read analysis of their work from others. One can write papers on the author's work. You can do all of this. Yet one can still learn, to one's shrinking and cringing horror,  that you have been mis-pronouncing their silly, lacking-an-E-where-it-should-be, name in your brain for all this time! HOUSE-MAN. Not HOOS-MAN. Sigh. Every time you think you're Yoda, you fall face-first into the swamp and realize you're still Luke with a sunken X-Wing fighter that someday needs to be lifted.  This will happen again. I'm sure of it.

Episode 5: Terence, This is Stupid Stuff by AE Housman