Book-Bosomed

The Island of Dr Moreau by H.G. Wells

Rushing forward in time (and genre), we read H.G. Wells' terrifying 1896 novella, The Island of Dr Moreau. In this episode, we discuss features of early 19th to early 20th-century science fiction, the biological theories of Darwin and Huxley, the morality of religion and science, the ethics  of pain, the evolution of social hierarchy, figures of monstrosity, and how scared we were reading this book!

Adam Bede by George Eliot

If you haven't read this book, stop what you're doing and get yourself a copy NOW. This is by far our favourite book as a collective and we loved talking about the manly wonder that is Adam, the kindness and compassion that governs these characters and the plot, the circular nature of country life in the eighteenth century, and, weirdly, sniffing Sam Heughan.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

If you love Wuthering Heights you may not want to listen to this episode, because we... don't. Regardless of our opinions, we delve into this novel with somewhat open minds to explore love, stroppy women, abusive men, rolling hills, the 19th century servant class, the gothic, and baboons(weirdly). Finally, we question why this book is in the canon at all!

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo

Probably our favourite episode ever exploring Grace's favourite book, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. No, it's nothing like the Disney movie. It's so much better and so much more gruesome than you could ever imagine. In this episode, we explore the role of architecture as a literary device, lust and sin, disability and morality, parent and child dynamics, passive and active female characters, and 15th century Paris to name a few.

The Chimes by Charles Dickens

Another year, another Dickens Christmas story... sort of. Don't expect Dickens' Christmas Carol joy from The Chimes: A Goblin Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In. Rather, in this episode, we explore ghostly traditions, gothic revisions, morals, merriness, and more.