Resistance Reads

Resistance Reads Podcast E19 Paradise Lost

Matt and Michael dig into John Milton's Paradise Lost, the 17th-century epic poem that tells the story of the Fall from Satan's perspective. They explore why Satan reads as the tragic hero, how Milton's own political defeats and blindness shaped the work, the structural impossibility of free will in a world with an omniscient God, and why Eve gets a far more sympathetic treatment here than in almost any other retelling of the Eden story. The conversation moves into the Lilith midrash, the historical roots of Satan as a concept, and how the Jewish experience of oppression shaped the God of the Torah. They close with the Denver Gay Revolt as a model of effective resistance, and what Milton's Satan can teach us about working inside a broken system rather than just protesting outside it. Next up: Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff.

Resistance Reads E18 A Gentleman in Moscow

Matt and Michael dig into Amor Towles' A Gentleman in Moscow, the story of Count Alexander Rostov, an aristocrat placed under house arrest in a five-star Moscow hotel for thirty years. What does it mean to keep your greatest qualities when everything else has been stripped away? They explore the Count's resistance through community and craft rather than power, the extraction logic baked into both capitalism and communism, the tragedy of true believers like Mishka, and why the Bishop is the most recognizable villain in the book. Plus: Napoleon burning Moscow, redundancy versus efficiency as civilizational philosophy, and why the bread was better in Berlin. Next episode: Paradise Lost by John Milton.

Resistance Reads Podcast E17 Let the Right One In

What does it mean to exist outside every category society offers? Michael Kilman and Matt Wellstrom explore Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist through an anthropological lens, examining isolation, otherness, gender identity, and what vampires tell us about capitalism and nationalism. Featuring the theory of Mary Douglas, and a discussion of bullies as conservative enforcers of social norms. Next episode: A Gentleman in Moscow.

Resistance Reads Podcast E16 Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut's Mother Night follows an American playwright who becomes one of the most effective Nazi propagandists of World War II — while secretly working as an American spy. But here's the question the book forces you to sit with: does the spying matter if the propaganda worked? Michael Kilman and Matt Wellstrom explore the psychology of propaganda, the Nuremberg trials, why satire fails against fascism, the relationship between art and political resistance, and what Vonnegut's darkest novel has to say about the world right now. You are what you pretend to be. So what does that mean when what you're pretending to be is a Nazi? 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts or at https://loridianslaboratory.podbean.com/ [https://loridianslaboratory.podbean.com/] 📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ResistanceReadsPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@ResistanceReadsPodcast] 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resistancereadspodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/resistancereadspodcast/]

Resistance Reads Podcast: Episode 15: James by Percival Everett

In this episode of Resistance Reads, Michael Kilman and Matt Wellström discuss Percival Everett’s novel James, a powerful retelling of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from Jim’s perspective. We explore how Everett reimagines one of the most influential works in American literature while confronting the realities of slavery, race, and freedom. We compare Everett’s novel with the original text, examining character development, historical context, and the journey down the Mississippi River. The conversation focuses on the creation of race, structural violence, and the systems of power that shaped the experience of slavery. We also discuss the psychological dimensions of oppression, including code switching, hierarchy, and survival. This episode connects literary analysis with anthropology, history, and political theory. We break down how the construction of race during the colonial period shaped American society, including key moments like Bacon’s Rebellion. We also explore the influence of the Civil War, minstrel culture, and the broader legacy of these systems in contemporary discussions of justice and humanity. If you are interested in literature, history, anthropology, and resistance, this conversation will deepen your understanding of both James and the enduring impact of Mark Twain’s work. Subscribe for more discussions on power, resistance, and the anthropology of literature.