Introducing 'Conversations in Philosophy'

James Wood and Jonathan Rée introduce their new Close Readings series, Conversations in Philosophy, running throughout 2025. They explain the title of the series and why they'll be challenging a hundred years of academic convention by reuniting the worlds of literature and philosophy.The first episode will come out on Monday 6 January, on Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling.James Wood teaches literature at Harvard University and is a staff writer for The New Yorker as well as a contributor to the London Review of Books. His books include How Fiction Works, The Broken Estate and The Irresponsible Self.Jonathan Rée is a frequent contributor to the London Review of Books and a freelance writer and philosopher. His most recent book on philosophy is Witcraft: The Invention of Philosophy in English.The full list of texts for the series:Søren Kierkegaard, Fear and TremblingLudwig Feuerbach, Essence of Christianity, translated by George EliotRalph Waldo Emerson, ‘Circles’ and other essaysJohn Stuart Mill, An AutobiographyF.H. Bradley, ‘My station and its duties’Friedrich Nietzsche, ‘Schopenhauer as Educator’William James ‘The Will to Believe’Martin Heidegger, ‘The Thing’Jean-Paul Sartre, Theory of the EmotionsSimone de Beauvoir, Ethics of AmbiguityAlbert Camus, The FallIris Murdoch, Sovereignty of Good Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Om Podcasten

Close Readings is a new multi-series podcast subscription from the London Review of Books. Two contributors explore areas of literature through a selection of key works, providing an introductory grounding like no other. Listen to some episodes for free here, and extracts from our ongoing subscriber-only series.How To SubscribeIn Apple Podcasts, click 'subscribe' at the top of this podcast feed to unlock the full episodes.Or for other podcast apps, sign up here: https://lrb.me/closereadingsRUNNING IN 2025:'Conversations in Philosophy' with Jonathan Rée and James Wood'Fiction and the Fantastic' with Marina Warner, Anna Della Subin, Adam Thirlwell and Chloe Aridjis'Love and Death' with Seamus Perry and Mark Ford'Novel Approaches' with Clare Bucknell, Thomas Jones and other guestsALSO INCLUDED IN THE CLOSE READINGS SUBSCRIPTION:'Among the Ancients' with Emily Wilson and Thomas Jones'Medieval Beginnings' with Irina Dumitrescu and Mary Wellesley'The Long and Short' with Mark Ford and Seamus Perry'Modern-ish Poets: Series 1' with Mark Ford and Seamus Perry'Among the Ancients II' with Emily Wilson and Thomas Jones'On Satire' with Colin Burrow and Clare Bucknell'Human Conditions' with Adam Shatz, Judith Butler, Pankaj Mishra and Brent Hayes Edwards'Political Poems' with Mark Ford and Seamus Perry'Medieval LOLs' with Irina Dumitrescu and Mary WellesleyGet in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.