The Norton Library Podcast

This podcast offers a summary of classic literature and well-known authors. It’s well-produced, professional, and the host, Mark Cirino, does a lot of preparation for each interview, then wisely gets out of the way, letting each guest talk. It can be clunky in places. These are academics, so they don’t always phrase their ideas in the clearest terms, and some of the questions Cirino asks do not get the most insightful responses, like asking about the Norton edition cover or a playlist for the book in question. However, they have to discuss the cover of the edition (it is a podcast put out by Norton), and I appreciate that Cirino is trying to make these classic texts relevant to a modern audience. There are no advertisements, and if you are interested in these classic works, this is an excellent entry point.

Great podcast. Interesting discussions with the editors/experts. Good choice of books. Engaging questions from the interviewer. But the insistence on avoiding “spoolers” is irritating. How do you talk about Jane Eyre without mentioning who she married? Or what happened to Lucy in Dracula? I suspect that anyone choosing to listen to this podcast has already read the books so no one is going to have the ending spoiled.

I learned about this podcast from your post on LinkedIn and I was very excited to listen to it and I was not disappointed. I was hoping it would be every Sunday but it looks like it’s only going to be once a month. Is that right? You have made a very high quality podcast and I will be here for it every time. I watched Gatsby again (Robert Redford version) after listening, and I enjoyed it more than ever thanks to your discussion.