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Hardcore Literature

Welcome to your new favourite book club. If you enjoy deep dives into the greatest books ever written, you will love Hardcore Literature. Provocative poems, evocative epics, and life-changing literary analyses. We don't just read the great books - we live them. Together we'll suck the marrow out of Shakespeare, Homer, and Tolstoy. We'll relish the most moving art ever committed to the page and stage from every age. Join us on the reading adventure of a lifetime.

  1. 90

    Ep 90 - How to Live the Great Books: Life-Changing Reading Habits

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  2. 89

    Ep 89 - Book Club Schedule for 2026

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  3. 88

    Ep 88 - Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  4. 87

    Ep 87 - Appreciating Shakespeare on My Birthday

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin  

  5. 86

    Ep 86 - Antony and Cleopatra (Shakespeare)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  6. 85

    Ep 85 - The Interpretation of Dreams (Freud)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  7. 84

    Ep 84 - Book Club Schedule for 2025

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  8. 83

    Ep 83 - Reflecting on Reading the Great Books in 2024

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  9. 82

    Ep 82 - Thus Spoke Zarathustra (Nietzsche)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  10. 81

    Ep 81 - The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  11. 80

    Ep 80 - How to Read Poetry for Personal Growth

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  12. 79

    Ep 79 - The Tragedy of Othello (Shakespeare)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  13. 78

    Ep 78 - The Essays of Montaigne

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  14. 77

    Ep 77 - Tartuffe (Molière)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  15. 76

    Ep 76 - Hedda Gabler (Ibsen)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  16. 75

    Ep 75 - King Lear (Shakespeare)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  17. 74

    Ep 74 - Faust (Goethe)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  18. 73

    Ep 73 - The Prince (Machiavelli)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  19. 72

    Ep 72 - The Tragedy of Hamlet (Shakespeare)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  20. 71

    Ep 71 - Book Club Schedule for 2024

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  21. 70

    Ep 70 - Gothic Literature and the Rise of the Vampire

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  22. 69

    Ep 69 - The Importance of Being Earnest (Oscar Wilde)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  23. 68

    Ep 68 - How to Start Writing Literature (Lessons from Great Writers)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  24. 67

    Ep 67 - How to Create a Powerful Daily Reading Practice

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin Timestamps: 0:00 a powerful morning reading practice 2:00 on staying consistent with your habits 7:00 how I structure readings of scripture 8:00 my meditative reading of Moby Dick 9:00 reading imaginative literature scripturally 10:00 speed-reading vs subvocalisation 11:00 on rereading resonant passages 12:00 theatre of the mind & simple contemplation 13:00 imagination, empathy, applying the senses 14:00 threefold present & eternity in the text 16:00 mindfulness in our everyday lives 17:00 future as string of present moments 19:00 good material for the reading practice 20:00 from Aurelius to Rilke & Tolstoy 22:00 how the practice differs from reading 24:00 how Virginia Woolf read great literature 25:00 why I love reading difficult books 26:00 reading as conversation & act of love 27:00 the ease and joy of the daily practice 28:00 the four steps of my reading practice 32:00 practice walkthrough with Tolstoy 33:00 Tolstoy's Wisdom: Passage One 39:00 Tolstoy's Wisdom: Passage Two 45:00 Tolstoy's Wisdom: Passage Three 48:00 Tolstoy's Wisdom: Passage Four 52:00 Tolstoy's Wisdom: Passage Five 56:00 Tolstoy's Wisdom: Passage Six 59:00 let us know about your practice

  25. 66

    Ep 66 - The Bookish Q&A Show (Coffee with Hardcore Literature)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin Timestamps: 0:00 expressing my gratitude for you 3:31 how to find meaning in our lives? 20:44 advice on keeping a commonplace book? 27:00 your thoughts on French Literature? 32:37 your favourite films and shows? 40:42 entry recommendations for big classics? 45:20 your process for making connections? 51:30 a master plan behind the syllabus? 53:15 can you riff on Tolstoy's sense of love? 58:35 how to love someone for who they are? 1:03:40 character names in Shakespeare? 1:06:05 three writers you would have coffee with? 1:07:48 what is your literary guilty pleasure? 1:09:00 what is the greatest decade ever for novels? 1:11:00 what podcasts do you enjoy listening to? 1:13:17 are you concerned about artificial intelligence? 1:19:30 a difficult dilemma: rereads or new reads? 1:22:10 what are your favourite Japanese works? 1:24:20 interest in a behind-the-scenes show 1:25:00 tell us more about Shakespeare's audience? 1:30:59 supposedly great books that are overrated? 1:33:16 how to deal with feelings of overwhelm? 1:39:10 do books appeal to different temperaments? 1:41:47 your elevator pitch for getting into literature? 1:46:55 what are the essential book club lectures? 1:52:30 recommendations for book club newcomers 1:53:00 talking about the questions for the next show

  26. 65

    Ep 65 - How to Possess Poetry by Memory

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  27. 64

    Ep 64 - How to Approach a Special Author Project

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  28. 63

    Ep 63 - Reflecting on Life, Literature & Reading the Great Books

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  29. 62

    Ep 62 - Prometheus Bound (Aeschylus)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  30. 61

    Ep 61 - How Much Land Does A Man Need? (Tolstoy)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  31. 60

    Ep 60 - The Tragedy of Macbeth (Shakespeare)

    Dear Lovers of Great Literature — Thank you so much for listening to the show. If you would like more Shakespeare discussions, we have a library of lectures, guided readings, and bookish content at the Hardcore Literature Book Club at Patreon.com/HardcoreLiterature We are currently reading through the complete works of Shakespeare over the course of the year, and the discussion is incredibly rich and exciting.  In our back catalogue, we also have a deep dive lecture series into twelve specially curated masterpieces from William Shakespeare. This includes banquets of blood like Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth, and sparkling comedies like A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest, and Much Ado About Nothing. In addition to Shakespeare, we have extensive lectures for writers like Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky,  Cervantes, Jane Austen, Cormac McCarthy, Emily Brontë, Charles Dickens, and many more. Across the course of 2023, we are journeying through War and Peace, The Brothers Karamazov, Orlando, The Count of Monte Cristo, Invisible Man, The Lord of the Rings, the short stories of Alice Munro, Jane Eyre, Paradise Lost, Gravity's Rainbow, and much more. You will be warmly welcomed to our little literary oasis! Happy reading, and have a lovely day. - Benjamin

  32. 59

    Ep 59 - The Book of Job (Reading the Bible as Great Literature)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  33. 58

    Ep 58 - How to Make 2023 Your Greatest Reading Year (and Lessons from the Great Books)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  34. 57

    Ep 57 - The Best Beginnings in Great Literature

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  35. 56

    Ep 56 - How to Read in Times of Need

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  36. 55

    Ep 55 - Shakespeare's Comedies

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  37. 54

    Ep 54 - The Road (Cormac McCarthy)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  38. 53

    Ep 53 - The Crucible (Arthur Miller)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  39. 52

    Ep 52 - Reflecting on the Great Books on my Birthday

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  40. 51

    Ep 51 - The Anxiety of Influence (Harold Bloom)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  41. 50

    Ep 50 - Reading Goals for 2022

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  42. 49

    Ep 49 - A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  43. 48

    Ep 48 - Book Club Schedule for 2022

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  44. 47

    Ep 48 - Tess of the d'Urbervilles (Thomas Hardy)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  45. 46

    Ep 47 - How the Great Books Saved My Life

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  46. 45

    Ep 46 - How to Write a Book Review

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  47. 44

    Ep 45 - How to Overcome the Challenges Facing Readers Today

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  48. 43

    Ep 44 - Don Quixote (Cervantes)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  49. 42

    Ep 43 - Self-Reliance (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

  50. 41

    Ep 42 - Siddharta (Hermann Hesse)

    If you're enjoying the Hardcore Literature Show, there are two ways you can show your support and ensure it continues: 1. Please leave a quick review on iTunes. 2. Join in the fun over at the Hardcore Literature Book Club: patreon.com/hardcoreliterature Thank you so much. Happy listening and reading! - Benjamin

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

Welcome to your new favourite book club. If you enjoy deep dives into the greatest books ever written, you will love Hardcore Literature. Provocative poems, evocative epics, and life-changing literary analyses. We don't just read the great books - we live them. Together we'll suck the marrow out of Shakespeare, Homer, and Tolstoy. We'll relish the most moving art ever committed to the page and stage from every age. Join us on the reading adventure of a lifetime.

HOSTED BY

Benjamin McEvoy

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Hardcore Literature have?

Hardcore Literature currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is Hardcore Literature about?

Welcome to your new favourite book club. If you enjoy deep dives into the greatest books ever written, you will love Hardcore Literature. Provocative poems, evocative epics, and life-changing literary analyses. We don't just read the great books - we live them. Together we'll suck the marrow out of...

How often does Hardcore Literature release new episodes?

Hardcore Literature has 50 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to Hardcore Literature?

You can listen to Hardcore Literature on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts Hardcore Literature?

Hardcore Literature is created and hosted by Benjamin McEvoy.
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