Announcing Our Fall Semester

Unreliable narrators, a classic work in translation, and a feminist masterpiece from the 20th century

Even though it’s still warm outside and we foresee another month or so of sweltering weather before we break out our fall sweaters, we can’t help but get giddy thinking about our plans for this year’s Fall Semester—which is why we’re excited to unveil our line-up of books!

This Fall, we’ll be diving into into Postmodernism, and we have three intriguing titles with which to explore this theme. Postmodernism is best known for its rejection of narrative norms, playing with realities and truthfulness, and its creative use of structure. These books are a bit more contemporary when it comes to the classics we’ve read, as we’ll be reading books published in the mid-1920s and beyond. Let’s take a look at what’s coming up for our fall semester!

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier - Daphne du Maurier’s most famous novel is an oft-requested title in our community, and we’re delighted to get the chance to read and discuss it with fellow bookworms. This anxious and suspenseful novel chronicles the story of a young women whose life is changed when she meets a wealthy and handsome widower who proposes marriage and whisks her away to his estate. Easily attributed as an origin text for domestic thrillers and literary suspenses, we can’t wait to talk about how this novel pushes back on literary tropes and plays with archetypes from other texts.

The Blind Owl by Sadegh Hedayat (see also: Blind Owl by Sadeq Hedayat) - This new-to-us classic is an Iranian work in translation that is perfect for studying Postmodern theory this semester. A story told in two parts, The Blind Owl follows the hazy, dreamlike recollections of a narrator who, with a fragile relationship with time and reality, seeks to paint a singular artistic scene when readers suddenly find our narrator covered in blood and waiting for the police. In part two, readers glimpse grim realities that unlock the mysteries from prior chapters. This short novel has been compared to other classics by Poe, Doestoevsky, and Kafka—and we’re interested to see what might make great pairings for this Iranian suspense novel!

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf - For our late fall selection, we’ll be diving into what many writers and scholars consider one of the literary masterpieces of the 20th century. One of Woolf’s most well-known and beloved novels, To the Lighthouse follows the the Ramsay family and their excursions to the to the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Woolf often plays with time and structure in her narratives, weaving in and out of perspectives, flashbacks, and time jumps, and this iconic novel is no different. In addition to exploring Woolf’s unique writing style, we look forward to expanding our understanding of what it was like to live before, during, and between the World Wars. Such a pivotal moment in Western history spawned incredible Postmodern art and writing, and we’re ready to discuss historical context and critical theory with all of you.

Join Our Community

As always, we would love to see you this semester in Classics Club, our Patreon community for curious readers and lifelong learners. We’ll release a full Fall Schedule soon, but know that you can expect better-than-ever classes, bonus episodes, book club discussions, and behind the scenes content with a membership starting at just $5.

Final Words

We hope you are as excited for this semester of public scholarship as we are, readers! And we hope to see you in our learning community this season as we explore Postmodernism together. In the meantime, keep your eyes out for an upcoming bonus Patreon episode where we discuss our buzzy summer reads. We can’t wait to hear what you think.

Speaking of buzzy books, we’ll be back in your inbox next week with another main feed release from the Patreon archives.

Until then, we declare after all, there is no enjoyment like reading. How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book!

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