Will the joys of the Araby bazaar live up to the hype, or is this enthusiasm possibly misplaced? James Joyce, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. 

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening. 

We are proudly supported by our listeners. We couldn’t do this without you. Your monthly donation helps in so many ways, and it also gives you access to more classic titles. 

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today. A $5 dollar monthly donation gets you an $8 monthly coupon code for any audiobook order. Thank you so much. 

James Augustine Aloysius Joyce lived from 1882 – 1941, and is widely considered one of the most important writers of the 20^th century. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement, and stream of consciousness writing. His most well-known works include The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916), Finnegan’s Wake (1939), and Ulysses (1922).

Today’s story was published in the short story collection Dubliners in 1914. It centers around a coming-of-age narrator who is infatuated with his friend’s sister, and promises to get her something at the Araby bazaar. 

There are several themes touched on in Araby, many of which recur frequently in Dubliners. The meeting of imagination with reality, the consequences of idealization, The Catholic Church’s influence to shame desire and sensuality, among others. There is also a focus on the pain one feels when encountering love in reality, rather than in its idealized form. 

And now, Araby, by James Joyce.

Follow this link to become a monthly supporter:

Follow this link to subscribe to our YouTube Channel:

Follow this link to subscribe to the Arsène Lupin Podcast:

Follow this link to follow us on Instagram:

Follow this link to follow us on Facebook:

Follow this link to follow us on TikTok:

A cutthroat quest for buried treasure begs the question - is one life more sacred than another? H.G. Wells, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. 

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening. 

We are proudly supported by our listeners. We couldn’t do this without you. Your monthly donation helps in so many ways, and it also gives you access to more classic titles. 

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today. A $5 dollar monthly donation gets you an $8 monthly coupon code for any audiobook order. Thank you so much. 

Herbert George Wells lived from 1866 to 1946, and saw the world change on a scale like never before. A forward-thinking social critic, he wrote a number of utopian works and foresaw the advent of aircraft, space travel, nuclear weapons, and the world wide web.  

He was known for placing commonplace detail alongside a single extraordinary assumption in each work. This method was dubbed “Wells’ Law”. His most notable works include The Invisible Man, The Time Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau, and The War of the Worlds. 

Today’s story contains the commonplace details surrounding a hunt for buried treasure. What do you see as the single extraordinary assumption? 

And now, The Treasure in the Forest, by H.G. Wells. 

Follow this link to become a monthly supporter:

Follow this link to subscribe to our YouTube Channel:

Follow this link to subscribe to the Arsène Lupin Podcast:

Follow this link to follow us on Instagram:

Follow this link to follow us on Facebook:

Follow this link to follow us on TikTok:

Are there really more things in heaven and earth than we can dream of? Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. 

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening. 

We are proudly supported by our listeners. We couldn’t do this without you. Your monthly donation helps in so many ways, and it also gives you access to more classic titles. 

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today. A $5 dollar monthly donation gets you an $8 monthly coupon code for any audiobook order. Thank you so much. 

Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis is widely regarded as the greatest Brazilian writer. Born on June 21^st, 1839 to a poor family, and the grandson of freed slaves in Rio de Janeiro, he did not achieve notoriety outside of Brazil during his lifetime. He was an autodidact, never attending university, and scrapping to learn everything he could while struggling to rise in society. He taught himself French, English, German and Greek, and was the first President of the Brazilian Academy of Letters. 

Today’s story begins by referencing the expression from Shakespeare about there being more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in our philosophy. There’s more going on than we can see, or touch, etc.. Ghosts, mystical forces, prophesy, divine guidance, destiny, these types of things. It’s possible that like most people, a version of these things give you comfort. The question I’d pose is – why do they comfort you? 

And now, The Fortune-Teller, by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis.  

Follow this link to become a monthly supporter:

Follow this link to subscribe to our YouTube Channel:

Follow this link to subscribe to the Arsène Lupin Podcast:

Follow this link to follow us on Instagram:

Follow this link to follow us on Facebook:

Follow this link to follow us on TikTok:

Is a young man’s philandering ever really a victimless crime? D.H. Lawrence, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. 

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening. 

We are proudly supported by our listeners. We couldn’t do this without you. Your monthly donation helps in so many ways, and it also gives you access to more classic titles. 

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today. A $5 dollar monthly donation gets you an $8 monthly coupon code for any audiobook order. Thank you so much. 

App users can watch a short video of me talking about another thing I love about the classics, if that’s your idea of a good time. 

If you’re in the mood for a good contemporary thriller, check out Immortal Red, by Keith Hummel on Audible. The link is in the show notes. When a biologist discovers a jellyfish that holds the secret to immortality, things start to spin out of control. Tapping into his years of medical experience, Hummel’s convincing thriller spans the globe as governments and mercenaries conspire to acquire the real essence of eternal life. I had a great time recording it. That’s Immortal Red, by Keith Hummel. Don’t miss it! 

David Herbert Lawrence was a novelist, poet, short story writer and essayist. His best known novels, including “Sons and Lovers”, “The Rainbow”, and “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”, were subjects of censorship trials for their radical use of strong language and sexuality. Lawrence was largely maligned and estranged during his career. However, E.M. Forster in an obituary notice challenged this view, dubbing Lawrence, “the greatest imaginative novelist of our generation”. 

Today’s story isn’t particularly racy at all, please don’t worry about that. But it’s elegantly written, and very powerful in it’s message. It’s from a collection of short stories written from 1913 – 1922, and takes place during World War I. Written a hundred years before the “Me Too” movement, this is one of the issues we’re still struggling with as a species. See if the punishment fits the crime. Then ask yourself why you came to that conclusion. 

And now, Tickets, Please, by D.H. Lawrence. 

Follow this link to pick up Immortal Red, by Keith Hummel on Audible.com 

Follow this link to become a monthly supporter:

Follow this link to subscribe to the Arsène Lupin Podcast:

Follow this link to subscribe to our YouTube Channel:

Follow this link to follow us on Instagram:

Follow this link to follow us on Facebook:

Follow this link to follow us on TikTok: