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<rss xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:podcast="https://podcastindex.org/namespace/1.0" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" version="2.0"><channel><title>Discoveries: Essays in Literary Criticism</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/discoveries-essays-in-literary-criticism--7108720</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><atom:link href="https://www.spreaker.com/show/7108720/episodes/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><language>en</language><category>Books</category><copyright>Copyright Non Fiction Genre</copyright><image><url>https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg</url><title>Discoveries: Essays in Literary Criticism</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/discoveries-essays-in-literary-criticism--7108720</link></image><lastBuildDate>Sat, 12 Sep 2026 09:26:36 +0000</lastBuildDate><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:owner><itunes:name>Non Fiction Genre</itunes:name><itunes:email>spreaker71@podcastlibrary.org</itunes:email></itunes:owner><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:category text="Arts"><itunes:category text="Books"/></itunes:category><itunes:category text="Religion &amp; Spirituality"/><itunes:category text="Religion &amp; Spirituality"><itunes:category text="Religion"/></itunes:category><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><podcast:guid>46a7f22b-3a64-50da-80d7-c40d70552140</podcast:guid><itunes:type>episodic</itunes:type><item><title>Robert Browning (Version 2)-G. K. Chesterton</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/robert-browning-version-2-g-k-chesterton--75039805</link><description><![CDATA[G. K. Chesterton's "Robert Browning (Version 2)" offers a profound exploration of the life and works of the celebrated poet Robert Browning. Chesterton delves into Browning's unique style and his ability to capture the complexities of human experience, making this analysis an enduring piece of literary criticism. The themes of faith, love, and the intricacies of the human soul that Browning wrestled with continue to resonate today, inviting listeners to reflect on their own lives and beliefs. This insightful examination not only enriches our understanding of Browning's contributions to literature but also encourages a deeper appreciation for the timeless questions that define the human condition.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75039805</guid><pubDate>Sat, 12 Sep 2026 09:03:20 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/75039805/robert_browning_version_2_g_k_chesterton.mp3" length="203095355" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>G. K. Chesterton's "Robert Browning (Version 2)" offers a profound exploration of the life and works of the celebrated poet Robert Browning. Chesterton delves into Browning's unique style and his ability to capture the complexities of human...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[G. K. Chesterton's "Robert Browning (Version 2)" offers a profound exploration of the life and works of the celebrated poet Robert Browning. Chesterton delves into Browning's unique style and his ability to capture the complexities of human experience, making this analysis an enduring piece of literary criticism. The themes of faith, love, and the intricacies of the human soul that Browning wrestled with continue to resonate today, inviting listeners to reflect on their own lives and beliefs. This insightful examination not only enriches our understanding of Browning's contributions to literature but also encourages a deeper appreciation for the timeless questions that define the human condition.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>25362</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Notes of a Camp Follower on the Western Front-E. W. Hornung</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/notes-of-a-camp-follower-on-the-western-front-e-w-hornung--74409966</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74409966</guid><pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2026 09:00:38 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74409966/notes_of_a_camp_follower_on_the_western_front_e_w_hornung.mp3" length="160440261" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>20035</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Complete Works of Friedrich Nietzsche Volume 3-Friedrich Nietzsche</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/complete-works-of-friedrich-nietzsche-volume-3-friedrich-nietzsche--74382263</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74382263</guid><pubDate>Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:00:43 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74382263/complete_works_of_friedrich_nietzsche_volume_3_friedrich_nietzsche.mp3" length="144190133" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>18006</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Wild Duck-Henrik Ibsen</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/wild-duck-henrik-ibsen--74358493</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74358493</guid><pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2026 09:00:54 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74358493/wild_duck_henrik_ibsen.mp3" length="97712773" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>12202</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Spirit of the Age; Or, Contemporary Portraits-William Hazlitt</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/spirit-of-the-age-or-contemporary-portraits-william-hazlitt--74339205</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74339205</guid><pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2026 09:00:48 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74339205/spirit_of_the_age_or_contemporary_portraits_william_hazlitt.mp3" length="261805377" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>32693</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Later Life-Louis Couperus</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/later-life-louis-couperus--74314348</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74314348</guid><pubDate>Sun, 06 Sep 2026 09:00:34 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74314348/later_life_louis_couperus.mp3" length="233338167" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>29138</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Essays Collection, Vol. 01-Various</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/essays-collection-vol-01-various--74296837</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74296837</guid><pubDate>Sat, 05 Sep 2026 09:00:21 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74296837/essays_collection_vol_01_various.mp3" length="210731146" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>26315</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Malachi, from Horae Homileticae-Charles Simeon</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/malachi-from-horae-homileticae-charles-simeon--74277972</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74277972</guid><pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 09:00:25 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74277972/malachi_from_horae_homileticae_charles_simeon.mp3" length="70372979" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>8788</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Elizabethan Demonology-Thomas Alfred Spalding</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/elizabethan-demonology-thomas-alfred-spalding--74260773</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74260773</guid><pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2026 09:00:26 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74260773/elizabethan_demonology_thomas_alfred_spalding.mp3" length="122995266" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>15359</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Liber Amoris-William Hazlitt</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/liber-amoris-william-hazlitt--74245292</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74245292</guid><pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 09:00:28 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74245292/liber_amoris_william_hazlitt.mp3" length="104278110" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>13022</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Dramatic Reading Scene and Story Collection, Volume 005-Various</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/dramatic-reading-scene-and-story-collection-volume-005-various--74231337</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74231337</guid><pubDate>Tue, 01 Sep 2026 09:00:31 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74231337/20304_dramatic_reading_scene_and_story_collection_volume_005_various.mp3" length="174099545" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>21739</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Tales of Hearsay-Joseph Conrad</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/tales-of-hearsay-joseph-conrad--74217629</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74217629</guid><pubDate>Mon, 31 Aug 2026 09:00:28 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74217629/tales_of_hearsay_joseph_conrad.mp3" length="95986336" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>11986</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Grim Smile Of The Five Towns-Arnold Bennett</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/grim-smile-of-the-five-towns-arnold-bennett--74190981</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74190981</guid><pubDate>Sun, 30 Aug 2026 09:00:23 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74190981/grim_smile_of_the_five_towns_arnold_bennett.mp3" length="201590129" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>25174</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Collected Prose-James Elroy Flecker</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/collected-prose-james-elroy-flecker--74164926</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74164926</guid><pubDate>Sat, 29 Aug 2026 09:00:26 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74164926/collected_prose_james_elroy_flecker.mp3" length="211312014" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>26388</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Human Nature and Conduct - Part 4, Conclusion-John Dewey</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/human-nature-and-conduct-part-4-conclusion-john-dewey--74138470</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74138470</guid><pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2026 09:00:25 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74138470/human_nature_and_conduct_part_4_conclusion_john_dewey.mp3" length="53514725" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>6682</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Miscellany of Men-G. K. Chesterton</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/miscellany-of-men-g-k-chesterton--74088113</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74088113</guid><pubDate>Thu, 27 Aug 2026 09:00:28 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74088113/miscellany_of_men_g_k_chesterton.mp3" length="172369648" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>21525</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Romance of Polar Exploration-G. Firth Scott</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/romance-of-polar-exploration-g-firth-scott--74066766</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74066766</guid><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 09:00:27 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74066766/12212_romance_of_polar_exploration_g_firth_scott.mp3" length="248508711" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>31032</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Age of Reason (version 3)-Thomas Paine</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/age-of-reason-version-3-thomas-paine--74043957</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74043957</guid><pubDate>Tue, 25 Aug 2026 09:00:09 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74043957/age_of_reason_version_3_thomas_paine.mp3" length="235901241" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>29458</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Lost Illusions Ève and David-Honoré de Balzac</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/lost-illusions-eve-and-david-honore-de-balzac--74023408</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74023408</guid><pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2026 09:01:29 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74023408/11011_lost_illusions_e_ve_and_david_honore_de_balzac.mp3" length="240369285" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>30016</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Milton-Thomas Babington Macaulay</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/milton-thomas-babington-macaulay--74003366</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74003366</guid><pubDate>Sun, 23 Aug 2026 09:01:26 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74003366/milton_thomas_babington_macaulay.mp3" length="66286433" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>8278</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Running Water-A. E. W. Mason</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/running-water-a-e-w-mason--73980628</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73980628</guid><pubDate>Sat, 22 Aug 2026 09:01:06 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73980628/5569_running_water_a_e_w_mason.mp3" length="248837065" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>31073</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Reign of King Edward the Third-William Shakespeare</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/reign-of-king-edward-the-third-william-shakespeare--73960737</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73960737</guid><pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2026 09:01:15 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73960737/reign_of_king_edward_the_third_william_shakespeare.mp3" length="75415780" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>9417</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Why Marry-Jesse Lynch Williams</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/why-marry-jesse-lynch-williams--73940397</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73940397</guid><pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2026 09:01:21 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73940397/why_marry_jesse_lynch_williams.mp3" length="89987100" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>11237</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Metamorphosis (version 4)-Franz Kafka</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/metamorphosis-version-4-franz-kafka--73917308</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73917308</guid><pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2026 09:01:11 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73917308/metamorphosis_version_4_franz_kafka.mp3" length="69096189" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>8628</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Gossip in a Library-Edmund Gosse</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/gossip-in-a-library-edmund-gosse--73895100</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73895100</guid><pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:01:30 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73895100/gossip_in_a_library_edmund_gosse.mp3" length="186497965" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>23289</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Bunyan Characters Volume II-Alexander Whyte</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/bunyan-characters-volume-ii-alexander-whyte--73873272</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73873272</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 09:01:47 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73873272/bunyan_characters_volume_ii_alexander_whyte.mp3" length="269871192" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>33700</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Growth of a Soul-August Strindberg</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/growth-of-a-soul-august-strindberg--73853878</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73853878</guid><pubDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2026 09:01:43 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73853878/growth_of_a_soul_august_strindberg.mp3" length="197942256" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>24718</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Ingersoll on ABRAHAM LINCOLN, from the Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Volume 3, Lecture 3-Robert G. Ingersoll</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/ingersoll-on-abraham-lincoln-from-the-works-of-robert-g-ingersoll-volume-3-lecture-3-robert-g-ingersoll--73837413</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73837413</guid><pubDate>Sat, 15 Aug 2026 09:02:38 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73837413/ingersoll_on_abraham_lincoln_from_the_works_of_robert_g_ingersoll_volume_3_lecture_3_robert_g_ingersoll.mp3" length="38576231" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>4817</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Some American Storytellers-Frederic Taber Cooper</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/some-american-storytellers-frederic-taber-cooper--73364832</link><description><![CDATA["Some American Storytellers" by Frederic Taber Cooper delves into the rich tapestry of American literature, exploring the lives and works of notable storytellers who have shaped the literary landscape. This insightful examination highlights the enduring themes of identity, culture, and the human experience that resonate deeply with readers today. Cooper's reflections on these storytellers not only celebrate their contributions but also invite listeners to appreciate the timeless narratives that continue to influence contemporary storytelling. Engaging with this work allows us to connect with the roots of American literature and understand the power of storytelling in bridging generations and cultures.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73364832</guid><pubDate>Mon, 03 Aug 2026 03:49:07 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73364832/some_american_storytellers_frederic_taber_cooper.mp3" length="225385501" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>"Some American Storytellers" by Frederic Taber Cooper delves into the rich tapestry of American literature, exploring the lives and works of notable storytellers who have shaped the literary landscape. This insightful examination highlights the...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA["Some American Storytellers" by Frederic Taber Cooper delves into the rich tapestry of American literature, exploring the lives and works of notable storytellers who have shaped the literary landscape. This insightful examination highlights the enduring themes of identity, culture, and the human experience that resonate deeply with readers today. Cooper's reflections on these storytellers not only celebrate their contributions but also invite listeners to appreciate the timeless narratives that continue to influence contemporary storytelling. Engaging with this work allows us to connect with the roots of American literature and understand the power of storytelling in bridging generations and cultures.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>28145</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Discoveries Essays in Literary Criticism - John Middleton Murry</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/discoveries-essays-in-literary-criticism-john-middleton-murry--72536722</link><description><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/72536722</guid><pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:11:14 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/72536722/discoveries_essays_in_literary_criticism_john_middleton_murry.mp3" length="188494404" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>John Middleton Murry</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Introductory Note: I have called these essays and lectures by a title that some people may think presumptuous: first, because it is the title of a book by Ben Jonson, and second, because it could be interpreted as meaning that I think there is something final in the results of these explorations of mine. For the first, I believe the fine ghost of Ben Jonson will forgive me. For the second, I do not believe there is anything final in criticism, But I wanted my title to contain a suggestion of the curious elation which criticism sometimes brings to me. " To me," I insist, because I subscribe wholeheartedly to the famous dictum of Anatole France that criticism is the adventures of a man's soul among books and more criticism appears to me to be an intensely personal affair. Every honest critic and by an honest critic I mean a man who builds his schemes and classifications solely on the basis of his own reactions makes a great cross-section of the universe of literature in accordance with his temperament. What he is and believes is more surely reflected in his criticism than in his direct professions of faith. The more he can lose himself in the object, the more himself he is. And the excitement of losing oneself in exploration, the elation of being possessed by the very process of discovery, is the most precious thing I have found in criticism. (Summary by author)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>23562</itunes:duration><itunes:keywords>criticism,discoveries,elation,essays,honest,jonson,literary,murry,non,title</itunes:keywords><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/3d55578d23cfa68036d4e0b2b0371af9.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item></channel></rss>
