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Didn't Read It
A guided tour through the stories that have shaped our culture and the world we live in.
Whether you’re a literature nerd, a romance aficionado, or just Not That Into Books, there’s no denying that the “great works” of literature have played a part in influencing everything from public policy to superhero movies. If you’ve ever wanted to know whether that pretentious guy on Twitter is correct in referring to news stories as “Orwellian,” wondered what stories inspired shows like Bridgerton, or just been curious about why, exactly, your high school English teacher was so insistent about assigning books by Dead White Guys, Didn’t Read It is the podcast for you.
Episodes
81 episodes
More Marriage, More Problems: The Fifth Fragment of the Canterbury Tales
Toni, our resident medievalist gal about town, has returned to give us more of that sweet sweet Chaucer content!! In the Fifth Fragment, we're talking about storytelling, promises you shouldn't have to keep, and even more Terrible ...
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Season 2
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Episode 39
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1:11:39
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Extravagant Morals & Hat Bribery: Katherine Mansfield's "The Garden Party"
Spring is bleeding into summer and we're attending a perfectly innocent garden party where nothing bad happens to anyone! Join us as we explore Katherine Mansfield's complex little tale of Edwardian New Zealand and try to decide which articles ...
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Season 2
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Episode 38
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1:15:20
Vintage Smut With Things to Say: Eliza Haywood's "Fantomina," with Kathleen Lubey
It's a holiday weekend and we're celebrating by diving into more oldey-timey raunchy literature! Join us and new friend of the pod Kathleen Lubey, author of What Pornography Knows, as we dive into Eliza Haywood's racy and transgre...
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Season 2
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Episode 37
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1:38:47
100 Years of Fiction: Happy Birthday to the New Yorker!
The New Yorker turned 100 this year, and so we're taking a trip through the archives to explore the first (not so great) year of fiction published by the magazine, discuss the legacy of early fiction editor Katherine White, and more! <...
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Season 2
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Episode 36
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1:22:44
Imaginary Mammal Algorithms: Tove Jansson's "The Storm" and "The Squirrel"
Pal of the pod Ty Phelps is back to take us on a tour through Tove Jansson's short fiction, wax rhapsodic about the Moomin books, and decide whether we're all just the figments of a squirrel's imagination. As always, we a...
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Season 2
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Episode 35
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1:07:41
Creepy Janitors & Perfect Apartments: Richard Matheson's "Shipshape Home"
Something's rotten in this apartment building!Join us as we explore Richard Matheson's unsettling sci-fi classic "Shipshape Home" and dive into housing anxiety, risking a lobotomy to prove a point, and the eternal dismissiveness of 1950s...
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Season 2
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Episode 34
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57:58
We're All Crazy Here: Shirley Jackon's "Colloquy"
IS everyone crazy but me???We're exploring Shirley Jackson's incredible (and unfortunately relatable) short story "Colloquy"--join us as we commiserate over the state of the world, talk about the Bad Old Days, and decide if we've actuall...
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Season 2
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Episode 33
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52:29
Male Friendship & Cornish Shipwrecks: "The Roll Call of the Reef," with Jake Phillips
We're diving into the bonds between military men, enticing accents, and the dangers of the high seas with Jake Phillips from The Cultured Bumpkin! Join us as we explore Arthur Quiller-Couch's "The Roll Call of the Reef," Manfluencers, Boulder-T...
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Season 2
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Episode 32
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1:34:17
Didn't Read It Throwback: Jane Rice's "The Refugee"
We've had technical difficulties! This is a re-post of an old episode to buy us time to vanquish the computer gremlins. Wish us luck and enjoy this throwback episode!!With love and panic, XOXO,The DRI Team&n...
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Season 2
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Episode 31
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1:03:48
Raymond Chandler's "The Big Sleep," Part Two!
Gumshoes! Dead chauffeurs! Fake bookstores! We're diving into the noir world of Raymond Chandler as Marilyn Drew Necci takes us on a journey through "The Big Sleep."You can find Drew's weekly column at The Auricular: https://www.theauric...
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Season 2
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Episode 30
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1:27:17
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Dizzy Dames & Private Eyes: Raymond Chandler's "The Big Sleep," Pt 1
Gumshoes! Dead chauffeurs! Fake bookstores! We're diving into the noir world of Raymond Chandler as Marilyn Drew Necci takes us on a journey through "The Big Sleep."You can find Drew's weekly column at The Auricular: https://www.theauric...
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Season 2
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Episode 29
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1:18:29
From Victoriana to Tech Billionaires: Nosferatu, Nosferatu, and Dracula
We're diving into Bram Stoker's "Dracula" (1897), F.W. Murnau's "Nosferatu" (1922), and Robert Eggers' "Nosferatu" (2024) to look at the translation of the OG vampire from page to screen to screen--from the peak of the British Empire, ...
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Season 2
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Episode 28
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1:35:03
Part Two: Solzhenitsyn, the American Right Wing, & Censorship: "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich," with Goad Gatsby
Part Two! We're finishing "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" and talking about Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's life, his time in the United States, and how censorship does and doesn't work today--join us and new pal Goad Gatsby as we finish our ...
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Season 2
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Episode 27
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1:34:26
Who Doesn't Love a Gulag? "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich," with Goad Gatsby
We're diving into the cheerful, cheerful world of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and his classic novel of the Soviet gulags, "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich"--join us and new pal Goad Gatsby as we meditate on the importance of lunch and not licki...
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Season 2
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Episode 26
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1:39:03
A Smutty Valentine's Day Spectacular: Anne Rice's "Sleeping Beauty" Series
50 Shades of Spanking! Join us for our Valentine's Day Spectacular as we explore the thrills of Anne Rice's naughty riff on the famous fairy tale, as well as censorship, fantasy, and a little V-Day game. As always, we are: ...
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Season 2
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Episode 25
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1:19:03
Farmers and Forgotten Radicals: Susan Glaspell's "Pollen," with Cat Baab
Everything old is new again! Join us and special guest Cat Baab (https://poecansaveyourlife.substack.com/) as we explore the quiet radicalism in the life and works of Susan Glaspell, starting with her classic short story, "Pollen."
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Season 2
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Episode 24
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1:10:05
Tattoos, Starving Artists, and Being Eaten by the Rich: Roald Dahl's "Skin"
We're talking about the age-old tensions between fine art, needing to eat, and deciding whether selling out is worth it as we discuss Roald Dahl's 1952 short story, "Skin."If you would like to find more of Jess's work, check her out on I...
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Season 2
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Episode 23
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1:28:17
True Crime and Spouse Disposal: Anthony Shaffer's "Murderer"
Infidelity! True crime obsessions! Mistaken identities! David Timberline joins us to discuss Anthony Shaffer's "Murderer," the consequences of getting too into true crime, and more! If you enjoyed David, you can find him on his pod...
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Season 2
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Episode 22
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1:31:37
Part Two - Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Chivalry and Right-Wing Propaganda
Part Two!We're BACK in the swing of things with resident Medievalist gal-about-town, Toni, to take a ride through Sir Gawain and the Green Knight--and to discuss the, ah, somewhat polarizing A24 adaptation. As always, we are:&n...
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Season 2
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Episode 21
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1:15:48
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Mud, Chivalry, and A24: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight on Page & Screen
We're BACK in the swing of things with resident Medievalist gal-about-town, Toni, to take a ride through Sir Gawain and the Green Knight--and to discuss the, ah, somewhat polarizing A24 adaptation. As always, we are: -Aski...
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Season 2
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Episode 20
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1:10:55
They Can't All Be Classics: Smilin' Jack and the Daredevil Girl Pilot
2025 is here and we are not! Ready! So join us on a meandering adventure through "Smilin' Jack and the Daredevil Girl Pilot," an extremely silly bit of WW2 propaganda for kids. Nazis! Planes! Dames! What more could you ask for? As ...
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Season 2
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Episode 19
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58:01
Another Holiday Haunt: "A Christmas Meeting," by Rosemary Timperley
Our second Holiday Haunt! A woman spending Christmas alone has a rather unexpected visitor in Rosemary Timperley's sweet-but-spooky holiday ghost story. See you in the new year!XOXO
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Season 2
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Episode 18
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12:02
Holiday Haunt: "The Man Who Came Back," by Margery Lawrence
Happy Holidays and a Festive Winter Season to all! For our first Holiday Haunt, we're reading Margery Lawrence's "The Man Who Came Back," in which a Christmas party takes a sudden turn when a medium is invited to perform a seance--and all the g...
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Season 2
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Episode 17
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49:42
Going on Strike for Christmas: Maeve Binchy's "This Year It Will Be Different."
Want to help support the show? Buy a rad shirt or mug or sticker!!!Beloved friend of the pod Leigh is back to talk about moms hitting the wall, the Ethels we al...
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Season 2
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Episode 16
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56:29
Daddy Issues and Festive Shafts: L.P. Hartley's "Someone in the Lift"
Comedian Hannah Land joins us to talk about L.P. Hartley, daddy issues, Santa Claus, and why we spend so much time trying to kill Daddy Santa as we discuss Hartley's ghostly Christmas short story, "Someone in the Lift"!As always, we are...
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Season 2
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Episode 15
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54:10
