Beyond the Walls Book Chat
J.R.R. Tolkien once said, "Fairy tales do not deny the existence of sorrow and failure; they give a fleeting glimpse of joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief."
This podcast is designed to take you on a journey beyond those walls to discover the joy, wisdom, and timeless lessons classic books offer. If you have a thirst for knowledge, a love for literature, and a desire to grow through the wisdom of authors long gone then this podcast is for you. Use these episodes to curate a personal reading list that enriches your mind and soul. Let's embark on a literary adventure together and find the joy that lies beyond the walls.
Please send all questions, comments, and book recommendations to beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com.
Episodes
100 episodes
Deadly Consequences
After Victor succeeds in what he has been killing himself to achieve his eyes are opened to the horror of what he's done. But rather than step up, he runs away and tragedy eventually catches up to him.
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Season 6
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Episode 10
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32:38
An Unreliable Narrator
Tonight we'll hear the beginnings of the cautionary tale that Victor Frankenstein shares with Walton. But rather than listening to the words themselves we'll pay attention to what isn't being said. We'll dig beneath the superficial, ro...
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Season 6
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Episode 9
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35:28
Pitfalls of Romanticism
The world Frankenstein was born into was fraught with emotional madness. His story is one of intense passion and despair but also full of caution for the man who wants to follow his heart against all sound reason.For ...
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Season 6
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Episode 8
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25:28
The Monster's Mother
Tonight we cover the context and backstory of one of the most impactful novels of Western Culture. A young woman surrounded by tragedy and pain, poured her sorrow into authoring a fable that spawned a new literary genre and a character recogniz...
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Season 6
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Episode 7
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25:48
An Insufferable Idea
What we read forms our minds. We will become what we behold.For thoughts, opinions, and insights email me at beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com
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Season 6
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Episode 6
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33:12
Reading Overview of 2025
Tonight is a brief recap of my reading in 2025. Find me on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/betlapointe
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Season 6
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Episode 5
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19:51
John v Jean
Beware the doppelganger. Find out how tonight's featured author reworks the timeless theme of the villainous twin.Thoughts or comments? Email beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com
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Season 6
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Episode 4
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31:50
The Banned Master
Tonight's episode reviews an old book that was banned from being printed until 1973. Why are some books challenged? Should their questionable content stop us from reading them? What's a better way to approach different ideas and viewpoints?...
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Season 6
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Episode 3
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25:09
The Weight of the d'Urbervilles
How much of the cares of this world can one woman carry on her shoulders? Thomas Hardy tries to answer this question in his classic, Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Tonight's episode explores the worldviews Hardy struggled with in Victorian...
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Season 6
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Episode 2
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41:33
What Are We Reading?
Our first episode of Season 6 looks at four things about better books that can change our lives when we read them.If you have any questions or comments, please email them to me at beyondthewallsbookchat@gmail.com.
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Season 6
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Episode 1
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30:58
A Walking Shadow
Macbeth's hold on reality is in shambles, his fiend-like queen is being eaten up by guilt, and an army is marching to the gates of the castle. The house of Glamis is about to fall. What is special about Macduff that will allow him to be the vic...
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Season 5
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Episode 19
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22:33
Something Wicked
"Since only goodness can raise a man above the level of humankind, it follows that it is proper that wickedness thrusts down to a level below mankind those whom it has dethroned from the condition of being human." -BoethiusIn Act 4 Macbe...
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Season 5
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Episode 18
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23:10
Blood Will Have Blood
Has Macbeth reached the point of no return? What is compelling him to kill again and when will he stop?
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Season 5
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Episode 17
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23:56
Death's Counterfeit
In Act 2 Macbeth strikes the fatal blow to King Duncan and begins his slow descent into evil and madness. Throughout this part of the play Shakespeare alludes to the deep symbolism of sleep as death and demonstrates the corruption of Macbeth's ...
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Season 5
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Episode 16
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30:48
Tempting Fate
Foggy, rocky, foul, and mysterious the Scottish Play opens on the blasted heath. Nothing is as it seems. False faces hide traitorous thoughts, and weird sisters whisper cryptic predictions. Act 1 of Macbeth leads us into an uncertain and dark w...
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Season 5
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Episode 15
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39:58
The Scottish Play
Tonight's episode looks at the context for Shakespeare's Macbeth. What was happening in England around the time it was written? What's the historical source for the characters and is that source reliable? What are the questions the bard asks of...
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Season 5
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Episode 14
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23:53
Soup of Stories
The Western canon and beyond contain the building blocks of all our stories. Tolkien called these blocks the Soup of Stories. Tonight's episode is based on this article by Angelina Stanford from The Classical Reader:
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Season 5
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Episode 13
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21:53
A Leader Wins
Books 10-12 of The Aeneid wrap up the great epic that is the founding of Rome. How does it all come together and what's the deal with the abrupt ending? All this is covered in tonight's final episode discussing Virgil's opus.
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Season 5
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Episode 12
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28:05
A Leader Prepares
Even though Aeneas has guided his men to their future home the conflict is only beginning. Rather than allowing a peaceful transition Juno goes on a rage and sets the people of Latium and their neighbors the Rutulians against the Trojans. So Ae...
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Season 5
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Episode 11
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27:52
A Leader Moves Forward
Tonight we follow Aeneas across the sea to Sicily for an entire book of games and competition, sadly followed by disaster. From there Book 6 takes Aenea into the underworld to meet with his father and see the future glories of Rome...or maybe h...
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Season 5
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Episode 10
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23:21
A Leader Falls
Things were looking up for Aeneas. But he took his eyes off his goal with terrible consequences. Tonight's episode will stay inside Book IV of The Aeneid and explore the fate of Carthage's tragic queen, Dido.
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Season 5
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Episode 9
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30:26
A Leader is Rising
The first three books in the Roman epic are full of examples of Aeneas rising as a strong leader. After 2000 years how does this book hold up to our expectations of leaders today?
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Season 5
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Episode 8
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32:51
The Roman Epic
Tonight we begin an exploration into the world of Virgil and his epic poem, The Aeneid. Why did he pen this grand masterpiece? What was his inspiration for the Roman narrative? And who is the hero, Aeneus? This is only the first episod...
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Season 5
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Episode 7
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29:43