Description In this episode of Hot Takes on the Classics, Emily Maeda and Tim McIntosh close out their episodes on Eros with Leo Tolstoy’s monumental novel Anna Karenina. They explore how Tolstoy intertwines two contrasting marriage plots—Anna’s tragic affair and Levin’s redemptive union with Kitty—to illuminate the tension between passion, virtue, and meaning in modern love. Along the way,…
Read MoreDescription In this episode of Hot Takes on the Classics, Emily Maeda and Tim McIntosh unpack Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, exploring how this beloved novel redefines what makes a good marriage. The hosts trace Elizabeth Bennet’s spirited self-knowledge and Mr. Darcy’s humbling transformation to show how love matures through mutual respect, truth-telling, and growth. Along the…
Read MoreDescription In this episode of Hot Takes on the Classics, Emily Maeda and Tim McIntosh revisit Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, asking what makes this story so enduring and how it reshapes tragedy. They trace Romeo’s shift from infatuation to eloquent devotion, highlight Juliet’s prudence and wit, and map the play’s pivot from sparkling comedy to swift catastrophe….
Read MoreDescription In this episode of Hot Takes on the Classics, Emily Maeda and Tim McIntosh dive into Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy, one of the most ambitious works in world literature. They examine how Dante portrays love—especially eros—when it becomes disordered, destructive, or distorted. From Francesca and Paolo in Inferno to the purifying flames of Purgatorio, the poem moves from…
Read MoreDescription In this episode of Hot Takes on the Classics, Emily Maeda and Tim McIntosh explore Plato’s Phaedrus, a dialogue that weaves together questions of love, rhetoric, and the soul. They trace Socrates’ speeches on the nature of desire, his paradoxical claim that love is both divine madness and a path to truth, and Plato’s broader concerns…
Read MoreDescription In this episode of Hot Takes on the Classics, Emily Maeda and Tim McIntosh explore Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows, a beloved children’s classic that also raises profound questions about friendship, loyalty, and home. They reflect on the gentle affection between Mole and Rat, the comic recklessness of Toad, and the novel’s vision of…
Read MoreDescription In this episode of Hot Takes on the Classics, Tim and Emily explore Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, asking whether a man and a child can truly be friends. They unpack the novel’s uneven yet profound legacy, including its powerful portrayal of Huck and Jim’s unlikely bond, its place in the tradition of banned books,…
Read MoreDescription In this episode of Hot Takes on the Classics, Emily Maeda and Tim McIntosh turn to Cicero’s On Friendship, a dialogue exploring what makes friendship possible, lasting, and good. They unpack Cicero’s conviction that friendship is only possible between those committed to virtue, and that true friendship is one of life’s greatest gifts—second only to wisdom….
Read MoreDescription In this episode of Hot Takes on the Classics, Tim McIntosh and Emily Maeda journey into the world’s oldest surviving epic, The Epic of Gilgamesh. They explore how the story dramatizes philia, or friendship, through the bond between Gilgamesh and Enkidu—a friendship that transforms a tyrant into a true man. From their first clash…
Read MoreDescription In this episode of Hot Takes on the Classics, Emily Maeda and Tim McIntosh dive into John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, exploring how the novel wrestles with the tension between familial affection (storge), honesty, and moral responsibility. The hosts examine Steinbeck’s portrayal of family bonds marked by both tenderness and devastation, paying special attention to…
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