Hot Takes on the Classics

Hosted ByEmily Maeda & Tim McIntosh

Hot Takes on the Classics is no dusty, academic approach to great books. It’s a gossipy, exciting discussion about the best literature ever written. Hosted by Tim and Emily, who are veteran teachers and long-time friends, Hot Takes is packed with playful debate, meaningful speculation, and hearty laughs.

Hot Takes on the Classics is no dusty, academic approach to great books. It’s a gossipy, exciting discussion about the best literature ever written. Hosted by Tim and Emily, who are veteran teachers and long-time friends, Hot Takes is packed with playful debate, meaningful speculation, and hearty laughs.

(You may also enjoy Tim’s “The Play’s the Thing” show with CiRCE.)


All Episodes

Episode 16: War and Peace: How to Defeat Napoleon? Do Nothing

Description In this episode of Hot Takes on the Classics, Emily Maeda and Tim McIntosh tackle Leo Tolstoy’s monumental War and Peace. They explore how Tolstoy weaves the lives...

Episode 15: Depicting War in Art and Music: Of Fallen Heroes and Epic Battles

Description In this episode of Hot Takes on the Classics, Emily Maeda and Tim McIntosh shift their focus to the depiction of war in art and music. They explore...

Episode 14: Paradise Lost: The Cosmic Battle of Good and Evil

Description In this episode of Hot Takes on the Classics, Emily Maeda and Tim McIntosh delve into John Milton’s Paradise Lost, a towering epic of English literature that grapples...

Episode 13: Henry V – Shakespeare: A Young Prince Delivers the Greatest Speech on War

Description In this episode of Hot Takes on the Classics, Emily Maeda and Tim McIntosh delve into Shakespeare’s Henry V, a play that captures the remarkable transformation of Prince...

Episode 12: Song of Roland/Pope Urban/Life of Charlemagne: Battles that Become Legends

Description In this episode of Hot Takes on the Classics, Emily Maeda and Tim McIntosh explore The Song of Roland, a medieval French epic that epitomizes bravery, loyalty, and...

Episode 11: Beowulf: Three Monsters and An Aging Hero

Description In this episode of Hot Takes on the Classics, Emily Maeda and Tim McIntosh dive into Beowulf, the Anglo-Saxon epic poem about a legendary hero who battles monsters...

Episode 10: The City of God: A User’s Guide for the End of Civilization

Description In this episode of Hot Takes on the Classics, Tim McIntosh and Emily Maeda explore St. Augustine’s monumental work, City of God. Written in response to the Visigoth...

Episode 9: Plutarch: Alcibiades and Coriolanus: Great Men to Love and Hate

Description In this episode of Hot Takes on the Classics, Emily Maeda and Tim McIntosh delve into Plutarch’s Parallel Lives, exploring the contrasting characters of Alcibiades, the charming yet...

Episode 8: The Art of War by Sun Tzu: Victory without Battle

Description In this episode of Hot Takes on the Classics, Tim McIntosh and Emily Maeda analyze Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, a foundational text in strategic thought. Written...