Arts Podcasts

Librivox: Über die Weiber by Schopenhauer, Arthur show

Librivox: Über die Weiber by Schopenhauer, ArthurJoin Now to Follow

In diesem vielzitierten Essay aus dem Jahre 1851 ist Schopenhauers generell herablassende Einstellung zu Frauen zusammengefaßt. Frauen, laut Schopenhauer, sind Wesen zweiter Klasse mit weniger Vernunft als Maenner, und sind biologisch zur List und Intrige getrieben... Schopenhauers dominante Mutter Johanna, eine bekannte Schriftstellerin, wird oft als Ursache für die Frauenfeindlichkeit ihres Sohns genannt. (Zusammenfassung von Gesine)

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Librivox: Song of Wandering Aengus, The by Yeats, William Butler show

Librivox: Song of Wandering Aengus, The by Yeats, William ButlerJoin Now to Follow

LibriVox volunteers bring you eighteen different readings of The Song of Wandering Aengus , by Irish poet William Butler Yeats, to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. This is Yeats in his faerie folklore vein, and he paints an evocative picture of a beautiful brush with the supernatural. This was the weekly poetry project for the week of March 12, 2006. (Summary by Fox in the Stars)

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Librivox: Barbara Frietchie by Whittier, John Greenleaf show

Librivox: Barbara Frietchie by Whittier, John GreenleafJoin Now to Follow

This was the weekly poem for Flag Day 2006. It tells the largely-apocryphal but nonetheless inspiring story of one old woman’s act of patriotism during a Confederate advance in the civil war. (summary by LauraFox)

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Librivox: King in Yellow (part 1), The by Chambers, Robert W. show

Librivox: King in Yellow (part 1), The by Chambers, Robert W.Join Now to Follow

Robert W. Chambers (1865-1933) studied art in Paris in the late 80's and early 90's, where his work was displayed at the Salon. However, shortly after returning to America, he decided to spend his time in writing. He became popular as the writer of a number of romantic novels, but is now best known as the author of "The King In Yellow". This is a collection of the first half of this work of short stories which have an eerie, other-worldly feel to it; but the stories in the second half are essentially love stories, strongly coloured by the author's life as an artist in France. Only the first half of the collection of stories is presented here: the earlier stories are all coloured by the background presence of a play, "The King In Yellow" itself, which corrupts those who read it, and opens them to horrible experiences and to visions of a ghastly other world, lit by dark stars and distorted skies. This half of the collection is completed by a few very short pieces and two rather strange and beautiful stories of love and time, loneliness and death. (summary by Peter Yearsley)

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Librivox: Richard Cory by Robinson, Edwin Arlington show

Librivox: Richard Cory by Robinson, Edwin ArlingtonJoin Now to Follow

This was the weekly poetry project for 3 June 2006. Many “character” poems cut straight to the inmost psychology of their subjects, but here, the eponymous Richard Cory with all his wealth and charm is viewed entirely from the outside. Indeed as the poem ends, we realise with an unforgettable shock just how little we, the narrator, or perhaps anyone really knew about him. (Summary by LauraFox)

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Librivox: Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by James, M. R. show

Librivox: Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by James, M. R.Join Now to Follow

Montague Rhodes James (1862-1936) was a medieval scholar; Provost of King’s College, Cambridge. He wrote many of his ghost stories to be read aloud in the long tradition of spooky Christmas Eve tales. His stories often use rural settings, with a quiet, scholarly protagonist getting caught up in the activities of supernatural forces. The details of horror are almost never explicit, the stories relying on a gentle, bucolic background to emphasise the awfulness of the otherworldly intrusions. “Ghost Stories of an Antiquary” was written as two collections, presented here as two volumes in a single work. There is a short author’s preface before the first story in each volume. (Summary by Peter Yearsley)

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Librivox: Romance of Rubber, The by United States Rubber Company show

Librivox: Romance of Rubber, The by United States Rubber CompanyJoin Now to Follow

This pamphlet was published in the early 20th century by the United States Rubber Company so that "coming generations of our country ... have some understanding of the importance of rubber in our every day life... We believe the rubber industry will be better off if the future citizens of our country know more about it." Learn about Christopher Columbus's discovery of rubber, how the crafty British entrepreneur, Wickham, managed to smuggle rubber seedlings out of Brazil, and how rubber manufacturing came to be a "peculiarly American industry." The myriad uses of rubber from a century ago are also elaborated in considerable detail - everything from submarines to Keds to dentures. (Summary by Judy Bieber)

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Librivox: Bible (KJV) NT 01: The Sermon On the Mount, Matthew 5-7 by King James Version show

Librivox: Bible (KJV) NT 01: The Sermon On the Mount, Matthew 5-7 by King James VersionJoin Now to Follow

The Sermon On The Mount is one of the teachings in the ministry of Jesus Christ. In The Sermon On The Mount is found many sayings and important precepts held by Christian churches, sayings such as The Beatitudes, The Lord's Prayer, and other teachings about forgiveness, giving, and the "Golden Rule" about doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. Men such as Tolstoy and Gandhi found special meaning in The Sermon On The Mount, and Christians have read and listened to this important portion of scripture for centuries. The Bible version used for this reading is the King James Version. This traditional Bible has been praised for its poetic beauty, imagery, and its use for memorization of Bible verses. (summary by Ben Douglas)

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Librivox: Bible (ASV) 21: Ecclesiastes by American Standard Version show

Librivox: Bible (ASV) 21: Ecclesiastes by American Standard VersionJoin Now to Follow

Ecclesiastes (or The Preacher) is the twenty-first book of The Bible. The author of this book is unknown but is considered by many biblical scholars to be Solomon.The author describes how all endeavors in life are in vain and a grasping for the wind, since all comes to naught in the end when we return to the dust from whence we came. The generations to come will not remember us. In the end, The Preacher admonishes us that the only purpose for man is to eat, drink and perform his labors under the sun and to do it with happiness and devotion to God.This reading comes from the American Standard Version (ASV) of The Holy Bible. (Summary by Robert Garrison)

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Librivox: Bible (ASV) 22: Song of Solomon by American Standard Version show

Librivox: Bible (ASV) 22: Song of Solomon by American Standard VersionJoin Now to Follow

The Song of Songs is the twenty-second book of The Bible and was authored by Solomon. In some translations, this book is entitled The Song of Solomon . It is also known as The Best Song . Replete with metaphor, this book is a love song that describes the wooing and wedding of a lowly but very comely shepherdess to the great king Solomon. It speaks of the joys of love as well as its heartaches. Although this reading was performed by a single male voice, the book has three main speakers: the Shulamite shepherdess, King Solomon and a chorus by the daughters of Jerusalem. Biblical scholars also note the allegorical depictions of God as King and the bride as Israel. In New Testament doctrine, the bride is thought of as the Church and Christ as King. The Song of Songs is one of the Wisdom Books. This reading comes from the American Standard Version (ASV) of the Holy Bible. (Summary by Robert Garrison )

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