Behind Closed Books

A Tale from the Decameron by John William Waterhouse

A Tale from the Decameron by John William Waterhouse. John William Waterhouse (CC0)

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Original Air Date: 
May 15, 2005

Middle English isn’t what it used to be.  Add a back-beat, some high-flying rhymes, and you’ve got a hot new version of Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales.”  In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, the madcap transformation of one of literature’s oldest classics from history to hip hop.  Also, the hidden lives of the Bronte sisters.

Baba Brinkman on the Rap Canterbury Tales

To The Best Of Our Knowledge
Audio

Rapper Baba Brinkman tells Anne Strainchamps that Geoffrey Chaucer’s work has a lot in common with the language of hip hop music.

Terry Jones on "Who Murdered Chaucer?"

To The Best Of Our Knowledge
Audio

Terry Jones, formerly of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, has written a book called “Who Murdered Chaucer?”

Lucasta Miller on "The Bronte Myth"

To The Best Of Our Knowledge
Audio

Lucasta Miller says that the Bronte sisters cultivated their image as lonely geniuses living in isolation but had to accept the real limitations imposed on women by society.

Colm Toibin on Henry James

To The Best Of Our Knowledge
Audio

Colm Toibin is the author of a novel called “The Master,” based on the life of Henry James.

Show Details 📻
Airdates
August 06, 2006
Guests: 

Baba Brinkman

bababrinkman.com

Terry Jones

Lucasta Miller

Colm Toibin

colmtoibin.com
Categories: 
Culture
Literature
Politics and History
Last modified: 
August 02, 2024