Just the Best Literature

Host Dennis Leap and guests Grant Turgeon and James Brandon discuss highlights from Book 1 of George Orwell’s classic novel 1984. They discuss Winston Smith’s job in the Ministry of Truth, modern media’s use of fake news, lying permitted on television, Newspeak and the control of others’ thoughts, activist journalists, Syme and the elimination of classic literature, and the people closest to Winston: O’Brien, Julia, Katharine and the Parsons.

Host Dennis Leap and guests Grant Turgeon and James Brandon discuss highlights from Book 1 of George Orwell’s classic novel 1984. Topics discussed include telescreens, Winston’s diary, propaganda, the destruction of language, the two minutes of hate, and today’s mainstream news.

Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon finish discussing Chapter 48: “The First Lowering.” They then go on to discuss chapters 52 and 53, which focus on the social meeting (or Gam) of two or more whale ships and why Ahab chose not to gam with the Albatross (Goney).

Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon continue discussing Chapter 48: “The First Lowering.” This explosive chapter gives insight into the uniting of Ahab’s stowaway crew—believed at one time to be Phantoms—and the legitimate crew of the Pequod.

Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapters 46 through 48. For Chapter 46, Dennis and Grant discuss Melville’s additional revelation of Ahab’s megalomania. In Chapters 47 and 48, Dennis and Grant discuss the shocking introduction and use of Ahab’s powerful phantom whale-killing crew.

Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapters 43 and 44. In Chapter 43, Melville begins to reveal that there is an unknown mysterious crew on board. For Chapter 44, Leap and Turgeon discuss Ahab’s great intelligence and also his mental madness.

Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapter 42: “The Whiteness of the Whale.” This fascinating chapter discusses the elusive qualities of the color white. This color happens to appall Ishmael.

Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapter 41, “Moby Dick,” which gives the history of Moby Dick and Ahab and shows that Ishmael recognizes he is totally under Ahab’s influence.

Host Dennis Leap with special guest Grant Turgeon complete their discussion of Chapter 37, titled “Sunset,” showing how Ahab describes himself as “demonic” and “madness maddened.” They then discuss the soliloquy’s of Starbuck (Chapter 38) and Stubb (Chapter 39) and end the program with a comedic soliloquy of the sailors (Chapter 40) written in the form of a musical. Under Ahab’s trance, the shipmates celebrate the killing of the whale.

Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon complete their discussion of Chapter 36, “The Quarterdeck,” showing how Ahab successfully completed his plan to hijack the Pequod to satisfy his vengeance against Moby Dick.