In the Trenches

Talking with students about the drama of Holy Week.Visit The Classical Teaching Institute Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Visit The Classical Teaching Institute Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A close look at Tolstoy's narrative technique and how it reveals a character's self-deception. The progression from vague discomfort to painful illness and household tension. The clash between clinical detachment and the urgent human question about mortality. The collapse of sensual comforts and the sudden need for companionship amid growing despair.

And if it is, so what? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A close read of Tolstoy's middle-class anxieties and social climbing. Scenes of job frustration, a tense promotion, and a move to a carefully furnished country house. An apparently minor fall gains ominous significance. Reflections on imitation, taste, and how domestic dreams sour into petty irritations.

A fallen promotion sparks mounting irritability and social resentment. Money worries and a strained marriage drive a restless search for higher salary over meaningful work. A sudden appointment restores status and temporary harmony. The fleeting nature of fortune and shallow investments in status are contrasted with deeper, lasting goods.

Revenge of the agreeable life. Visit The Classical Teaching Institute Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The discussion delves into the complex opening line of a classic tale, questioning the perspectives of narrator and character. The concept of free indirect style is unpacked, shedding light on the narrative's depth. Insights are shared about Ivan Ilyich’s family background, revealing how his upbringing shaped his life path. The portrayal of Ivan as an agreeable, socially adept individual obsessed with a pleasant existence is analyzed, along with his early moral compromises in pursuit of a respectable career.

Death will always be a stranger.Visit The Classical Teaching Institute Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Upon learning of Ivan's death, his friends get practical. Is that so wrong?Visit The Classical Teaching Institute Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.