Narrative Poems

Narrative Poems

London Review of Books

Episodes 6
Avg. Duration 17m
Activity Highly Active
Since Jan 2026
Latest Episode May 2026

Publishing Details

Schedule
Monthly
Format
Episodic
Consistency
88%
Hosting
feeds.megaphone.fm

Contact & Outreach

About This Podcast

Seamus Perry and Mark Ford explore one of the oldest forms in Western literature: poems that set out to tell us a story, beginning with Marlowe’s ‘Hero and Leander’ and ending with Carson’s 'Autobiography of Red'. Narrative poems can be dizzyingly erotic, like Shakespeare’s ‘Venus and Adonis', wittily satirical, like Pope’s ‘The Rape of the Lock’, respond to contemporary political history, like Clough's 'Amours de Voyage', or present heartbreaking tales of loss and remorse, like Wordsworth’s ‘Michael’ and Coleridge’s ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’. Join Seamus and Mark as they explore the astonishing richness, adaptability and endurance of one of the oldest forms in Western literature. Seamus Perry is a professor or English at the University of Oxford. Mark Ford is a poet and professor of English at University College London. To listen in full, and to all our other Close Readings series, sign up: Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://lrb.me/applesignupnp⁠ Other podcast apps: ⁠https://lrb.me/scsignupnp⁠ Poems featured in the series: Marlowe, ‘Hero and Leander’ Shakespeare, ‘Venus and Adonis’ and ‘The Rape of Lucrece’ Milton, Book 9 of ‘Paradise Lost’ Pope, ‘The Rape of the Lock’ Coleridge ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ Wordsworth, ‘The Ruined Cottage’ and ‘Michael’ Keats, ‘The Eve of St Agnes’ Browning, ‘Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came’ Clough, ‘Amours de Voyage’ Tennyson, ‘Enoch Arden’ H.D., ‘Helen in Egypt’ Seth, ‘The Golden Gate’ Carson, ‘Autobiography of Red and ‘Red Doc>’

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Recent Episodes

‘Tam o’ Shanter’ by Robert Burns and ‘Peter Grimes’ by George Crabbe

May 13, 2026 20m

‘Tam o’ Shanter’ first appeared as a lengthy footnote in Francis Grose's Antiquities of Scotland (1791) after Robert Burns convinced Grose to include the ruined Alloway Kirk in his volume, and its…

‘The Rape of the Lock’ by Alexander Pope

Apr 13, 2026 14m

Sometime in 1711, a twenty-year-old aristocrat, Lord Petre, snipped a lock of hair, without permission, from the head of Arabella Fermor, a celebrated beauty. The incident caused an irreconcilable…

‘Paradise Lost’ (Book 9) by John Milton

Mar 16, 2026 15m

When Milton came to describe Eve’s tasting of the forbidden fruit, he knew he couldn’t rely on suspense to grip the reader. Instead, he used multiple genres and perspectives to interrogate the moral…

‘Venus and Adonis’ and ‘The Rape of Lucrece’ by William Shakespeare

Feb 16, 2026 18m

Like Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare made good use of his time off when the theatres were shut for plague in 1593. Venus and Adonis appeared in quarto that year and become by far the most…

‘Hero and Leander’ by Christopher Marlowe

Jan 19, 2026 16m

‘Hero and Leander’ was published in 1598, and anyone who came across it in a stationer’s shop in Elizabethan London would have known that its author was dead, killed in a brawl in Deptford in 1593.…

Introducing ‘Narrative Poems’

Jan 01, 2026 4m Trailer

Seamus Perry and Mark Ford explore one of the oldest forms in Western literature: poems that set out to tell us a story, beginning with Marlowe’s ‘Hero and Leander’ and ending with Carson’s…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Narrative Poems have?

Narrative Poems has published 6 episodes since January 2026, covering topics in Arts, Books.

Is Narrative Poems still active?

Narrative Poems is currently highly active with new episodes monthly. Average episode length is 17m.

How do I contact Narrative Poems for sponsorship or guest appearances?

Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for Narrative Poems, including email and social media links.

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