Young Heretics Podcast

There are some indelible scenes inscribed forever into the psyche of the West, and the death of Dido is one of them. When William Congreve wrote that "Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd, Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd," he surely had in mind this archetype of all scorned women, the tragic heroine who stands in for every abandoned lover and for an entire civilization. Aeneas--and Rome--must leave her ruthlessly in the dust. But no one knows how to guilt trip you like your ex, and no one knows how to remonstrate with Rome like Carthage. All the same, in the end...destiny awaits.

Check out our Sponsor, The Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/heretics

Order Light of the Mind, Light of the World (and rate it five stars): https://a.co/d/2QccOfM

Subscribe to be in the mailbag: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com

Judith Hallett, "Can Love Alleviate the Unseen Wounds of War?" https://www.openstarts.units.it/server/api/core/bitstreams/307c3466-87d4-4018-9cb0-598fa21d7200/content

"I'm Not Sorry for Loving You," from EPiC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M3gzo-hSCo

Readings in Western Civilization from the University of Chicago Press: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/series/RWC.html

Major Doron Spielman has dedicated much of his life to excavating the City of David, the ancient archaeological site just outside modern Jerusalem which confirms much of the Jewish history recorded in the Bible. It's an astonishing tale of theological warfare, cutting-edge scholarship, and contemporary politics that shows just how dramatically ancient and modern history sometimes converge. Major Spielman's NYT-bestselling book, When the Stones Speak, is rich with fascinating details about the impressive and ongoing effort to uncover the mysteries of ancient Jerusalem.

Order When the Stones Speak: The Remarkable Discovery of the City of David: https://a.co/d/ejf3JRl

Check out our Sponsor, The Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/heretics

Order Light of the Mind, Light of the World (and rate it five stars): https://a.co/d/2QccOfM

Subscribe to be in the mailbag: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com

I'm not saying that the catastrophe in Carthage could have been avoided. I'm just saying, everyone--the two main characters especially--behaved very badly. Now the deed is done, the nymphs are ululating, the "wedding"(?) announcements are out, and the gods are on the move to put a stop to all this. Which means Aeneas has some hard conversations he has to have and he...punts. Not his proudest moment. But instructive for us and as always, beautiful, timeless poetry. Enjoy!

Check out our Sponsor, The Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/heretics

Order Light of the Mind, Light of the World (and rate it five stars): https://a.co/d/2QccOfM

Subscribe to be in the mailbag: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com

This is it: Book 4 of the Aeneid. The storm of love that's been brewing now breaks into full force. Two human sisters start flirting with disaster while two divine frenemies enter into a catty pseudo-alliance. It's a nuclear-grade meltdown of relations between the sexes, all taking place under the soaring vault of destiny. Dido transforms before our eyes into a deranged Greek tragic heroine on the model of Phaedra or Medea, while Juno and Venus find their power dynamic flipped on its head from what it used to be in Homer. It's master craftsmanship and master politics on Virgil's part...and hot tea for us.

Check out our Sponsor, The Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/heretics

Order Light of the Mind, Light of the World (and rate it five stars): https://a.co/d/2QccOfM

Subscribe to be in the mailbag: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com

Virgil, master of the setup, is now laying the groundwork for some of the Aeneid's major setpieces: the love affair with Dido, the voyage into the underworld. But first Aeneas has to pass a different milestone, one that people sometimes miss: he has to say goodbye to his father. It's one of the most human moments of the poem--something every single one of us has to go through--elevated to magisterial significance in the hero's journey. Follow along with us to the end of Book III as Aeneas enters a new stage in his adventure. Plus: a firsthand update from the Ivies after my trip to Ithaca to give a speech at Cornell.

Check out our Sponsor, The Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/heretics

Order Light of the Mind, Light of the World (and rate it five stars): https://a.co/d/2QccOfM

Subscribe to be in the mailbag: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com