Ascend - The Great Books Podcast

You can read the Greek plays with Ascend!Dcn. Harrison Garlick flies solo this week as he explains why you should read the Greek plays. He discusses how the plays are an intellectual bridge between Plato and Homer and explains some of the major themes you can expect in their writings: justice, eros, fate, divinity, etc.He'll then introduce each Greek play to be read and why it is worth reading.Join us! Schedule below:HESIOD'S THEOGONY & GREEK PLAYS (2025)1/1 Intro to the Greek Plays1/7 Hesiod's TheogonyTHE ORESTEIA by Aeschylus1/14 Into to Aeschylus1/21 Agamemnon Part I1/28 Agamemnon Part II2/4 Libation Bearers Part I2/11 Libation Bearers Part II2/18 Eumenides Part I2/25 Eumenides Part IIREAD DANTE'S INFERNO WITH ASCENDWe are reading Dante's Inferno over LENT 2025.3/4 Introduction & Canto I3/11 Cantos II-V3/18 Cantos VI-XI3/25 Cantos XII-XVII4/1 Cantos XVIII-XXV4/8 Cantos XXVI-XXX4/15 Cantos XXXII-XXXIVBACK TO THE GREEK PLAYS4/22 Prometheus Bound with Dr. Jared ZimmererTHE THEBAN PLAYS by Sophocles4/29 Antigone Part I5/6 Antigone Part II5/13 Oedipus Rex5/20 Oedipus at Colonus Part I5/27 Oedipus at Colonus Part II6/3 The Bacchae Part I with Dr. Frank Grabowski6/10 The Bacchae Part II with Dr. Frank Grabowski6/17 Roundtable on the Tragic PlaysAristophanes 6/24 The Clouds by Aristophanes with Dr. Zena Hitz6/1 The Frogs by Aristophanes with Tsh OxenreiderFind out more at thegreatbookspodcast.com.

This week Dcn. Garlick is joined by Alberto Fernandez, a former U.S. diplomat and Vice President of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) in Washington, D.C., to discuss "The Tower of the Elephant," one of the best Conan the Barbarian stories by Robert E. Howard. Deacon and Alberto discuss the life and philosophy of Robert E. Howard along with key elements of the "Tower of the Elephant" short story (which is available online for free).Topics:Civilization v. BarbarismHP LovecraftNietzscheVitalismIn 2025, we are reading Hesiod, the Greek plays, Dante, and Plato! Join us! Check out thegreatbookspodcast.com for more information.

Dcn. Harrison Garlick is joined by Kyle Washut, President of Wyoming Catholic College, to discuss the Odyssey as the restoration of Catholic Culture and the unique educational approach of Wyoming Catholic College. Eastern CatholicismJohn SeniorOdyssey as the restoration of culturePresident Washut takes on the question: "Why go to a great books college" and gives an excellent answer.They have a brief detour into the importance of Eastern Catholicism before discussing the influence of John Senior on education and how the Odyssey serves as a metaphor for rebuilding culture. The conversation also highlights the integration of horsemanship as a means of personal development and the necessity of great teachers in the pursuit of a meaningful life.Quotes:"Horsemanship is soul craft.""You need to submit yourself to great teachers.""The Odyssey is a guide for rebuilding culture.""Religion is a natural virtue."Keywords: Great Books, Wyoming Catholic College, John Senior, Eastern Catholicism, Patristic Tradition, Odyssey, Education, Theology, Horsemanship, Benedictine, classical education, poetics, realism, Odysseus, Greek mythology, immortality, sacrifice, civilization, Homer, philosophyVisit thegreatbookspodcast.com for more information!

THE FINAL BOOK! Dcn. Garlick is joined by Adam Minihan, David Niles, Thomas Lackey, and Dr. Frank Grabowski to discuss Book 24 of the Odyssey: Peace. Check out thegreatbookspodcast.com for more information.From our guide:111. What happens in book twenty-four? Hermes leads the souls of the suitors to Hades, to the fields of asphodel, where they meet Achilles and Agamemnon (24.130). One of the suitors tells Agamemnon their story, and Agamemnon praises Odysseus calling him “happy” and praises his wife Penelope in contrast to his wife, Clytemnestra (24.210). Meanwhile, Odysseus and his men arrive at his country estate, and he elects to test his father, Laertes (24.238). Laertes passes the test, and Odysseus reveals himself to his father by showing him the scar (24.368). Elsewhere on Ithaca, the families of the suitors have discovered their deaths and cries arise in the city (24.457). Eupithes, father of Antinous, rallies the kinsmen of the suitors to take revenge upon King Odysseus (24.471). Medon, the bard, warns the mob that the deathless gods helped Odysseus (24.485), and Halitherses, a seer, tells them it was due to their own “craven hearts” that the massacred occurred (24.501).Athena intercedes on Odysseus’ behalf, and Zeus declares there should be peace in Ithaca (24.534). The mob arrives outside the country estate, and Odysseus, Laertes, Telemachus, and others prepare for combat (24.552). Athena strengthens Laertes to spear Eupithes in the head (24.576), and then she brokers peace between the two factions (24.584) 112. Who gained the most glory: Achilles, Agamemnon, or Odysseus?The opening passage on the plains of asphodel serves to compare the lives of Achilles, Agamemnon, and Odysseus. Agamemnon recounts the funeral of Achilles and the glory he achieved there, e.g., the Muses sang, he’s buried in a golden urn made by Hephaestus, etc. (24.64). Agamemnon explicitly states Achilles has achieved immortal glory (24.100), and Achilles’ death and burial serves as a comparison to the ignoble death of Agamemnon (24.30). If Agamemnon would have died in glory at Troy, he too could have had immortal glory—but instead, he was betrayed and slaughtered by his own wife. Despite Achilles having the better of the glory, we have already seen that he would trade it all in to be alive again—even if only to be a dirt farmer. Thus, when Agamemnon calls Odysseus “happy,” this seems to be a final judgment that Odysseus has found the best path: he has the glory (kleos) of both fighting in Troy and returning home—but he also now has political and familial peace. In a certain way, whereas Achilles had to choose between two fates (glory or peace), Odysseus has been given both.Good work everyone!