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[no dialogue].
(Dr. Christopher Hanlon). This is Charles Wharrram,
of the English Department at Eastern.
(Dr. Charles Wharram). This Christopher Hanlon,
also of the English Department, associate professor here.
(Dr. Hanlon). And we have partnered to
produce the Close Reading Cooperative, which is a
podcast in literary analysis that we distribute to
English majors, both at Eastern and beyond Eastern.
And the idea with the podcast is just that, you know, for
a long time Charles and I have thought that English majors,
pretty universally, could stand to sort of brush up
on their skills in close reading.
(Dr. Wharram). I think that that's true,
I mean, basically we see our mission here at the
Close Reading Cooperative to bring close reading
closer to the students.
(Dr. Hanlon). You know, we want our students
to practice very specific skills, like how to take apart
and analyze a metaphor, how to scan poetry, you know,
identify different kinds of rhythm.
Most importantly, to be able to not only identify, you know,
facets of literary language, but to be able to explain
why it matters, why being able to describe it--.
(Dr. Wharram). It matters a lot.
We're very serious about what we do here.
(Dr. Hanlon). And this is a kind of dialect
that's called eye dialect.
(Dr. Wharram). Eye dialect.
(Dr. Hanlon). Eye dialect.
(Dr. Wharram). Eye dialect.
(Dr. Hanlon). Right.
Problem with eye dialect?
(Dr. Wharram). I don't know.
Dialect is something you hear.
(Dr. Hanlon). Dialect is something you hear.
(Dr. Wharram). So it would be ear dialect.
The snow is calling me, I want to get this done.
We have to get this done quickly, right now, because
the wind is whispering to me about how I need to be skiing.
(Dr. Hanlon). Stop that, let me stop you
right there, just stop that, I hate it when you do that.
(Dr. Wharram). Hate it when I do what?
(Dr. Hanlon). The way you ascribe
human emotions to nature. It's pathetic, it is pathetic.
(Dr. Wharram). No, it's not pathetic.
It's fine, it's normal.
(Dr. Hanlon). I beg to differ.
It's not only pathetic--.
(Dr. Wharram). It's poetic.
(Dr. Hanlon). It's a pathetic fallacy, is
what it is, okay, and you should know that.
That's John Ruskin's term for what happens whenever a poet,
or any other writer, ascribes emotional capacities to nature.
(Dr. Wharram). But in 1066, what happens?
(Dr. Hanlon). The Norman invaders.
(Dr. Wharram). The Norman conquerers.
They quite rightly conquered the Anglo-Saxons who were,
you know, a very violent and ultimately odiferous people
who needed to be conquered.
(Dr. Hanlon). We should say this is not
an official Eastern Illinois University history
of the British Isles.
(Dr. Wharram). This is the correct version,
that's absolutely correct.
(Dr. Hanlon). Yeah, it's been interesting
working with Charles.
I mean, he likes to take credit for things.
I mean, actually the podcast was really my idea, but then
Charles kind of horned in, in a way.
And I'm okay with that, I mean, he's not tenured.
He's not tenured, so he's very concerned about,
you know, building a portfolio and getting in there.
He's great though, I really like Charles a lot.
(Dr. Wharram). What's it like
working with Hanlon?
Well, to be honest, to be frank, he's such a
prima donna sometimes.
I mean, he's got this vision of how the whole thing is
supposed to work.
And I just have to, like, sort of ride on his
coattails all of the time.
It's like, this is the way we do things, this is how,
this will be funny, this won't, this will be something.
You know, I feel like I'm exhausted, just kind of
running after him like a little boy.
I don't know what to do sometimes.
But I enjoy that, too.
(Dr. Hanlon). But I mean, you know, one really
great thing about the podcast, for me, has been the chance
to work with my colleague, Charles Wharram.
(Dr. Wharram). Absolutely.
(Dr. Hanlon). And I always enjoy collaborating
with all of my colleagues, especially you, Charles.
It's been fantastic working with you.
(Dr. Wharram). It has been really, you know,
a growing experience for me.
Yeah, you've been wonderful, it's perfect.
(Dr. Hanlon). We done here?
(Dr. Wharram). Is this it?