Welcome to Halloween in December, when we discuss Mary Shelley's classic horror tale, its take on science and queerness, and why we wouldn't want to snuggle up to Lord Byron.By Jonas and Christian

Things are getting craaaazy in corona lockdown as we discuss depictions of mental illness, horror and bad ideas for a date.By Jonas and Christian

A little pandemic doesn't keep us from podcasting! Other stuff did. But we're back, discussing last year's Nobel Prize winner Olga Tokarczuk's most celebrated novel Flights. We talk about its obession with human bodies, traveling and the rights of the orcish worker. Apologies for the bad audio quality! Recommendations: EM Cioran, The Trouble with B…

To end the year on a festive note we discuss a Christmas classic by one of the most highly esteemed writers in the English language. We talk religion, politics and corpse eating rats, so basically the same topics as at Christmas dinner with your family. PermalinkBy Jonas and Christian

We live in the end times, so it's only fitting that we talk to dytopian fiction scholar Annika (https://twitter.com/mydystopias) about Margaret Atwood's groundbreaking novel, its chilling realism, its flaws, and why some merch is just in bad taste. Recommendations: Priya Nair, “Get Out of Gilead” Tillie Walden, On a Sunbeam It Could Happen Here (po…

Many people call Fitzgerald's magnum opus THE Great American Novel. Reason enough for us to talk about its treatment of its female characters, the American Dream and why we can’t stop saying “old sport”, old sport. Recommendations: Virginia Woolf, Mrs Dalloway Nathaniel West, The Day of the LocustBy Jonas and Christian

We discuss whether Ripley is evil, and if yes why Highsmith’s portrayal of his evil is so remarkable. We also talk about queerness, la dolce vita and Boris Johnson.By Jonas and Christian

We discuss the book that kept Jonas away from the podcast for two years. It features Henry VIII, rises to power, falls from grace and fluids from unspecified orifices.By Outside of a Dog Podcast

After a very, very minute break, we are back to discuss Emily Brontë's storm-tossed novel and the unreliability and unlikability of its characters. Recommendations: John Ajvide Lindqvist, Let the Right One In S-Town (podcast) Stephen Sondheim, Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet StreetBy Jonas and Christian

In our next minisode, we talk about Oscar Wilde's fairy tales, their sadness, their indebtedness to H.C. Andersen, and their autobiographical nature.By Jonas Hock and Christian Schneider

As we are reunited in Dublin's fair city, we discuss the works of one of its most famous literary sons, its morals, its aestheticism and why Wilde rulez. Correction: It's Emily Brontë, you idiot! Recommendations: Patricia Highsmith, The Talented Mister Ripley Will Self, Dorian (again) Wilde (dir. Brian Gilbert) Marie Antoinette (dir. Sofia Coppola)…

A brief appraisal of Edgar Allan Poe's classic spooky poem. Special Musical Appearance by SONICONOCLASM: http://www.soniconoclasm.netBy Jonas and Christian

We dive into Pynchon's paranoid world of conspiracy, madness and of course... mail delivery. Recommendations: Thomas Pynchon, V. You Must Remember This Philip Roth, The Conspiracy Against America The Lobster (dir. Yorgos Lanthimos)By outside of a dog

Making America great again is not a novel idea, as we see in Ayn Rand's gigantic tome. We talk about its merits (few), its fans (lots) and why we personally never found out who John Galt actually was. Recommendations: Matt Ruff, Sewer, Gas & Electric: The Public Works Trilogy Kurt Vonnegut, "Harrison Bergeron" Those explodey movies with RDJ and Tho…

Belated Halloween greetings from us, as we discuss the grandfather of modern vampire literature, its documentary style and its deep-seated fear of foreigners, women, homosexuality and basically everything else. Recommendations: The Exorcist (dir. William Friedkin) Octavia Butler, Fledgling Near Dark (dir. Kathryn Bigelow) Michael Talbot, The Delica…

Unfortunately not able to give you a proper episode on Zadie Smith's novel, we still talk about it a bit, do a bit of housekeeping and tackle the two most blighted things we could imagine: technical issues and the Irish *shudder* Recommendations: Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children The Fountain (dir. Darren Aronofsky)…

Following countless teenagers over the past 65 years, we talk about JD Salinger's only novel, its unique voice, its New York setting and wanting to slap the whiny out of Holden Caulfield. Recommendations: J.D. Salinger, Franny and Zooey David Mitchell, Black Swan Green The Music of the early 00sBy Jonas Hock and Christian Schneider

We discuss Rabelais' satirical masterpiece, in all its gross, fascinating and surprisingly relatable aspects. Recommendations: Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Walter Moers, The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain BluebearBy Jonas Hock and Christian Schneider

The most mature and most challenging play by contemporary drama's most prominent voice, Crave gives us opportunity to talk about character identification, the definition of drama and whether Aleister Crowley was a Satanist. Recommendations: Sarah Kane, Blasted William Shakespeare, King LearBy Jonas Hock and Christian Schneider

While you might say we talk about nothing every time, this episode we discuss it as a parable, as a book for adolescents and whether nihilists have to be assholes. Recommendations: Mean Girls (dir. Mark Waters) Jostein Gaarder,The Solitaire MysteryBy Jonas Hock and Christian Schneider

Remembering the late Umberto Eco's breakthrough novel, we discuss medieval theology, postmodern philosophy and why Sherlock Holmes sucks so very much. Recommendations: Umberto Eco, The Foucault Pendulum Open MarginalisBy Jonas Hock and Christian Schneider

We conclude our Shakespeare Sonnet series by discussing how troubled the author's love life seems, what the Sonnets gain by being read in context, and why you should always read the footnotes.By Christian Schneider and Jonas Hock

The Fair Youth and the Dark Lady come head to head, as we discuss Sonnet 144 and its soap-opera love triangle, continued misogyny and allusions to STDs.By Christian Schneider and Jonas Hock

Realistic declaration of love or negative putdown? Sonnet 130 has us puzzling its ambiguities as well as its self-reflexivity.By Christian Schneider and Jonas Hock

The first of our chosen sonnets directed at the "Dark Lady", 129 offers a merciless portrayal of sex as something dirty and shameful, destroying the illusions of love.By Jonas Hock and Christian Schneider

Taking a step back, we see whether Sonnet 56 is the better and more realistic appraisal of love as something simultaneously wonderful and horrible.By Jonas Hock and Christian Schneider

Talking about one of Shakespeare's most popular poems, we argue whether this is a shallow crowd-pleaser or another anguished study in self-doubt.By Jonas Hock and Christian Schneider

Discussing Sonnet 78, we talk about the mysterious "Rival Poet" and how jealous Shakespeare can beBy Jonas Hock and Christian Schneider

Continuing the bleakness of the previous poem, we try to find a glimmer of hope and romance in Sonnet 65.By Jonas Hock and Christian Schneider

Entering the "dark" 60s, Sonnet 64 presents us with a depressing view on mortality and transience.By Jonas Hock and Christian Schneider

Moving on to Sonnet 53, we see how Shakespeare chafes against the rigid formality of classical ideals.By Jonas Hock and Christian Schneider

One of the saddest sonnets, 89 showcases Shakespeare's ability to find beauty in breakups.By Jonas Hock and Christian Schneider

Discussing Sonnet 23, we find out that even Shakespeare sometimes didn't find the right words.By Jonas Hock and Christian Schneider

In our next mini episode, we see why Sonnet 20 is "so gay" and "so dirty".By Jonas Hock and Christian Schneider

To mark the 400th year of his passing, we discuss our 14 favourite Shakespeare Sonnets, starting with the classic: Sonnet 18 "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day". The next mini episodes you can find in our RSS feed and under the following links: Sonnet 20 Sonnet 23 Sonnet 53 Sonnet 64 Sonnet 65 Sonnet 78 Sonnet 89 Sonnet 116 Sonnet 56 Sonnet 12…

Discussing a more recent must-read book, we enter Emma Donoghue's Room, where we talk about its surprising intellectualism, its heartbreaking family relations and why Jonas loves God so much. Recommendations: Italo Calvino, The Baron in the Trees Emma Donoghue, The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits The Fall (dir. Tarsim Singh)…

It gets dark, mysterious and cynical as we investigate Raymond Chandler's legendary debut novel, discuss whether Philip Marlowe is like Batman and solve the case of the blatant misogyny. Recommendations: Brick (dir. Rian Johnson) Robert Coover, Noir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sherlock Holmes storiesBy Jonas Hock and Christian Schneider

We discuss what is often described as the First Novel in English and try to unravel what this moniker means culturally, socially, spritually and boredom-ly. Recommendations: Edgar Allan Poe, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym (again) Jules Verne, Around the World in 80 Days William Shakespeare, The Tempest Robinson Crusoe (dir. George Miller; thoug…

One year of Outside of a Dog! This demands a celebration - and we celebrate by looking back, self-referentially discussing our past episodes, add what we neglected to talk about so far and generally pat our backs while smoking figurative cigars.By Jonas Hock and Christian Schneider

We hitch a ride to Douglas Adams' sci-fi classic, discussing its absurdity, its humour, and unavoidably the life, the universe and everything. Recommendations: Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus Joseph Heller, Catch-22 Richard Dawkins, Unweaving the Rainbow David Wong, John Dies at the EndBy Jonas Hock and Christian Schneider

We discuss whether we are now living in Orwell's dystopian nightmare or whether he was just a bitter old misogynist who hated the NHS. Recommendations: Equilibrium (dir. Kurt Wimmer) Brazil (dir. Terry Gilliam)By Outside of a Dog Podcast

In the last episode of 2015, we discuss one of the year's most celebrated publications, Miranda July's debut novel, and argue about its quirky characters, its hipster cred and who of us is the bigger hypocrite (Spoiler: we both are). Recommendations: The Platinum Age of Animation (Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, Bojack Horseman, Ric…

In the second part of our Harry Potter crossover, the Dogs and the Science Priests cover the series' depiction of death, its characters growing up and the future of Potterworld. Recommendations: Roger Penrose, The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe John Burnside, A Summer of Drowning Sylvia Waugh, The Mennyms China Miévil…

It's a special holiday crossover special two-part special! We chat with Dennis and Annika from Science Pie (http://www.sciencepie.org/) about the probably most popular book series ever. In Part I, we cover the social structure of the wizarding world, Harry's heroic journey, and our personal journey with the books.…

We discuss whether Bechdel's epochal graphic novel about childhood, memory and discovering one's identity is actually worth reading. A little hint: It is! Recommendations: Art Spiegelman, Maus Jeanette Winterson, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit Jeanette Winterson, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?…

Come with us into the uncanny world of arbitrary justice, paranoia and fat policemen who steal your breakfast. Recommendations: David Lynch's oeuvre The Trial (dir. Orson Welles) Tom LaFarge, The Crimson Bears Alan Bennett, Kafka's DickBy Outside of a dog Podcast

Halloween is over, but the scary stuff isn't. We read one of the most important works by the grandfather of horror literature, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, and talk about its scariness, its world-view and the all-important difference between Great Old Ones and Elder Things. Recommendations: Edgar Allen Poe, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym The Thin…

Join us on our journey to medieval Scotland, where witches, war and really on the nose imagery haunt the mortals. Recommendations: Martin McDonagh, The Pillowman Macbeth (dir. Justin Kurzel) William Shakespeare, Richard IIIBy Jonas Hock and Christian Schneider

All the stupid stuff we said about Macbeth in previous recordings.By Christian Schneider and Jonas Hock

We go beyond the "chick lit" label and read Jane Austen's first novel, discuss its social and cultural scope and why Willoughby is a fuckboi. Recommendations: Sense and Sensibility (dir. Ang Lee) Bright Star (dir. Jane Campion)By Christian Schneider and Jonas Hock