{"podcast":{"title":"Ascend - The Great Books Podcast","slug":"ascend-the-great-books-podcast-6733379","podcast_index_feed_id":6733379,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/ascend-the-great-book/","website_url":"https://ascend-the-great-book.captivate.fm","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/91cb8b50-c0b7-49d8-9476-279514463e73/TfaX-DfFN1GQWT2CL2LiBMBS.png","author":"Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan","episode_count":141,"summary":"Welcome to Ascend! We are a weekly Great Books podcast hosted by Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan. What are the Great Books? The Great Books are the most impactful texts that have shaped Western civilization. They include ancients like Homer, Plato, St. Augustine, Dante, and St. Thomas Aquinas, and also moderns like Machiavelli, Locke, and Nietzsche. We will explore the Great Books with the light of the Catholic intellectual tradition. Why should we read the Great Books? Everyone is a disciple of someone. A person may have never read Locke or Nietzsche, but he or she thinks like them. Reading the Great Books allows us to reclaim our intellect and understand the origin of the ideas that shape our world. We enter a \"great conversation\" amongst the most learned, intelligent humans in history and benefit from their insights. Is this for first-time readers? YES. Our goal is to host meaningful conversations on the Great Books by working through the texts in chronological order in a slow, attentive manner. Our host Adam Minihan is a first-time reader of Homer. We will start shallow and go deep. All are invited to join. Will any resources be available? YES. We are providing a free…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-14T20:18:29.696270+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ascend-the-great-books-podcast-6733379"},"episode":{"title":"The Odyssey Books 15-16 with Jack Drury and Dr. Grabowski","slug":"the-odyssey-books-15-16-with-jack-drury-and-dr-grabowski","published_at":"2026-06-16T13:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ascend-the-great-books-podcast-6733379/the-odyssey-books-15-16-with-jack-drury-and-dr-grabowski","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ascend-the-great-books-podcast-6733379","url":"http://mcidfrxn.podcastwebsites.com/episodes/the-odyssey-books-15-16-with-jack-drury-and-dr-grabowski","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/1cb31ed9-421e-4be1-8854-4eea78621e55.mp3","summary":"Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Deacon Harrison Garlick is joined by returning mentor Dr. Frank Grabowski—Third Order Franciscan, diaconate candidate, and Dean of Faculty at Holy Family Classical School—and Latin teacher Jack Drury for a rich discussion of Odyssey Books 15 and 16. Check out all our resources on the great books ! Check out Dr. Grabowski's new Substack on the great books. The conversation explores Telemachus’s maturation and homecoming, the poignant father-son reunion in the swineherd’s hut, and the deepening bonds of loyalty with Eumaeus. Listeners will enjoy thoughtful reflections on xenia (guest-friendship), Theoclymenus the mysterious prophet, Helen’s prophetic insight, Menelaus’s gracious hospitality, and the growing threat of the suitors, all while tracking themes of thumos, divine guidance, and the slow unfolding of justice. With warmth, humor, and insight, the trio unpacks Homer’s masterful storytelling—why Telemachus must become a threat, the nobility of the “lowly” swineherd, and the beautiful (and bittersweet) dynamics of recognition and reunion. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Great Books Podcast 09:15 Telemachus' Journey: A Coming of Age Story 15:25 Menelaus: The Gracious Host 22:57 The Arrival of Theoclymenus: A Mysterious Prophet 30:36 Odysseus and Eumaeus: Testing Loyalty 31:05 The Swineherd's Loyalty and Laertes' Mystery 32:41 Odysseus' Questions and Eumaeus' Story 34:41 The Tragic Tale of Eumaeus 38:36 Social Status vs. Moral Character 41:47 The Unique Island and Divine Justice 43:43 Guest Friendship and Telemachus' Choices 46:25 The Reunion of Father and Son 50:29 Telemachus and Odysseus: A Complex Relationship 55:27 Testing Nobility and Virtue 01:00:25 Divine Disguises and Recognition 01:04:59 The Standard of Belief 01:11…","meta_description":"Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Deacon Harrison Garlick is joined by returning mentor Dr. Frank Grabowski—Third Order Franciscan, diaconate cand…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":5029,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ascend-the-great-books-podcast-6733379/episodes/the-odyssey-books-15-16-with-jack-drury-and-dr-grabowski/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ascend-the-great-books-podcast-6733379/the-odyssey-books-15-16-with-jack-drury-and-dr-grabowski.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}