A Lover's Quarrel with the World: The Darker Truth Behind Robert Frost

Join us for a deep dive into the life and works of Robert Frost, the most celebrated American poet of the 20th century. While often remembered as a genial, "homespun New England rustic," this episode reveals the "desperate, frightened, and brave" modernist beneath the surface.

We trace Frost’s journey from his birth in San Francisco to his unsuccessful years farming in New Hampshire, and finally to his literary breakthrough in England. Discover how a man "plagued by grief and loss"—enduring the deaths of four children and his wife—became a public institution who defined the "sound of sense" in American poetry.

In this episode, we cover:

• The Unrivaled Accolades: How Frost became the only poet to win four Pulitzer Prizes and receive the Congressional Gold Medal.

• The "Dark" Frost: Why critics like Randall Jarrell and Harold Bloom argued that Frost’s work explored the "loneliness of the individual in an indifferent universe" rather than just simple rural life.

• Key Works: A look at the themes behind masterpieces like "The Road Not Taken," "Mending Wall," "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," and "Fire and Ice".

• A Public Legacy: From his reading at John F. Kennedy's inauguration to his influence on pop culture staples like The Outsiders and Game of Thrones.

Tune in to understand why Frost’s epitaph reads, "I had a lover's quarrel with the world".