TMR 29.4: "What Principle Is Not a Prejudice?" [The Tunnel]
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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The Tunnel (Gass novel)
12 min read
The article is a podcast discussion about William H. Gass's experimental novel 'The Tunnel', which is notorious for its complexity, 26-year composition period, and controversial themes about fascism and complicity
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William H. Gass
12 min read
Understanding the author behind 'The Tunnel' provides essential context - Gass was a major postmodern writer and philosopher whose experimental style and decades-long work on this novel shaped its unique form
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Doppelgänger
14 min read
The podcast discusses Culp as a 'döppelganger' to the protagonist Kohler - understanding this literary and folkloric concept of the double/alter ego enriches comprehension of the novel's psychological themes
TMR 29.4: "What Principle Is Not a Prejudice?" [The Tunnel]
As Kohler begins to dig his actual tunnel, Chad, Kaija, and Brian talk about Culp as a sort of döppelganger, complicity, the symbolism of a tunnel, losing one’s wedding ring, whether the breakup scene with Lou really took place, the formal constraints of dirty limericks, and much more. For all the daily fascism in the novel, the conversation about it is fun and funny, while teasing out various themes and exploring the core issues.
This episode’s music is “Whistle While You Work” from Snow White.
Next week we’ll cover the second section, “Mad Meg” (pages 214–282). The complete schedule (if you’re reading along in real time) can be found here.
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