TMR 29.5: "Historians Make History" [The Tunnel]
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
-
The Tunnel (Gass novel)
12 min read
This podcast episode is part of a reading series covering William H. Gass's experimental novel 'The Tunnel.' Understanding the novel's themes, structure, and critical reception would provide essential context for following the discussion.
-
Flannery O'Connor
11 min read
The episode discusses Southern Gothic writing and specifically mentions Flannery O'Connor. Her distinctive grotesque style and Catholic themes deeply influenced American literature and are central to understanding the Southern Gothic tradition referenced in the podcast.
TMR 29.5: "Historians Make History" [The Tunnel]
Covering the “Mad Meg” section (pgs 214–282), Chad, Kaija, and Brian talk about the juxtaposition of Kohler’s childhood Sunday drives with the bombast of Mad Meg’s lectures, about Southern Gothic writing and Flannery O’Connor, blaming others for your sadness, history and ideas, and more.
This episode’s music is “The Catastrophe (Good Luck With That, Man)” from Car Seat Headrest.
We’ll be back on December 4 to cover “Why Windows Are Important to Me” (pages 282–334). The complete schedule (if you’re reading along in real time) can be found here.
You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad W. Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And subscribe to the Three Percent substack for information about Open Letter Books and literature in translation writ large.
Also consider subscribing to the Mining the Dalkey Archive substack and its respective podcast (Apple, Spotify) about all things Dalkey Archive.
This excerpt is provided for preview purposes. Full article content is available on the original publication.