TMR 29.3: "I Think He Was Loud Because He Was Alone" [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
This podcast episode is a deep-dive discussion of William H. Gass's experimental novel 'The Tunnel,' discussing character Kohler, themes of history, and the Midwest setting. Understanding the novel's significance in postmodern American literature would enrich the listening experience.
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Rainer Maria Rilke
14 min read
Rilke is explicitly mentioned as a discussion point in the episode. The German-language poet's influence on modernist literature and his philosophical explorations of solitude and existence likely connect to themes in Gass's work.
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William H. Gass
12 min read
Understanding the author of 'The Tunnel' - his philosophy of language, his role in American experimental fiction, and his 26-year process writing this novel - provides essential context for appreciating the podcast's literary analysis.
TMR 29.3: "I Think He Was Loud Because He Was Alone" [The Tunnel]
This week Chad, Brian, and Kaija talk about the midwest as hell, locusts and tornados, one’s family and attempts to escape it, forms of love found in the book, aging (as always), History and history, Rilke, whether or not we “know” Kohler, and much more. It’s a fun, illuminating episode covering a section that, despite the exploding glass and wind, is a bit slower and more focused than the previous two.
This episode’s music is “Whirring” by The Joy Formidable.
Next week we’ll cover the second section, “We Have Not Lived the Right Life” (pages 49–146). The complete schedule (if you’re reading along in real time) can be found here.
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