Weekly Readings #202 (12/15/25-12/21/25)
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
-
Pale Fire
12 min read
The author explicitly discusses this Nabokov novel as 'experimental literature's all-time masterpiece of annotation' and recently released a podcast episode about it. Understanding Pale Fire's unique structure of poem-plus-commentary would illuminate the footnote praxis the author is exploring.
-
The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea
11 min read
Mentioned as one of the books in the upcoming book club alongside Major Arcana, and the author admits to not having read it yet. Mishima's novel about honor, nihilism, and violence would provide context for the literary discussion.
A weekly newsletter on what I’ve written, read, and otherwise enjoyed.
In January, Ian Cattanach, impresario of the literary renaissance, will give my new novel Major Arcana the book club treatment, as advertised in the screenshot above. I’m honored to appear next to Tolstoy’s Confession, Mishima’s Sailor, Joyce’s Portrait, and McCarthy’s Horses.1 If you’d like to participate, or just to understand why some feel that Major Arcana merits such company, you can order the book in all formats (print, ebook, audio) here; you can also find it in print wherever books are sold online. You can buy it directly from Belt Publishing, too—we receive more of a profit that way—or you might also suggest that your local library or independent bookstore acquire a copy. Please also leave a Goodreads, Amazon, or other rating and review. Thanks to all my readers!
In other news, The Invisible College, my literature podcast for paid subscribers, is on a brief holiday2 hiatus, but it will return on December 30 with the final episode of 2025, one focused on Thomas Pynchon.3 Then, on January 1, I will release the hotly awaited 2026 schedule. Finally, after a brief winter break to give us all a chance to catch up on our reading, The Invisible College will resume with an episode on an undisclosed topic on January 16. A paid subscription to Grand Hotel Abyss buys you access to The Invisible College’s ever-expanding archive, with almost 100 two- to three-hour episodes on subjects from Homer to Joyce, and from ancient to contemporary literature. Such a subscription might even be a good Christmas gift for the cultural ephebe in your life. There are currently 8.3 billion people on the planet, and I see no reason why any of them shouldn’t become paid subscribers; the non-English speakers will have an easier time even than the Anglophones allowing my voice, now totally freed of all (rather than just some) sense and reason, to lull them to sleep.4 Thanks to all my current and future paid subscribers!
For today, to anchor this post’s particular notes, a few notes on notes in general. Please enjoy!
Duly Noted: Autotheorizing Annotation
Many new readers must be wondering about my footnote praxis in these Weekly Readings. I’m not sure if I’ve ever fully articulated it, beyond
...This excerpt is provided for preview purposes. Full article content is available on the original publication.