A 60 minute episode in which we discuss “Krambambuli” by Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach. Yay! Kaisha makes us all feel like losers when she talks about all the books she’s read so far this year. We debate the breakdown of tragedy and comedy in Nerd Girl Lit. Dylan discusses his impressions of MOBY DICK, which his magical spreadsheet chose for his next read. Kelsey lists all the browsers she has open for book and poem research. Is it any wonder that she never gets anything done?
Welcome to Read.Write.Repeat.
This month we will be giving away a book box sponsored by poet and editor Liam Cross. To enter, simply follow us on social media and then interact with us or leave us a review! We explain more about how the giveaway works toward the end of the show notes.
Listeners weigh in:
Tell us about your New Year’s reading resolutions!
Let us know in the comments section below, or by tagging us on social media! Your response might be featured in an upcoming show and you will be entered into our monthly giveaway!
Bookish Rants:
Kaisha talks about her massive start to this year’s reading resolution.
Author Rants:
Kelsey tells us about all the browsers she has open on her computer right now.
Nerd Rants:
Dylan’s reading spreadsheet pulled up Kaisha’s favorite book. Did she somehow manipulate it using magic?
- Here are some persuasive pieces, in case Kaisha hasn’t been persuasive enough:
- From BookRiot: 3 Reasons to Finally Read Moby-Dick
- From Big Think: Why You, Yes You, Should Read “Moby-Dick”
- There’s even a book on why you should read it: Why Read Moby Dick by Nathaniel Philbrick
- And finally, now that you’re convinced: Top 5 bits of advice for first-time readers of Moby-Dick
Short Story Powwow:
It’s that time again! For today’s Powwow we are reading another short story from Somerset Maugham‘s Teller of Tales.
Krambambuli by Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach. 1830-1916.
- Next reading if you want to read along: “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner.
Nerd Girl Lit
We are going to delve into genre a little, but we are going to break it down into simpler terms. Today we are going to explore a basic dichotomy of genre–Tragedy or Comedy.
In the anthology she edited called Family Resemblance, Marcela Sulak describes Aristotle’s Comedy and Tragedy as genre defined “according to whether or not the main character was portrayed as better (tragedy) or worse (comedy) than the average person.
- Comedy
- Comedy deals with average person
- depicting the rise of the underdog (rags to riches)
- Not always about laughter but the simple pleasure of seeing a deserving person succeed.
- Our heroes errors that cause conflict, should be ridiculous, but not painful or destructive, as they are in a tragedy.
- a dramatic performance which pits two groups or societies against each other in an amusing contest or conflict
- Ummm, Frodo Baggins, anyone…Or even better, Pipan. Their plight is often comical, despite the dire situation they find themselves in.
- Ron Weasley
- Kilgore Trout–hero could stand in for every human being who has tried and failed – but keeps on trying nonetheless.
- Though not perfect, we could argue the following: Star Wars is built on this. My favorite, Rogue One, is, in many ways, a comedy, despite what many would say is a tragic ending. Heart wrenching, devastating, but the underdog wins, against all odds. It succeeds, because in the moments and movements we see amusing conflicts play out. It fails because it is, overall, not meant to bring amusement or laughter.
- Whereas Catharsis in tragedy stems from the fault and blame of the tragic hero and causes catharsis of pity and fear. Comic catharsis of action is catharsis from blame.
- Tragedy
- Involves the noble-Someone who starts good but falls
- A downfall brought about by a fatal flaw (hubris, pride, greed, etc)-Their downfall is their own fault-no innocent victims here
- Evokes pity and fear
- Anagnorisis-Sudden understanding in the tragic hero–
She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
- You HAVE TO check out this reading of the soliloquy by Liev Schreiber (Victor Creed in X-Men Origins)
- Also, my beloved Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) plays a fantastic Macbeth.
- Anakin Skywalker–Oh poor, sweet, deluded Ani. His fear and anger get the best of him, as does his desire for revenge.
- Harvey Dent (Two Face in Batman)–This guy starts as a DA who hates bad cops and is tough on crime. But his pride and arrogance (he allows people to believe he might be batman) get him in trouble, get his girlfriend killed, destroy batman’s reputation, and lead to his turning into an insane criminal.
- Stannis Baratheon (A Song of Fire and Ice and Game of Thrones)—He’s in the right, but his desire to do regain power causes the loss of innocent lives.
Books, quirks, and intrigues, oh my!
- Persephone Publishing
- Backlisted Podcast
- My Life in Dog Years
- Phaedra
- Michael Fassbender
- Michael Fassbender, Nobody’s Fool
- The GQ Cover Story: Michael Fassbender
- His version of Macbeth.
Connect and Win!!
- Don’t forget to enter our giveaway for January. This month Liam Cross will be sponsoring our prize! I can’t wait to see what he picks. To enter, simply snap a bookish photo, post it on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, and tag us in it!
- You can find other Giveaways on the giveaways tab and in the Give us a Shout tab on our website. Be sure to check those out. We ship worldwide, so don’t hesitate to enter our giveaway.
- If anything sparked an idea for you, or you have thoughts or ideas about what we should discuss next. Let us know. Fill out our survey for a chance to win cool prizes!
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Thanks for listening to Read.Write.Repeat! Talk with you next time!
Tibetan Lemonade 