The average moviegoer can't answer that because, honestly--who's plowed through the 592-page epic poem recently? With today's lecture, no one needs to, but you might end up WANTING TO. We discuss what THE ODYSSEY actually is, when it was sung, when it was written, whether it was actually Homer who did the writing and so much more. Then we dive into the difficulty of translating this behemoth, with some gorgeous (and hilarious) comparisons of lines from the years 1611, 1967, 1996 and 2018. Lastly we dive into my impressions of the movie, which I saw AT A DRIVE-IN. In a mere hour you could feel a lot smarter about one of the foundational texts of all of Western Literature. Listen in now!

Besson might have lured us in with Marcel P., but we stayed for the STORY. Listen in to find out how the prose, the plotting and the TURN (??) in this novel function so well.

Who ISN'T talking about the release of LIFE OF M on August 25?? Prepare for Cusk's new work by reminding yourself--or finding out for the first time--why her approach to fiction is so radical. OUTLINE's narrative, structure and even basic description means plenty of grist for my mill. Whether you loved the book or were left wondering what the hell just happened--prepare for some super-rich edification. (This is a REPOST of an earlier lecture.)

Yes. I'm going to read and analyze something I MYSELF WROTE. I promise it won't be boring. Also, it's short.

See the three question marks in the title above? Listen in to find out who would hate each one of them. We all have an impression of Stein, but Levy offers up (and problematizes) so much more.

With all its inventive, kooky, paramilitary (!) elements, Lost Lambs is delightful and wholly original. Except when it seems like a DIRECT descendent of Thomas Pynchon. Listen in to fully appreciate the narrative stance, the postmodern elements (don't worry, I'll provide a definition), the structure, and the ways this frothy novel is crucially subversive. And the gnats! Dive in to hear my theory for wtf is up with all the GNATs!

I picked up THE GIRLS WHO GREW BIG in the bookstore but ended up reading NIGHTCRAWLING. Wow is Mottley a talent to be watched. Based on a true story, the novel digs deeply into police corruption, the failures of the education and employment systems, misogyny, corruption, life as a young Black woman in Oakland...to say nothing of the realities of sex work. We explore a strong, recurring motif, figurative language, ingenious plotting (and some that doesn't work quite as well). I get myself into pretzels to avoid any spoilers until the end, though this book is so good you would want to read it even if you knew exactly what was coming. Give this novel the attention it deserves now!

Whether you love this iconic, culty, groundbreaking novel or you don't get the hype; whether you believe it's a feminist treatise or a meditation on the promise and the shortfalls of communism, you'll finish this lecture feeling like you've gotten some SERIOUS LITERATURE under your belt. If you haven't read this 1962 phenomenon--or haven't for a while--this lecture is a good (re)introduction to why the unique structure and radical candor about everything from motherhood to post-War politics in Southern Rhodesia, to the difference between the clitoral and vaginal orgasm (at least in Lessing's [somewhat hilarious and highly suspect] opinion) make this worth its 600+ pages.

NEVER READ IT? NO PROBMLEM! NO READING REQUIRED! I READ THE (very short) STORY TO YOU! Clearly I'm caught up in the frenzy surrounding Christopher Nolan's THE ODYSSEY. I've only seen the trailer, but ARGOS (Odysseus's dog) appears not once but TWICE in about two minutes. I could NOT stop thinking about Joy Williams's incredible short story about our hero's best friend. Forty-five minutes from now, you could feel smarter, more informed about the movie, and maybe a little better ABOUT DEATH. Williams is amazing: in three mere pages, she takes us well beyond The Odyssey into the kind of land only Williams can create. Nolan seems to be doing well with the source material. Williams's ultra-brief interpretation is a masterpiece.

Honestly? I was sucked in by the covers of these slim volumes. When I saw we were about to get very groundhog-day, I wasn't so sure. After taking a close look at the title, the opening, the microcosm of marriage, the incredible figurative language and the novella's FAITH IN THE POWER OF WRITING, I'm feeling ready to dive into book two!