The Novel Workshop

In this, our season finale, we discuss what happens when a novel's emotional question goes unanswered. (A hint: Esther becomes quite the unhappy camper.)

In this episode, we tackle the big one—what separates a novel from a collection of short stories? Is the difference significant or nonexistent?  

In this month's episode, we discuss both the anti-realist novel and the trauma plot. Are they mutually exclusive or can they coexist? 

In this month's episode, we discuss the constraints of reliability and whether a narrator (especially a first-person narrator) can ever be trusthworthy. "It's all quite strange to me," says Alonzo.

Esther and Alonzo finally disagree. "Whitehead has divided this house." Whose interpretation is right? Check out this month's sprawling episode—On Beauty, Fences, and "Sonny's Blues" are all discussed—to find out.

This week, we discuss narrative pacing and the subtle art of wonder. Special thanks to the Library of Congress: Charles L. Todd and Robert Sonkin migrant workers collection (AFC 1985/001), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress  

In this episode, we discuss the tension that can arise when a text fails to distinguish its protagonist's level of intelligence from its author's earned wisdom. 

In this month's episode, we discuss the responsibility of the omniscient narrator and what goes awry when that responsibility isn't taken seriously.