The Readers Karamazov

The boys (sans Friedrich) wrap Season 3 by talking about the perfect capstone book: John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces. They take one last gander at form (picaresque? satire?), discuss Fortuna's wheel, and think through what it means to be a political and artistic outsider in the vein of Ignatius J. Reilly. They also talk localism and other weird political alignments that defy the usual American dichotomies. Theme Music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza

The boys hop on their three person tandem bike to pedal their way through the spinning wheels of Flann O'Brien's dark comedy The Third Policeman. They debate the novel's genre (sci fi? fantasy? existential tragicomedy?) and explore its fascination with particle physics, theology, and, of course, whether or not bikes can turn into humans and vice versa. Theme music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.

Back at full strength, the boys discuss the first entry of the final cycle of the season, "Mirth" -- Friedrich's selection of Thomas Carlyle's Sartor Resartus. They discuss the book's strange format as a work that blends fiction and pseudo-philosophy, and Carlyle's unique brand of satire. They also talk about clothes, about German idealism and Romanticism, and who is the podcast's resident dandy. Then, in a new episode of PoMoFooFac, the boys try the strange elixir known as Mountain Dew Flaming Hot. Will Karl's Kleen Kanteen preserve any semblance of bubblage? Will Friedrich and Søren design a 90s scrolling platformer game starring the adorable, finger glove wearing Dew Spark? Listen on to find out! Theme music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza

It's double trouble as Karl and Søren tackle two film adaptations of books from the boys' mystery cycle: Carl Franklin's 1995 neo-noir version of Devil in a Blue Dress, starring Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, and Jennifer Beals; and Nicholas Ray's 1950 version of In a Lonely Place, with Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame. After discussing how widely Ray's film departs from Dorothy B. Hughes' novel, they talk about various technical aspects: Franklin's love of tracking shots, Devil's musical juxtaposition, Don Cheadle's charisma, and whether Bogey is a good actor or merely a good movie star (scandal!).

With Friedrich on vacation, Søren and Karl team up to crack the case of Dorothy B. Hughes' classic L.A. noir In a Lonely Place. Will the L.A. Police find out who's been strangling women once a month, like clockwork? Will mystery writer Dix Steele outrun his postwar demons and his own loneliness and find happiness with the alluring Laurel Gray? Who has the more outré name, Dix Steele, or his best friend Brub Nicolai? All this and more on this week's exciting episode.   Theme music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza

The mystery segment of Season 3 continues as the boys discuss Walter Mosley's Devil in a Blue Dress. They discuss how the book acts as an excellent first entry in a detective series, how Easy Rawlins differs in his detective work from Sherlock Holmes, and the book's place in the history of U.S. racial relations and American Pragmatism. Theme music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza

The boys begin Part III of Season III with a bang, as they tackle Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic (but perhaps overlooked) Sherlock Holmes novel The Sign of Four. They discuss Holmes' method as a detective, especially compared to that of his rival Athelney Jones; the great sleuth's cultural blind spots; and whether emotion has any role in investigative work.   Theme music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.

The boys discuss the final entry in the "Monks" section of the season: Karl's pick of Yukio Mishima's The Temple of the Golden Pavilion. They talk about Mishima's fascinating life, the ins and outs of Zen Buddhism and how its ideas relate to the book's narrative, and problems of size, scale, and beauty in the book. Note from Karl regarding the discussion of Zen meditation: "At one point I say that 'zazen meditation it literally means 'just sitting' you're just supposed to sit and meditate...' I was thinking of shikantaza, which is a sub-form of zazen. Also, in Sōtō Zen that's true that no koan/sutra is needed but in other schools (Rinzai) what I said is false."   Theme Music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.

The boys are back in the most explosive episode of The Readers Karamazov yet. They discuss a classic of dystopian sci-fi, Walter M. Miller Jr.'s nuclear wasteland novel A Canticle for Leibowitz. They discuss the book's thrilling, intricate structure, its view of the spirals of history, and its ideas about science and faith and art. Complete with references to Jacques Ellul, Aldous Huxley, Thomas Merton, and... Sisqo? Theme Music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.

In the first non-Eco book of the season, the boys tackle Herman Hesse's Narcissus and Goldmund, a tale of two very different medieval figures. Karl and Friedrich, our Hessexperts, are perplexed by the book's relation to Hesse's other works, but plow on nonetheless. The boys talk about artistic creation, medieval verisimilitude, and the special bond between teachers and students. Then, on a very special Postmodern Food Factory, the boys try not one, not two, not three, but FOUR different lab-created foodstuffs (Nitro Pepsi, Smartfood Doritos Popcorn, Taki's Meatsticks, and Carolina Reaper Cheetos). Plus an all time great Karl story about his fear of popcorn.   Theme Music: "Shostakovich" by Mucca Pazza.

In the final episode on The Name of the Rose, the boys discuss the "solution" to the mystery of the abbey murders, the potential of comedy, and music. They debate how we should feel about William of Baskerville, tragedy vs. comedy, and music vs. the plastic arts.   Theme music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.

The boys tackle days 3+4 of The Name of the Rose, as the plot (and the pig's blood) thickens in the abbey. They talk about the book's monastic structure, built around the daily prayers, and think about how that affects the central mystery, as well as the ideas Eco is interested in discussing. There is also a discussion of love and its liquefying effects, and the dangers and necessities of censorship.

Retro vintage Readers K episode (originally for Patrons only, when we had Patrons) in which Karl and Søren discuss the famous "Grand Inquisitor" section of The Brothers Karamazov. Enjoy! (Note: this ep is from very early in our life as a pod. As a result, the audio is less than perfect).

The boys are back to start Season 3, The Name of the Rose. After a brief overview of the season, they dive right into Days 1 and 2 of Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose. Thinking through some of the pleasures the book offers, they dwell on the names of The Name of the Rose and spend time investigating the intertwining of religious and political ideas in the first two days. Theme song: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.

The boys close Season 2 with a grand fête centered around W.G. Sebald's The Rings of Saturn. They try to discern if the book is fiction or memoir or whatever else it might be, talk about its elliptical style, and dive into its sense of history and image. Then, in one final Postmodern Food Factory, the boys come back -- like dogs returning to their vomit -- to try the Bud Light Ugly Sweater Seltzer Pack. Bad times are had by all. Theme music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.

The boys discuss two short stories by Jorge Luis Borges. In their discussion of "Pierre Menard" they speculate on authorship, historical imagination, and more; while in their discussion of "The Library of Babel" they argue over pessimism and infinity. With special guest star Dana Carvey.

In this episode, the boys discuss Michelle Cliff's classic postcolonial novel No Telephone to Heaven. Their conversation ranges from discussions of race and class to thoughts about the book's cinematic touches, its treatment of the decay of language, and its potential theological lenses.

The boys finish up their cycle "Lonely Women in Your Area" with Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge, a book that is in some ways the anti-Middlemarch. They talk fate, chance, and impulse in regard to protagonist Michael Henchard's downfall. Also on tap: a discussion of Roman history and the ways the past continues to haunt us. Then, in the bonus Postmodern Food Factory, they tackle their toughest test yet: not gagging on caramel apples that have been coated in peanuts dusted with Red Hot Riplets seasoning. It's gross!

The boys are back at full strength this week as they discuss a favorite of all of theirs, Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary. They spend some time luxuriating in Flaubert's prose, and discussing the book as a fountainhead of numerous literary streams. They also talk about imitation, ascetic mysticism, and stultifying bourgeois life. Theme music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.

Sans Friedrich, Karl and Søren perform a difficult duet on Kate Chopin's The Awakening. They talk about the book's literary impressionism, its place in American literature, race and class, labor and love, and the beguiling role of music in the book. Theme music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.

In the main episode, the boys discuss Gao Xingjian's experimental novel Soul Mountain. They work through the unusual narrative techniques (second person?); discuss Taoism, Buddhism, and the book's seeming preference for plurality; and think about the interaction between the book's political context and its incorporation of folk stories and field anthropology.   As a bonus, the second ever episode of Postmodern Food Factory sees the boys diving into the great autumny unknown, trying all four flavors of the Bud Light Seltzer Fall Flannel Pack. Which is worse, Pumpkin Spice or Toasted Marshmallow? Will Søren vomit live on air? Why is Karl strangely into these brews?

The boys kick it Ancient Greece style once more, discussing Aristophanes' uproarious comedy The Clouds. Bouncing off a reader question, they discuss what Aristophanes' view of Socrates, the main target of the play, actually is. They also talk conservatism in art and whether society can withstand massive upheaval, and dissect some of the trickier formal elements of the play.   Theme Music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.

In the first non-Middlemarch episode of the season, the boys tackle Voltaire's fast paced picaresque Candide, and think through issues of humor, how fair the book is to its main target Leibniz, and what it means to live a good, contented life in Candide's world.   SPECIAL BONUS: In our first ever "mini episode," the boys debut a new segment, Postmodern Food Factory, in which they try gross simulacra of actual foods. First up, Mountain Dew Major Melon, a monstrosity of chemical experimentation. Plus, Karl lists all the flavors of Dew he has personally tried. As promised, a link to the delightful Wikipedia page for Mountain Dew flavors. Theme Music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.

This is it: the final episode on George Eliot's Middlemarch. In this episode the boys tie up some loose ends, ruminating a little more on acts of the will, what it takes to make it in marriage, and even more talk about the books within Middlemarch. As a final bonus, they loop back around to "The Cinematic Eliot" to discuss who would excel at adapting the novel (Robert Altman?), with a brief cameo by Terrence Malick's A Hidden Life, which takes its title from the novel's last lines. As mentioned at the beginning, this episode is dedicated to the memory of Hal Bush, Professor of English at Saint Louis University. For more info on Hal, we're including a link to his obituary.   Theme music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.

The boys get weird as they peer into the furthest recesses of George Eliot's midlands world. In this episode, covering Books V + VI of Middlemarch, they talk more about class elements in the book, dig into the character of Bulstrode and what he represents about English religion, and get a little wacky talking about the books that appear within the book.   Theme Music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.

The boys head back to Middlemarch to keep exploring. After an interesting reader comment comparing the book's characters to those in Twin Peaks, they set out to see what makes Parts III & IV work. Along the way they praise the simple nobility of Caleb Garth, use Blaise Pascal's theories of diversion to explain the restlessness of characters, and tackle the famous "pierglass" discourse as a way to think about the book's narration. Theme song: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza

The boys are back in town! In the first episode of Season 2, the Bastard Sons of Hegel discuss the first two books of George Eliot's Middlemarch. Friedrich gives tons of helpful context for the book and Eliot; Karl gets very concerned with the question of Realism; and Søren proposes some cinematic parallels for Eliot's writing. Plus, in depth discussions of Eliot's dialectic writing style and her theories of art.  

Søren breaks down the coming attractions of Season 2 of The Readers Karamazov, which is anchored in George Eliot's magnum opus Middlemarch. Included is a complete schedule of episode releases and texts discussed.

With Karl on break, Friedrich and Søren discuss a book they'd both hoped to force him to read: Anthony Trollope's Victorian novel The Warden. They talk about the ways in which the book goes against the grain of other Victorian novels; the trials and travails of structuring your book around a beta male protagonist; and the flow of sympathy present in the book. Bonus: a discussion of Dr. Pessimist Anticant and Mr. Popular Sentiment.   Theme song: "Shostakovich" by Mucca Pazza.

In this episode the boys tackle Ian McEwan's Amsterdam, a story of obsession, friendship, and, most importantly, music. They discuss whether or not McEwan's craft is a little too tidy; what constitutes middlebrow art; and who the best (and worst) members of the Beatles are.   Theme Music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.

It's sci-fi redux this week on TRK, as the boys tackle Ursula K. Le Guin's "ambiguous utopia" The Dispossessed. That means plenty of talk about anarchism, physics, connections to Trouble on Triton, and even a pleasant little discourse on marriage... IN SPACE!   Theme song: "Shostakovich" by Mucca Pazza.

In this episode, the boys discuss a Friedrich pick, John Fowles' 1963 debut novel The Collector. Going beyond the (admittedly fascinating) set up of a lonely man who kidnaps his dream girl, the BSOH discuss the novel's fascination with art, mechanical reproduction, class warfare, taste, and more. Also, in a bonus for everyone everywhere, the episode includes insults directed at the following: MFA programs (and the students therein), photography, lepidoptery.   Theme song: "Shostakovich" by Mucca Pazza.

In this episode, the boys tackle Søren's favorite Greek tragedy, Euripides' The Bacchae, a story of gods, wine, and madness. They try to work themselves into the mindset of the ancient Greeks (via the lubrication of a few mid-pod drinks), and sort out how the play does and does not conform to typical analyses of tragedy. Madness; order; destruction: this one's got it all. Plus: stick around to the very end for a post-credits stinger.   Theme music: "Shostakovich" by Mucca Pazza.

Pods... in... space... The boys are back and discussing their first foray into sci-fi, Samuel Delany's trippy, tricky Trouble on Triton. Karl explains all about Wittgenstein, metalogics, and Eutopias (yes, Eu). Friedrich and Søren try to keep up, with thoughts on war (huh - what it is it good for), the pleasures of wandering narrative, and... Evanescence? Theme music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza

In this episode, the boys discuss Friedrich's first book pick: Shūsaku Endō's 1969 masterpiece Silence. They talk about secularism, syncretism, arrogance, and belief in the context of Endō's novel about Jesuit priests facing persecution in Japan.   Theme music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.

In this episode, Karl and Soren are finally joined by long lost brother Friedrich, the third bastard son of Hegel, to discuss the work of philosopher/novelist Iris Murdoch. They begin by discussing her work of literary criticism "Against Dryness," (available here) and her insistence in a video interview that her philosophy and her creative writing are separate. Building on these discussions, the boys turn to Murdoch's strange, delightful 1961 novel A Severed Head, a tale filled with upper class Britishisms, along with darker things like violence and incest. They consider the extent to which Murdoch folds in philosophical concerns, the nature of psychoanalysis and anthropology, and the need to "wake up" from the stupor in which we lead our lives. Theme music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.

In this movie episode, originally only for patrons, Karl and Soren discuss Pixar's groundbreaking film Toy Story. Karl has some very strong thoughts: about the film's destructive worldview, about Sid as the true hero, and more. The boys also discuss the evolution of contemporary animated films and the Disneyfication of everything.

In Episode 5, Karl and Søren discuss James Baldwin's classic novel Giovanni's Room. They talk literary liberalism, guilt and shame, the importance of names, and the novel's interesting meta-structure.   Theme music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.

In this final discussion of The Brothers Karamazov, Karl and Søren discuss Smerdyakov and Ivan's sinister relationship, who's really to blame for Big Daddy K's death, novels vs. the law, and education and the good life. Plus, much more! Theme song: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.

The boys are back with their first episode of The Watchers Karamazov, and Karl has come ready to spit fire. What makes Toy Story an insidious film? Why is Woody a ne'er-do-well? Find out all this and more in the full episode, available only for Patrons. Sign up at patreon.com/thereaderskaramazov. For now, enjoy this five minute teaser with a few of Karl's greatest hits.

In this episode, the boys discuss Part III of The Brothers Karamazov, paying particular attention to the characters of Alyosha, Grushenka, and Dmitri. Karl talks about the concept of the abject and how it plays out in this section, while Søren makes some jokes of questionable taste about corpses.   Theme music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.

In this episode, Karl and Søren discuss Part II of The Brothers Karamazov: everything, that is, but The Grand Inquisitor. They talk about baseness, proper ways of treating the poor, and Father Zosima's approach to holiness as a means of achieving unity on earth.   Program note: our discussion of The Grand Inquisitor section of Part II is appearing as a separate podcast available only to our Patreon subscribers. Head over to our Patreon to sign up and get access today!   Theme song: "Shostakovich" by Mucca Pazza.

In the inaugural episode of The Readers Karamazov, co-hosts Karl and Søren discuss philosophy and literature, the aims of the podcast, Dostoevsky's oddities and convictions, and Part I of The Brothers Karamazov. Theme music: "Shostakovich," by Mucca Pazza.