Infinite Gestation

Beginning with praise, transitioning to criticism and ultimately reaching a state of forgiveness, the panel embarks upon its ongoing Dystopian Novel Series with the granddaddy of the dystopian novel, We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. (Coincidentally recorded on the podcast's one year anniversary).

Completed in 1921 and published in 1924 (with an English translation), Zamyatin's forging of the genre predates pretty much anything you might mistakenly argue came first. Harbor's Metropolis or the the Fritz Lang film adaptation? Sorry. London's The Iron Heel? Nope. Huxley's A Brave New World? Come on, man! Trust us, we looked this shit up.

Today's episode was brought to you by the Numbers PF-237, GK-42 and SZ-119 as well as the word "insidious" and several pronunciations of the word "integral".

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Infinite Gestation gets A Visit from the Goon Squad on this episode covering Jennifer Egan's 2010 Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name. The book stands more as a study on the emotional effects of time and memory (and life) on a group of loosely associated characters and less as a straight forward narrative in the traditional sense. With a realistic portrayal straying from cliched tropes of the record industry (including that of a Brady Bunch episode), the novel certainly completes its goals masterfully, leaving little wonder regarding the wisdom of its Pulitzer win.

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Patrick and Grant take on Stephen King's 11/22/63 as well as the Hulu miniseries of the same name.

Best described as literary fiction with elements of science fiction and the supernatural (as only Stephen King can render them) 11/22/63 serves more as a love letter to a bygone era of post war America with all the prosperity associated with the Eisenhower era and less an investigation into the mechanics and milieu of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (a la Dan Delillo's Libra). Hulu's miniseries (with such personnel as James Franco, J.J. Abrams & King himself) serves as a wonderful companion piece to the novel, accentuating and enhancing its finer qualities while omitting (and at times better explaining) lesser characteristics.

In both mediums, the absence of an argument for conspiracy is a disappointment, except to Sam, but he's not in this episode so who cares?

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Italo Calvino's If on a winter's night a traveler is in a class of its own. This postmodern exploration of the novel contains substantial sections written in the second person (yes, SECOND person), so that the reader themself becomes a character in a quest to find (initially) the remainder of the novel begun in the first chapter. A literary adventure thus ensues, carrying on throughout the subsequent first chapters of ten different novels, stringing said reader along a series of plot lines, deceptive (and duplicitous) characters, novels within novels (within THE novel), multiple points of view and so on. Short of complicating things further, check out the episode and then read the book. We pinky promise you won't be sorry.

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John Steinbeck's fifth novel, In Dubious Battle, marks a radical shift in the author's work while serving as an interesting precursor to The Grapes of Wrath. Essentially concerned with the labor struggles of exploited fruit pickers, the novel illustrates the emergence of Steinbeck's social consciousness and further exemplifies some of the core themes he would later become remembered for. Special thanks to Patrick for the selection!

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In celebration of Indiana's Bicentennial, Infinite Gestation discusses The Magnificent Ambersons, the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Booth Tarkington.

Georgie Minafer (third generation Amberson), with his desire to become a yachtsman, personifies the height of smug aristocracy by his refusal to embark upon a career or make a life for himself. The arrogant assumption that he might live upon his family's wealth and status indefinitely is sorely mistaken, for it is the end of a gilded age for the Amberson family. Once the epitome of wealth and the toast of the Midland City (a thinly veiled Indianapolis), the realized potential of the automobile and industrialization of the city causes massive growth that edges out much the old guard in favor of families of "new money". The Ambersons are among those left behind, though Major (the patriarch) manages to conceal the state of such affairs until after his death, forcing his heirs to start from scratch and make their way in a city that no longer remembers the Amberson name.

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Making no apologies for worshipping at the "Altar of Kubrick", Infinite Gestation compares Arthur C. Clarke's novel to the 1968 film. While Kubrick's masterpiece to this day remains the benchmark for the realistic portrayal of science fiction on film, the medium itself leaves some narrative gaps that are not immediately apparent. Through written concurrently and under the best circumstances, the screenplay and novel (in some respects) travel in very different orbits.

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Our Man in Havana may have been compromised during the making of this episode.

Partially inspired by his time in MI6 and set in late 1950's (pre-revolution) Cuba, Graham Greene's classic novel follows the daily maneuverings of vacuum salesman/secret agent Wormold, shortly after his unwitting recruitment in the men's room of the Wonder Bar. He initially invents his sources (taking names from a country club roster) as well as the information they provide to satisfy his superiors in London. But when he sends them sketches of vacuum cleaner parts suggested to be military installations in the mountains, he is pulled into a dangerous web of very real intrigue.

Part spy novel, part comedic satire, this Graham Greene classic easily fits in the company of "The Big Lebowski" and "The Long Goodbye" and comes highly recommended for your Sunday read.

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In a recent blog post, George R.R. Martin has perhaps confirmed our worst fears: The Winds of Winter will not be published in time for the airing of Game of Thrones Season Six on HBO. But does it really matter? The two formats have already parted ways in terms of story and with the show poised to saunter out ahead of the books this spring, it simply begs the question: which is canon, the novels or the HBO series?

Limited Gestation “Minisodes” bring you Infinite Gestation, generously portioned into a single serving. Much like the coffee creamer, concord grape jelly and sugar packets supplied by your local 24 hour diner, you can now enjoy a quick taste of Infinite Gestation without having to wait around for the check.

Special Announcement: Beginning in February, the Infinite Gestation Podcast will be switching gears to bring you new episodes every two weeks. This will allow the panel more time to read, research, craft, record, edit and post quality episodes that you will love. We are also experimenting with video (more on this when it comes to fruition). A blog is in the works, featuring collaborative and individual posts from Samuel Zurcher, Patrick Feild & Grant Karazsia. Follow us on Facebook & Twitter for details.

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Infinite Gestation breaks form to discuss Jack Kerouac's On the Road alongside Che Guevara's Motorcycle Diaries in a single episode. Motorcycle Diaries serves more as a memoir than a serious attempt at fiction, yet shares many notable commonalities with Kerouac's classic novel On the Road. Set on two very different continents, both narratives chronicle travels taken roughly around the same years by two (college educated) young men in their mid twenties. Kerouac had the benefit of many drafts with the goal of publication in mind, while Guevara holds his own with a well written travel journal that seems to have been revisited for editing and polishing long before it was published posthumously in 2004. Both are anti-establishment works insisting that there is "something rotten in Denmark" – though Guevara and Kerouac ultimately reached very different ends in the wake of a youthful idealistic wanderlust that consumed and informed their formidable years.

Unfortunately, no cigars were burned in the recording of this episode.

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