The Reader and the Writer

Welcome back to our year long read of War & Peace! In this episode, Shari and Rhea discuss all the drama that’s suddenly boiling over in this story. They discuss all the matchmaking that is suddenly happening, compare each couple’s foundation, complications, motives, etc. They talk about the Rostov’s downward spiral, and Pierre’s ever-deepening malaise over life. They discuss the connections they see between Moll Flanders from Daniel Defoe’s novel of the same title, and various characters in W&P. And, they agree on the two characters they see as rising to the top as being the main characters of the story. (It’s only taken ‘til May!)

Let us know in the comments section if you agree with our assessment. And share any other thoughts you had while listening to our conversation!

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Welcome back to Moll Flanders! In this episode, Shari and Rhea continue to discuss Moll’s downward spiral. Why does Moll insist on this Gentlewoman status to the extreme detriment of herself and all her children she keeps birthing and leaving behind?? They talk more about Moll’s seeming lack of maternal compassion or instinct, and how much of it is due to the male author behind it. They discuss the autobiographical format and begin to question Defoe’s motives for writing this book anonymously and trying to pass it off as a true autobiography of a woman. And much, much more.

Here is the reading schedule for the rest of the book:

We’d love to hear from you! What are your thoughts on Moll Flanders so far?

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Welcome to Part 2 (of six) of Moll Flanders. In this episode, Rhea and Shari spend considerable time discussing Moll’s character. Mainly: can she be trusted? Why does she keep making these missteps over and again? How many of her problems are really of her own doing? All this led to discussions of the unreliable narrator, the uniqueness of the first person narrative (particularly in this early English novel form), and the male author writing in the female perspective. We also talked about structure and style: what each is, isn’t, and how each is contributing to our opinions surrounding Moll as an unreliable narrator.

Next week we’ll be discussing pp. 168 - 233. You can see the entire schedule below:

Also, Rhea made bookmarks for Moll Flanders. You can find a link to those in this post of Rhea’s (scroll to about mid-way through the post):

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Welcome to Moll Flanders, R&W’s next slow read. In this episode, Rhea and Shari spend time introducing the background to this 18th Century novel and it’s author, Daniel Defoe, named by Henry James as the “father of the English novel.” They discuss the strange, autobiographical style of the novel, Defoe’s use of the novel form to criticize his country’s debtor laws and women’s lack of agency, how the novel reads as a male author writing from a female perspective, and much more.

Below is the reading schedule for Moll Flanders:

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Hello! Welcome to April’s reading of War & Peace.

In this episode, Shari and Rhea do a deep dive in the contrasts and companionships continuing to form in W&P. They spend considerable time talking about Pierre and Andrei: their arguments about what matters, their individual directions and efforts, their loves, lusts, and greatest desires. They discuss Andrei’s turn toward life after his strange and shocking encounters with beauty. They wonder why Pierre can’t be happy despite walking diligently in his Freemasonry faith. They discuss what Tolstoy is doing with Rostov and Denisov’s story, namely, pointing a finger at the corruption and injustices found in Russia’s Army, as well as the hypocrisies found in high offices.

They also discuss the romances—and continued coldness—between partners: the budding love affair between Andrei and Natasha, the continual struggles between Pierre and Hélène, Berg’s marriage to Vera, and the way Natasha sees Boris as narrow like the dining room clock—narrow, and grey-like, while she sees Pierre as blue, dark blue, and red…. and square.

References and mentions in the show:

* The quote on beauty by Pope Benedict XVI, in his 2009, Meeting with Artists:

“Indeed, an essential function of genuine beauty, as emphasized by Plato, is that it gives man a healthy “shock”, it draws him out of himself, wrenches him away from resignation and from being content with the humdrum—it even makes him suffer, piercing him like a dart, but in so doing it “reawakens” him, opening him afresh the eyes of his heart and mind, giving him wings, carrying him aloft.”

* Quote from Screwtape Letters, Letter 23; by C. S. Lewis:

“The thing to do is to get a man at first to value social justice as a thing which the Enemy demands, and then work him on to the the stage at which he values Christianity because it may produce social justice. For the Enemy will not be used as a convenience. Men or nations who think they can revive the Faith in order to make a good society might just as well think they can use the stairs of Heaven as a short cut tot the nearest chemist shop.”

* The Gospel in Tolstoy, edited by Miriam LeBlanc, published by Plough Publishing House. This is the book mentioned by Shari near the end of the episode in connection with Tolstoy’s own complicated relationship with Christianity. From the intro “To the Reader”:

“What though, is the ‘gospel in Tolstoy’ — is such a title even defensible? After all, this was a man who lost his traditional Christian faith as a teenager, and spent much of his career attacking the Russian church of his upbringing. Despite a sincere conversion and his self-description as a Christian, his views fall well outside the usual norms of Christian orthodoxy—after all, he rejected most articles of the Nicene Creed, and even compiled a version of the Gospels from which anything miraculous, including the resurrection, is left out.

Yet with all his rationalism, Tolstoy remained a man haunted by Jesus of Nazareth.” —The Editor (p. ix-x, Miriam LeBlanc)

* The Ethics of Beauty, by Timothy G. Patitsas, 2019, St. Nicholas Press

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Welcome to this final episode of Odyssey, translated by Emily Wilson. In this episode, Rhea and Shari discuss their deep love of Odysseus and Penelope’s reunion, and their utter confusion with Book 24—why it felt random, rushed, unnecessary, etc. They talked about where the climax was, and what the story is ultimately about. They talk about story telling as the collective love language of the ancient classical world. This led to a lengthy discussion wondering what our collective love language is: Do we have one? If not, why not? Which led to a discussion about coming home, the problem of homelessness and whether or not homelessness is the worst thing a person can suffer. What about a society? Are we a “homeless” society?

It was a twisty-turny, full of questioning, fun discussion. A great way to end our deep read on this ancient-but-ever-relevant epic story.

R&W’s next deep read is Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe. We’re excited to take on this obscure, controversial, oft avoided novel written by the man James Joyce called “the father of the English novel.”

Stay tuned for the latest reading schedule for Moll Flanders. We highly recommend you read the Penguin Classics version (linked to the title) to avoid confusion with page numbers (there are no chapter breaks)

Read this post on a programming update for R&W’s reading and writing schedule in May.

Thanks for listening to this episode of The Reader & the Writer! If you like this post, hit the ❤️ button and share it with a friend.

The Reader & the Writer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support the literary work we’re doing, become a free or paid subscriber.

Welcome back to the Odyssey! In this episode, Rhea and Shari discuss the host-guest relationships that truly are driving the story forward at this point. They wonder why Odysseus disguises himself rather than just come home and kick everyone out. They discuss the role of fate in the story and why they keep reading if they know how it all turns out in the end. But the thing they talk about the most, is why the heck they don’t like Odysseus, the hero of the story. Is it Wilson’s translation? Or the very definition of “hero” in the classical ancient world that has them confounded?

Next week they will discuss the end of the book.

Read this post for an update on their reading and writing schedule for May.

Thanks for listening to this episode of The Reader & the Writer! If you like this post, hit the ❤️ button and share it with a friend.

The Reader & the Writer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support the literary work we’re doing here, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Welcome to Part 2 of R&W’s discussion of The Odyssey.

In this episode Rhea and Shari discuss just how complicated of a man Odysseus is. They discuss the real flavor they get of the story being originally told orally, the way it reads much like The Arabian Nights: stories within stories within stories. They also discuss all the spin offs and stories The Odyssey rhymes with and has inspired in the centuries since.

They discuss Odysseus’s failure to be a good guest in multiple settings, and the ways he is responsible for his own wanderings, and ways he isn’t. They discuss the Cyclops, Hades and all the crying. Mostly they discuss all the ways this story is offering unexpected things to consider they hadn’t thought much about before.

Here is Rhea’s Substack post all about The Odyssey, and our reading schedule:

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Welcome to our first episode of Homer’s The Odyssey, translated by Emily Wilson. In this episode, Shari and Rhea take a deep dive into the history of The Odyssey and Homer… or is it Homers? They also spend a LOT of time talking about metric verse, how it was originally written in the Greek (dactylic hexameter) and how Wilson translated it into iambic pentameter. We also talk about what the heck all that means. They discuss the opening of the story, Odysseus as a “complicated man” and the importance of hospitality to this entire story.

In case you missed one of our last episodes or Substack posts on The Odyssey, here is our reading schedule:

Links to resources mentioned in this episode:

A Poetry Handbook, by Mary Oliver

Rhea’s Substack post on The Odyssey (with links to other articles and YouTube videos discussed on this episode)

Thanks for listening to The Reader & the Writer!If you like this post, hit the ❤️ button and share it with a friend.

The Reader & the Writer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support the work we’re doing here, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Welcome to March’s reading of War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy. Things are heating up in 1806 Russia. Rhea and Shari have lots to discuss. They talk about the sad—and predictable—outcome at Austerlitz, Andrei’s injury and the ways it’s changed him… and ways it has not. They discuss Pierre’s sad situation: his bizarre dual with Dolokhov, and this newest way he’s come “under the influence” of a force greater than himself. Of course they talk about Dolokhov and Sonya, Denisov and Natasha, and how some characters seem to be maturing while others are regressing as they age. Finally, they spend time studying the writing in the scene of Natasha singing, looking for ways Tolstoy is telling the story “ekphrastically.”

Articles mentioned in this podcast:

* Ekphrastic Writing, Ekphrastic Life -Substack article written by Shari

* Ekphrastic Practice -Substack article written by Shari

Keep up with all R&W’s War and Peace reading on Rhea’s Substack by clicking on her “War & Peace” tab. You will find links to the famous bookmarks on this page as well.

Thanks for reading and listening to The Reader & the Writer! If you like this post, hit the ❤️ button and share it with a friend.

The Reader & the Writer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support R&W’s work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.