Over these episodes, we are exploring the nature of literature more deeply; what it is, how it differs from other art forms, and how we might begin to recognize what true artistic greatness consists of. We will be gradually moving towards a larger question: why, to me, Ernest Hemingway could easily be considered the greatest writer that ever lived.

In this episode, we continue our exploration of literature by asking the question: what makes a truly great artist? Considering film, literature, and adaptations, we reflect on the difference between a captivating story and a genuine work of art - and why the greatest works can never fully be translated into another medium without losing something essential.

Key Takeaways

* How the content or story alone is not the art.

* Why truly great novels resist adaptation because their power lies not only in plot, but in the precise construction of language itself.

* Why Citizen Kane may still be the greatest film ever mad

* Why the works of Ernest Hemingway cannot truly be “filmed”

Resources Mentioned:

* Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)

* The Leopard (Il Gattopardo) (Luchino Visconti, 1963)

* Festen (The Celebration) (Thomas Vinterberg, 1998)

* The Old Man and the Sea (Ernest Hemingway, 1952)

* For Whom the Bell Tolls (Ernest Hemingway, 1940)

* Tender Is the Night (F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1934)

* The Age of Innocence (Edith Wharton, 1920)

* The Age of Innocence (Martin Scorsese, 1993)

Show Links:

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