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ThoughtCast: The Impact of the Written Word

From: Jenny Attiyeh
Length: 57:55

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This new ThoughtCast series explores the impact of the written word. It examines a specific piece of writing — be it a poem, play, novel, short story, work of non-fiction or scrap of papyrus — that’s had a significant influence on the interviewee. And the interviewees featured in this ThoughtCast hour are: the author Tom Perrotta, the poetry critic Helen Vendler and the esteemed classicist Gregory Nagy. (Note: this piece is 58 minutes, not 57:52...) Read the full description.

Reading_small We kick off the hour with Tom Perrotta, the author of Little Children, Election, The Abstinence Teacher and his most recent novel, The Leftovers. He speaks with ThoughtCast about a writer who fascinates, irritates and inspires him: Flannery O’Connor. His relationship with her borders on kinship, and he admires and admonishes her as he would a family member, with whom he shares a bond both genetic and cultural.

The program continues with Helen Vendler, the esteemed poetry critic and University Professor at Harvard. When Helen was only 13, she memorized several poems by the elusive Emily Dickinson. They’ve stayed with her over the years, and today she talks about one poem in particular that’s haunted her all this time.

And to round off this ThoughtCast hour, we turn to the subject of honor and fair play in Homer’s Iliad -- the epic story of the siege of Troy.  In this fifth installment of Faculty Insight, produced in partnership with Harvard Extension School, the distinguished classicist Gregory Nagy dissects the final, fatal battle between Hector and Achilles.

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Piece Description

We kick off the hour with Tom Perrotta, the author of Little Children, Election, The Abstinence Teacher and his most recent novel, The Leftovers. He speaks with ThoughtCast about a writer who fascinates, irritates and inspires him: Flannery O’Connor. His relationship with her borders on kinship, and he admires and admonishes her as he would a family member, with whom he shares a bond both genetic and cultural.

The program continues with Helen Vendler, the esteemed poetry critic and University Professor at Harvard. When Helen was only 13, she memorized several poems by the elusive Emily Dickinson. They’ve stayed with her over the years, and today she talks about one poem in particular that’s haunted her all this time.

And to round off this ThoughtCast hour, we turn to the subject of honor and fair play in Homer’s Iliad -- the epic story of the siege of Troy.  In this fifth installment of Faculty Insight, produced in partnership with Harvard Extension School, the distinguished classicist Gregory Nagy dissects the final, fatal battle between Hector and Achilles.

Intro and Outro

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OUTRO:

The piece has a 30 second musical close that you can fade out of early if you wish!

Related Website

http://www.thoughtcast.org