Episode 32 - We Read So We Can Talk

Jeff and Darron work their way into a meandering conversation about one of their favorite topics, art, specifically Shakespeare and the extent of the influence of his work on the literature, thought, and culture that came after him, which is prompted by Jeff’s brief discussion of his non-fiction reading habit. This leads into a discussion of Darron's fiction reading where they talk about why novels are often better than the movies and/or television they inspire, the idea of seeing the imagery on the page as you read, the use of specific devices in writing that can sometimes feel gimmicky, and the conversational and social nature of art.

Notes:

• 2:26 - See “Something Went Terribly Wrong With Online Ads” (The Atlantic, 2024) and “Uber’s Ad Network Continues To Grow” (Marketing Brew, 2023)

• 4:00 - Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human by Harold Bloom

• 4:15 - See “The Western Canon” Wikipedia entry

• 6:55 - See “Aristotle The Philosopher Who Knew It All” (Classical Wisdom Substack, 2017)

• 12:10 - See “Shakespeare Contra Nietzsche” (Marginalia, 2016)

• 16:41 - Listen to Beautiful Illusions Episode 29 - Vacation Part 2: It’s A Process from October 2023

• 20:08 - These Truths by Jill Lepore

• 20:11 - Behave by Robert Sapolsky

• 20:21 - The Secret of Our Success by Joseph Henrich

• 22:35 - See the Great American Novel Wikipedia entry and list

• 22:40 - Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

• 22:42 - Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

• 22:54 - In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust

• 22:25 - The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein

• 25:30 - Sean M. Carroll

• 25:40 - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

• 26:10 - Babel and The Poppy War Trilogy by R.F. Kuang

• 27:55 - Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

• 28:52 - All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

• 30:31 - The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy by Peter Jackson

• 30:40 - The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games movie quadrilogy

• 31:48 - The Shining novel by Stephen King and The Shining movie directed by Stanley Kubrick

• 33:20 - One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest novel by Ken Kesey and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest movie

• 36:15 - The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub

• 42:40 - The Scream painting by Edvard Munch

• 43:40 - Listen to Beautiful Illusions Episode 15 - The Mind of Gatsby: A Look Through the Cognitive Lens from June 2021

• 46:49 - Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

• 47:25 - Shark Heart by Emily Habeck

• 51:38 - The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

• 55:04 - Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

• 55:36 - Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction directed by Quentin Tarrantino

• 58:49 - Listen to Beautiful Illusions Episode 31 - Life, Art, & Experience: A Conversation, recorded in November 2023 and released in January 2024