Infinite Gestation

The podcast goes back to literature as Grant and Sam discuss the giant of science fiction epics: Dune by Frank Herbert. We know this one is much anticipated and the panel doesn’t hold back with the book, the controversial David Lynch film adaptation, or the 2000 miniseries. If you have yet to read the novel, it is highly recommended that you do so before listening to this episode, because - A. Spoilers and B. You will probably find yourself completely lost. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.com Show Notes & Links Dune Frank Herbert Dune (1984 film) - David Lynch Dune (2000 miniseries) - John Harrison Children of Dune (2003 miniseries) - Greg Yaitanes Dune (the whole canon!) David Lynch Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area The End of History and the Last Man by Francis Fukuyama Mahdi The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov

"Isolationism is deeply stupid." So says Sam in this special episode in which he talks to Grant about three books: Present at the Creation by Dean Acheson, Running the World by David Rothkopf, and How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything by Rosa Brooks. He uses these books as a starter course in foreign policy from the end of World War II to the present day – including where we should go from here, because if we are to be informed citizens we have to know these things. We promise next episode will be back to literature. PS: Sam has since read Doomed to Succeed by Dennis Ross and highly recommends it. He would also like us to add A Problem From Hell by Samantha Power & George F. Kennan by John Lewis Gaddis to his list, if you're so inclined. PPS The quote "You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you." is attributed Leon Trotsky. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.com Show Notes & Links Present at the Creation by Dean Acheson Running t

On this episode of Infinite Gestation, Pat and Sam are joined by frequent guest and now permanent panelist Matt Bird (which means I no longer have to type his last name) to discuss White Noise by Don DeLillo. Published in 1985, it has quickly become a classic postmodern novel. The panel discusses the major themes of the work including modern media, the family, consumerism, and the fear of death. Quick! Death is coming! Better learn to deal with it. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.com - check out the new site! Show Notes & Links Don DeLillo White Noise Post Modernism / Postmodern The Proposal (2009 film) - Anne Fletcher Freytag's Pyramid (dramatic structure) Sir Richard J. Evans Seth Rich Philip K. Dick Substance D A Scanner Darkly Calvin and Hobbes Bill Watterson Dave Eggers David Foster Wallace

Smuggled stories from North Korea - On this episode, recorded when the panel was giddy over the French election results, Pat and Sam delve into the recently published short stories of Bandi. The pseudonym of an unknown North Korean author (which means firefly), Bandi wrote the stories at great personal risk. They were smuggled out of the country by others and have now been published in English as "The Accusation". The panel discusses their favorites of the stories, the work's damning portrayal of the North Korean government, and the steps taken to protect the identity of this dissident writer, offering us the first fiction from someone still living in the country. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.com Show Notes & Links Bandi The Accusation One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Patty Hearst Arduous March (North Korean famine) North Korea at Night Third Reich Trilogy by Richard J. Evans The Third Reich of Dreams: The Nightmares of

Infinite Gestation goes contemporary in this episode featuring John Darnielle's debut novel, Wolf in White Van, nominated for the National Book Award in 2014. Though many know Darnielle as singer-songwriter and member of The Mountain Goats, he is making a well received foray into fiction. His first novel is in no way a vanity project and despite some flaws, stands as a fine specimen of a freshman novel. His sophomore effort Universal Harvester was released in February of this year. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.com Show Notes & Links Wolf in White Van John Darnielle The Mountain Goats A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (podcast episode) Universal Harvester Weeds (TV Series) We Shall All Be Healed (2004 album) Game Systems Inc. Middle Earth Play-By-Mail (PBM) Briefcase/Suitcase in Pulp Fiction MacGuffin Larry Norman Paul McCartney Death Hoax (Paul is Dead) Backmasking Marabou Stork Ni

Pat reads Jazz, Sam reads Beloved, they discuss both! Departing from the usual format, this episode features both novels by Toni Morrison in a discussion exploring the work of one of American literature's greatest icons. Highlights include some comparisons to the film Beloved starring Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover as well as Sam's definition of magical realism. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.com Show Notes & Links Toni Morrison Jazz Beloved Beloved (film) Kunderafest – The Festival of Insignificance by Milan Kundera | Episode 002 40 acres and a mule Dred Scott Decision (Dred Scott v. Sandford) Paul B is actually Paul D (apologies from Sam) Die Blechtrommel – The Tin Drum by Günter Grass | Episode 008 The Tin Drum by Günter Grass Salman Rushdie One Hundred Years of Solitude Gabriel Garcia Márquez Terry Pratchett The Exorcist Woody Allen Sunset Boulevard

Pat and Sam are joined by guest Matt Bird in an episode returning to Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. With the success of the series on Hulu, and certain recent political developments, Atwood's frightening vision of the future has attained a new place in the public consciousness. In this episode the panel compares the novel to the television series and discusses the odd choice of music, the wisdom of softening Gilead's racist ideology, and the casting of talented actors who are younger than their book counterparts. Check out the earlier "Atwood's Dystopia" episode from November 2015 in which only the novel is discussed for further commentary on Margaret Atwood's new classic. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.com Show Notes & Links The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu Audiobook Claire Danes performs The Handmaid's Tale Atwood’s Dystopia – The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood | Episode 017 Monster (2003 film) - Patty Jenkins Breakfa

In an era whereby journalism (and facts in general) have become increasingly important, Scoop reminds us that though the methods, means and technology of news collection and distribution have changed drastically, the story essentially remains the same. This biting satire exposes the timeless woes of sensationalist journalism via a collection of rag tag foreign correspondents living it up in (the fictional East African state of) Ishmaelia. Amid games of ping pong, plenty of drinking and pursuing the occasional newsworthy happening, the journalists essentially await a war that may or may not ever occur. Hilarity ensues. Lovers of Monty Python, this book is for you. Oh yeah, and Evelyn Waugh is a man. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.com Show Notes & Links Scoop Evelyn Waugh Fleet Street Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh Second Italo-Abyssinian War Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene - Episode "British comedy is based on the question Wouldn’t it be funny IF? where

Infinite Gestation welcomes special guest Matt Bird for a discussion on Southern Gothic Literature, and more specifically, three short stories by Flannery O'Connor. "Good Country People", "Everything that Rises Must Converge" and "A Good Man is Hard to Find" all exhibit the craft of a master short story writer at work, while further confirming that the author left us far too soon. These stories take a dark look at the post-bellum American South, with all its complexities. Questions emerge regarding the strange nature of evil, institutional racism, and religion's place within one's world view. The presence of O'Connor's influence can be felt in many places, though it can be seen most recently throughout the work of the Coen Brothers (many of their story-telling sensibilities stand firmly in her shadow). With two novels and two collections of short stories, the body of Flannery O'Connor's work can be consumed in a relatively short time. We highly recommend that you do so, and sooner rather than later. Follow 

The long-awaited Shakespeare episode has finally arrived! In this episode the panel delves into the question and the many theories of: who was Shakespeare? Questions as to Shakespeare's true identity are not new. Over the decades, scholars and enthusiasts alike have presented a wide range of theories to satisfy those who remain unconvinced that William Shakespeare was not simply a man from Stratford-upon-Avon. The Shakespeare authorship question runs the spectrum from informed academic scholarship down to wild conspiracy theories (not unlike those surrounding the case of Jack the Ripper) and in many cases, best filed alongside pop culture urban legends such as posthumous sightings of Elvis Presley and the Paul McCartney Death Hoax. A core group of five alternative candidates (Edward De Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford - Christopher Marlowe - Francis Bacon - William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby & Roger Manners, 5th Earl of Rutland) has emerged as the most popular, for various reasons. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitt

It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis made a sudden and dramatic climb on bestseller lists in late fall 2016. Parts of the novel bear some uncanny similarities to the 2016 election –– Donald Trump in particular can be seen vividly in character of Buzz Windrip, demagogue and presidential candidate. Published in 1935 during the rise of fascism in Europe, Lewis' novel imagines how the United States of America might become seduced by a man promising great things while quickly transitioning the country into a fascist dictatorship. Though not without its flaws, the book is well worth a read –– especially in light of current events offering it more weight than it had at its initial publication. Many of the parallels are striking. Stay vigilant. This episode is part of our Dystopian Novel Series. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.com Show Notes & Links It Can't Happen Here Sinclair Lewis Fascism: /ˈfæʃɪzəm/ is a form of radical authoritarian nationalism that came to prominence

Orwell and Hemingway in Spain - the long awaited episode on the Spanish Civil War is finally here! Herein the panel covers Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell and For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, complete with some mustache styling tips and a brief lesson in Spanish swear words. Though centered on the same conflict (albeit in separate regions of the country) the two works differ wildly in style, tone and detail. Hemingway's novel is essentially fiction, making use of the conflict for his  setting and backdrop while Orwell reports on the war, laboring to understand and explain the roots of the struggle within the quagmire of surrounding politics. Sam's brief primer on the Spanish Civil War promises to make the subject more accessible than ever before – and hopefully encourage more personal research into an event that seems to reside unjustly in the shadow of World War II. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.com Show Notes & Links George Orwell Homage to Catalonia

The official "Nonfiction Round Table Year End Review What's Coming Up Episode".  Featuring a look at the inner workings of the podcast and a look back on the panelists' favorite episodes from 2016. Sam Zurcher shares some thoughts on his recent reading of The New Tsar - The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin by Steven Lee Myers (along with a healthy dose of foreign policy), and Grant Karazsia schools us on Born a Crime by Trevor Noah & The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe by David Kertzer. Also: Archer references, various instances of humor and a taste of 2017's upcoming episodes (books for your reading list). Stay vigilant. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.com Show Notes & Links Star Trek vs. Star Wars | Episode 037 Passengers (2016 film) -  Morten Tyldum (starring Jennifer Lawrence & Chris Pratt) Kubrick vs. Clarke – 2001: A Space Odyssey – Novel to Film Comparison | Episode 028 Beatnik vs. Revolutionary – On the Road b

In a tribute episode to Edward Albee (who passed away this September 2016), Infinite Gestation discusses Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962) – perhaps the author's best known work. The 1966 film adaptation of the award winning play deviates only slightly from the source material, offering an ideal way to experience the piece, outside of reading the play (or attending a live performance, which certainly comes recommended). Originally thought too young for the role of middle-aged Martha, Elizabeth Taylor turns in a stellar performance, serving to remind us that she was much more than a diva movie star – the woman could act. Disclaimer: The story of George and Martha's crumbling marriage is loaded with so many themes and metaphors ripe for interpretation that using it for any sort of drinking game would probably kill you. We had trouble fitting all of this into a single episode, which is probably a testament to the fine quality of Albee's work. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.co

This year's annual Halloween Special is a double-parked megasode featuring all things "The Shining"! The panel's trifecta discussion includes the novel by Stephen King as well as the classic Stanley Kubrick film, before finishing strong with the more recent documentary "Room 237" and the dubious conspiracy theories that it contains. Words of wisdom, Lloyd. Words of wisdom. Happy Halloween! Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.com Show Notes & Links Stephen King The Shining (1977 novel) The Shining (1980 film) - Stanley Kubrick Staney Kubrick Room 237 (2012 film) - Rodney Ascher  Stephen King Tours of Maine (hosted by Stu Tinker) Doctor Strangelove (1964 film) - Stanley Kubrick Paths of Glory (1957 film) - Stanley Kubrick Paul is dead (Beatles urban legend) Dark Side of the Rainbow (synching Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" with "The Wizard of Oz") Pink Floyd's "The Wall" + Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland = ?

In a memorial tribute to Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, who passed away this past July, the panel tackles his 1988 novel Twilight. Elie Wiesel spent his life being an exemplary spokesman for those who lived through the Holocaust; both those who died and those who had to try and live their life after witnessing such horrors. He's primarily known for his memoir Night, required reading in most schools, but his fiction is an integral part of the Wiesel canon. Delving into the functions of memory, madness, and the role of religion & philosophy in life, Twilight is the story of a Holocaust survivor's visit to the mountain psychiatric clinic in New York, where the patients believe themselves to be contemporary versions of Biblical figures, from Adam to God, to try and understand the meaning of his own survival, if any, and discover the truth of his friend and mentor Pedro, the man who rescued him before disappearing inside Stalin's Soviet Russia. The meaning of life, truth & falsehoods, madmen, religion, Kabbalah, po

Read a banned book today! Once again breaking traditional episode format, Infinite Gestation celebrates Banned Books Week with three short segments on Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary, John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath and Joseph Heller's Catch 22 respectively, followed by a general discussion entailing the questionable wisdom behind literary censorship. All three selections from this episode are readily available from your favorite bookstore. For purposes of correction, it should be noted that John Steinbeck was in his early thirties (not early to mid twenties) when his parents passed away. Patrick apologizes for the error. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.com Show Notes & Links Shout out to BannedBooksWeek.org Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck Catch 22 by Joseph Heller The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons) by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos Marquis De Sade Le Rouge et le Noir (The Red and

The Star Wars movies are back and Star Trek is celebrating 50 years! In commemoration, the panel has broken form for a discussion of these two Science Fiction franchises, including the theory that both occupy the same universe. Eschewing debates about "the biggest space ship" and "can the Enterprise take a hit from the Death Star" this episode concentrates on storytelling, themes and the reason both universes are so beloved. Whether dealing with the nature of humanity, the realities of sexual relations, or the strange politics the criticisms remain unsparing. In short, the debate receives the same treatment as any topic. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.com Show Notes & Links Star Wars (film franchise) George Lucas Star Trek (television and film franchise) Gene Roddenberry Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry (No, not that Steve Perry) John Milius THX 1138 (1971 film) - George Lucas Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB (Lucas' 1967 student film) CRM 114 (Stanle

In this anniversary year of the death of Miguel de Cervantes, Infinite Gestation discusses the possible reasons for the timelessness of The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha. Though four hundred years has passed since its publication, Don Quixote remains quite modern, continuing to remind us that however re-tooled, camouflaged or rediscovered, there are seldom new ideas in literature. Widely considered the first modern novel, Cervantes' masterpiece serves to remind us of fiction's endless possibilities, while holding the distinction of presenting many of them to us for the first time. Though we could certainly go on and on about this, truth be told, Don Quixote has no trouble selling itself. Give the book a read to find out why. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.com Show Notes & Links Don Quixote [The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha] Miguel de Cervantes Edith Grossman Samuel Putnam "Orlando Furioso" by Ludovico Ariosto Butch Cassidy and the

Special guest Matt Bird joins the panel as Infinite Gestation continues its Dystopian Novel Series with Paris in the Twentieth Century - the "lost novel" by Jules Verne. Though completed in 1863, the work remained unpublished until 1994, subsequent to its rediscovery in a safe belonging to the author's heirs. Though predating everything within the cannon of dystopian literature (thereby technically hailing as the genre's first entry), the work's belated publication negates any claim to such a title while essentially robbing it of one hundred thirty plus years of influence, prestige, homage and pastiche. Episode highlights include ongoing arguments for the importance of the humanities within all levels of academia, the sordid politics of standardized testing and the strong assertion that the English Major is more than just 4+ years of drinking beer and smoking weed. Todays episode was brought to you by a profound appreciation for public libraries. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestati