Reactions to Absurd Situations and the Power of Rumors

Canada’s leading Russian literature scholar Yoel Inbar joins us to try to make sense of Gogol’s 1836 short story “The Nose.” A nose goes missing from a Russian official’s face and winds up in the barber’s loaf of bread. A few hours later, the nose has rocketed up the social hierarchy and denies his connection to the official. What’s going on? Is Madame Alexandra Grigorievna up to something?

Plus we can’t say how but we got access to submitted abstracts for the new Journal of Controversial Ideas. We read a few of them in the opening segment, and let’s just say this journal is living up to its name.

Special Guest: Yoel Inbar.

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Links:

• Journal of Controversial Ideas
• Break music: Aleph (by peez) | SoundCloud
• Register for Panel on Individual Character and Structural Injustice (hosted by Hi-Phi's Barry Lam)
• The Nose (Gogol short story) - Wikipedia