"Alice Munro, Canadian writer known for her short stories about ordinary women and men," discusses her masterpiece novella "The Love of a Good Woman" in this episode. The hosts explore Munro's storytelling style, compare it to Stephen King's work, and discuss director Rob Reiner's impact. They also introduce historical context and share personal experiences, like dining out and observing a submerged car. The chapter ends with a detailed description of Bud's chaotic household. The hosts speculate on the mysterious story, promising more revelations to come.
The three boys struggle with the decision to keep the discovery of the submerged car a secret.
Each boy's family dynamics and circumstances influence their choice to remain silent.
The boys navigate their small town, encountering various familiar faces and engaging in light-hearted banter while keeping their secret.
Deep dives
The Discovery by the River
Three boys stumble upon a car submerged in the river and recognize it as belonging to Mr. Wilens, the local optometrist. They see an arm inside the car and realize that Mr. Wilens is likely drowned. They are unsure about what to do and keep the discovery to themselves.
Quiet Family Dinners
The three boys, Cece, Jimmy, and Bud, have dinner with their respective families. Cece's father is abusive, and his mother would prefer him not to go to the police. Jimmy's family lives in a crowded house and avoids bringing any additional problems to the table. Bud's sisters dismiss his story, and his father would think he's lying. In the end, the boys decide to keep quiet about the discovery.
Gawking at Mrs. Wilens' Forsythia
While walking downtown, the boys pass the house of Mrs. Wilens, who is known for her beautiful flower garden. Mrs. Wilens notices the boys staring and offers them branches of forsythia to take home. The boys, still processing their discovery, accept the flowers but keep the secret of Mr. Wilens' car submerged in the river.
Exploring Childhood Adventures in the Countryside
A group of young boys ventures into the countryside, disregarding the usual route and walking along the iron shelf of a bridge. As they traverse the countryside, they reminisce about finding peculiar objects washed up by the river's flood and discuss their ambitions for future enterprises involving muskrat trapping and a hidden shed.
Encounters with Familiar Faces and Unexpected Revelations
While walking back home, the boys encounter various familiar faces in town. They overhear ladies gossiping about blood on someone's skirt and engage in light-hearted banter with their acquaintances. However, their encounter with Captain Turvet, a special constable, takes a more serious turn as they reveal the presence of a drowned car in Jutland Pond, but ultimately employ a humorous diversion to avoid accusations.
"She is our Chekhov," said Cynthia Ozick, "and she is going to outlast most of her contemporaries." Ozick was talking about the great Alice Munro, the Canadian writer whose short stories about ordinary women and men have garnered every literary prize imaginable. In this episode, the first of three Alice Munro Week special episodes, Jacke introduces Part One of Munro's masterpiece of a novella, "The Love of a Good Woman."
Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. (We appreciate it!) Find out more at historyofliterature.com, jackewilson.com, or by following Jacke and Mike on Twitter at @thejackewilson and @literatureSC. Or send an email to jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com.
Music Credits:
“Et Voila” and “Long Stroll” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
***
This show is a part of the Podglomerate network, a company that produces, distributes, and monetizes podcasts. We encourage you to visit the website and sign up for our newsletter for more information about our shows, launches, and events. For more information on how The Podglomerate treats data, please see our Privacy Policy.
Since you're listening to The History of Literature, we'd like to suggest you also try other Podglomerate shows surrounding literature, history, and storytelling like Storybound, Micheaux Mission, and The History of Standup.