Episode 367: 'Tender Is the Night' by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Published in 1884 in the UK and 1885 in the US, 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' is a sequel to Mark Twain's 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'. The novel follows Huck Finn, a young boy who escapes his abusive father by faking his own death, and Jim, a runaway slave. Together, they embark on a perilous journey down the Mississippi River on a raft. Along the way, they encounter various characters, including con artists and feuding families, and Huck grapples with moral dilemmas, particularly regarding his support for Jim despite the societal norms against helping a runaway slave. The novel is a critique of pre-Civil War American society, especially its treatment of slavery and racial issues, and it has been praised for its realistic portrayal of boyhood and its exploration of complex moral themes.

In this seminal work, Freud delves into the realm of psychoanalysis to analyze the various ways in which our subconscious affects everyday behaviors. The book focuses on phenomena like forgetting names, slips of the tongue, and other errors, arguing that these are not random but are influenced by psychological factors. Freud uses numerous case studies to illustrate how these everyday psychopathologies reveal underlying motivations and conflicts, blurring the line between normal and neurotic behaviors. The book is considered one of Freud's most accessible and popular works, making it a significant contribution to the field of psychoanalysis.

In this seminal work, Freud introduces his theory of the unconscious with respect to dream interpretation and discusses what would later become the theory of the Oedipus complex. He argues that dreams are forms of 'wish fulfillment' and are influenced by unconscious forces and censorship. The book differentiates between the manifest content and latent content of dreams and explores the mechanisms of dream formation, including displacement and the 'dream-work'. Freud uses his own dreams and those of his patients to illustrate his theories, providing a deeply personal and insightful look into the human psyche.

Moby-Dick is a novel that tells the story of Captain Ahab's maniacal quest for revenge against Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that bit off his leg. Narrated by Ishmael, the story follows the crew of the whaling ship Pequod as they embark on a journey that explores themes of obsession, man vs. nature, and the existential questions of good and evil. The novel is rich in detailed descriptions of whale hunting and life aboard a culturally diverse crew, and it has become a cornerstone of American and world literature.

Written in the spring of 1819, 'Ode to a Nightingale' is one of John Keats' most famous odes. The poem delves into the speaker's deep meditation on time, death, beauty, and human suffering, inspired by the song of a nightingale. The speaker yearns to escape the sorrows of the world through various means, including alcohol, poetry, and even death, but ultimately realizes the impossibility of fully joining the nightingale's immortal realm. The poem contrasts the eternal, beautiful song of the nightingale with the mortal, suffering life of humans, highlighting the themes of creative expression, mortality, and the fleeting nature of human experience.

Tender Is the Night is a novel that delves into the intense and complicated relationship between Dick and Nicole Diver, an American couple living in the South of France, and Rosemary Hoyt, a young actress. The story explores themes of social class, codependent love, and mental illness, reflecting the excesses and disillusionments of the Jazz Age. Dick, a brilliant psychiatrist, marries Nicole, a wealthy and mentally unstable patient, and their relationship is complicated by Dick's infatuation with Rosemary. The novel critiques the superficiality and moral decay of the wealthy elite and is heavily influenced by Fitzgerald's own life, particularly his relationship with his wife Zelda, who struggled with mental illness.

Published in 1925, 'The Great Gatsby' is a tragic love story, a mystery, and a social commentary on American life during the Jazz Age. The novel is narrated by Nick Carraway, who moves to Long Island and becomes entangled in the lives of his wealthy and mysterious neighbor, Jay Gatsby, and Gatsby's obsession to win back his first love, Daisy Buchanan. The story delves into themes of honesty, the temptations of wealth, and the struggle to escape the past, ultimately reflecting on the disintegration of the American Dream.