The Foxed Page

"Franny" and "Zooey" (and Franny and Zooey) depend on many important (but subtle) ways upon Seymour Glass. Published in the New Yorker in 1948, "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" introduces us to Seymour--in the moments before his death. Even in his absence, Seymour is foundational for the entire Glass Family. He might be MOST crucial to the youngest Glasses, Franny and Zooey. If you love the book FRANNY AND ZOOEY, a deep dive into "Bananafish" will make you love it even more!

This deep dive is SO deep that Kimberly needs a whole lecture just to discuss "Franny." The first 40 pages of FRANNY AND ZOOEY is not only amazing, but the perfect way to look at what makes all of Salinger's prose so unmistakably SALINGER. (A second Salinger lecture will tackle "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," then we'll dive all the way in to the hugely popular FRANNY AND ZOOEY.)

Allow Kimberly to point out the intricacies, the nuance, the FACTS of what Akbar is really saying at the end of his insanely great novel. Tune in to hear Kimberly argue a few sides of this coin. She follows Daniel Mendelsohn's advice to treat literature like a social science: look carefully at the DATA. If you're like all the folks on the internet who have real questions about this novel's close, you're in the right place.

People. This is one of the most intense reading experiences Kimberly has had in ages. The book is so smart, so warm and funny and complicated, that Kimberly realized it deserves two lectures! This first one focuses on the narrative stance, the inventiveness, the humor and complicated compendium-like structure (and a possible small debt to David Foster Wallace). The SECOND lecture (coming soon) tackles the novel's insanely great, ambiguous, enigmatic ENDING.

NO SPOILERS! What's summer without a good beach read? By the QUEEN of the beach read?? Kimberly was somewhat alarmed that Hilderbrand is "hanging up her bikini" but thank god we have 26 other Nantucket novels to choose from. People, Hilderbrand is SO GOOD at this stuff. Listen in to find out why her narrative stance, atmospheric elements and structure make these books so solid. (Also: Kimberly has just a few teeny quibbles). There's no such thing as "guilty pleasure" where Hilderbrand is concerned--she's just so good at this stuff!

ALL FOURS is changing how we think about sex, maternity, marriage--and towels. Touted by the New York Times as "the first great peri-menopause novel," it's July's most accessible, most hilarious and most "filthy" (in the best of ways) work. Listen in while Kimberly uses the lens of humor to appreciate the pathos, the sex, the iconoclasm and the tension in this IMPORTANT BOOK.

Who knew that Collins wrote his doctoral dissertation on the romantic poets?? Tune in to hear Kimberly break down the Romantic Movement and Byron's "She Walks in Beauty"--all in preparation to more fully appreciate our nation's "most popular poet"!

Kimberly does not love poetry. Which she considers a personal failure. But it turns out that she LOVES hearing Paul Chowder, narrator of this novel, teach her all about poetry. If you need a lift, and love hilarious, smart books--listen in!

Explore Alice Munro's only novel 'Lives of Girls and Women' in this podcast. Dive into discussions on themes of honesty, religion, shame, and humor. Uncover the complexities of the novel through analyses on family dynamics, character relationships, and the interlocking short story structure.

NO READING NECESSARY! Think of this talk as a primer that will ensure you won't miss any of the ZILLION REASONS why North Woods was on all those best-of-2023 lists. This novel is so engrossing and wide reaching. It's smart and rich and just plain fun to read. Listen as Kimberly points out aspects you do not want to miss. Already read it? You'll love this even more!