The Reader and the Writer

Welcome to Lila, by Marilynne Robinson! In this episode Rhea and Shari spend a long time situating themselves in Lila’s story: the zooming in and out of the narrative distance, Lila as our narrator, her own distancing of herself from her story, her reliability as a narrator, and more. They talk about what Lila’s character is revealing about the story’s conflict, and its already developing themes. They discuss Lila’s relationships: those of her past that have shaped her present. They notice the vast number of references to water and baptism, and the Great Conversation bubbling up from beneath the surface. Same with stories and storytelling.
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As mentioned at the top of the episode:
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In case you missed it, here is the reading schedule for Lila:
* October 20: pages 3-68
* October 27: pages 68-132
* November 3: pages 132-198
* November 10: 199-261
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Welcome to our final episode of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea! In this episode, Rhea and Shari try to make sense of the story’s ending by “reading like a writer,” so, as Virginia Woof says, they can “get the right end of the string.” They discuss all the ways the ending was problematic for them, and then took all those problems and considered them more closely. They examine the “argument” Verne seems to be having throughout the novel (What is the highest good?), and how this is expressed through Nemo and Arronax in the end. They talk about the narrative as presenting us with a world at once “scientifically verifiable and stable,” and undercutting that stability through narrative that Arronax presents us in his storytelling. They discuss the two Great Conversations Twenty Thousand Leagues is having: one with Virgil’s Aeneid, and the other with the Teacher of Ecclesiastes. Finally, they tease out the difference between a character’s vision and the story’s vision; and wonder how the writer behind them may be asking us to grapple with their contradictory meanings.
If you’ve been reading Twenty Thousand Leagues along with us, HIGH FIVE!! You did it! Well done, good and faithful reader. ;-) We are so thankful you stuck it out with us these thousands of leagues under the sea.
If you are a paying subscriber, look for this week’s show outline to post later this week. This one is full of really great information; to include all of Ecclesiastes 7, and a detailed summary of Aeneas’s wanderings.
Our next deep read is Lila, by Marilynne Robinson. We will be reading it over the next four weeks. Here is the breakdown (Note: there are no chapters, thus the page breakdown):
* Episode 1 | October 20th: pp. 3-68
* Episode 2 | October 27th: pp. 68-132
* Episode 3 | November 3rd: pp. 132-198 (end of page)
* Episode 4 | November 10th: pp. 199-261
As always, thanks so much for reading and contemplating with us. We love to hear from you, so send us a message or offer a comment below. Let us know what you thought of the end of Twenty Thousand Leagues! And, if you liked this episode, please consider re-stacking it so others can enjoy it, too!
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Welcome back to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea! In this episode, Rhea and Shari discuss the levels of conflict continuing to thicken and boil over toward climax. They talk about Shari’s essay from last week on Verne’s use of scientific language and the affect it has on both their reading experience and ultimate understanding of the story’s meaning. They take close notice of those moments of extreme splendor that are also lead to extreme horror. They talk about storytelling and Verne’s wink to the storyteller’s use of the fragment of reality to create a fantastical but still viable fictional world. They agree with Ned Land that there are some things too beautiful, too fantastic… beyond what our eyes are meant to see.
For our paying subscribers, the outline for Episode 6 will come out later this week.
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Welcome to our first episode in R&W’s Harry Potter series! In this episode, Shari and Rhea discuss Book One: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. They talk about story status quo, inciting incidents, and how the characters move on from there. They talk about the narrator, trustworthiness, and what is revealed by our narrator’s sorta-omniscient, reporter-like style. They look at the multiple layers of the story’s meaning, hidden in plain sight. They discuss genre: fairy tales, gothic romance, mysteries, and orphan tales. They wonder about the over-the-top Dursleys and characters that are caricatures. They talk about the Sorting Hat (which House are you in?), our reasoning v. what the hat sees, wands that choose the wizard, scars that can come in useful, centaurs that know much more than they’re saying—both mysterious and aloof to humans, but unwilling to see one perish, too. They discuss chess and sacrifice, two-faced professors, doppelgängers, connections to the Great Story, and how Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is very much a story that is setting the stage; situating us in this magnificent wizarding world.
If you are a paying subscriber, you will find both Rhea’s excellent chapter by chapter notes, and the show outline (broken down by the four medieval ways into meaning, with definitions, references, quotes, and links) underneath “Additional Resources” on R&W’s Harry Potter page. We have kept them as two separate documents. We hope you find them both helpful as you dive deep into Harry Potter by yourself or in conversation others.
Time to start reading Book Two: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets! Expect the next Harry Potter episode to air November 6th.

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Welcome back to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules’ Verne. In this episode, Rhea and Shari discuss the conflicting visions the story is continuing to present as we travel with Nemo and his captors. They talk about the ways this “enigmatic Nemo” is beginning more and more to rhyme with the “complicated Odysseus” (a liberator in the inverse? Hmmm… something to consider). They touch on the continuing conversation this story seems to be having about freedom v. knowledge, and wonder about how the story of the mythical Atlantis might be a way we can consider the meaning of the story Verne is trying to tell. And, they confess all the ways they are done with Verne’s excessive use of scientific language. Is it truly essential to the full telling of this story? Is it creating a more cohesive tale? Or fraying it at the edges? Only time, and more thousands of leagues under the sea will tell!
For our paid subscribers: the outline for Episode 5 will drop later this week.
For all our readers, let us know what you think about Nemo! Is he a great liberator? Or great hypocrite??
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