On the Road with Penguin Classics

Eliot's Book of Bookish Lists – Christmas Special 2022

Dec 1, 2022
Dive into a whimsical world where literary trivia reigns supreme! Discover the quirky kingdom of Redonda and its eccentric claimants. Explore James Joyce's 'Finnegan's Wake' through its fascinating 'thunder words.' Unravel the absurdities of lists with Borges and meet charming authors with peculiar habits. Laugh at the intertwining tales of Christmas carols and the introduction of starlings by a Shakespearean enthusiast. It's an enchanting mix of humor and literary insight sure to delight any book lover!
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
ANECDOTE

Kings and Queens of Redonda

  • The uninhabited Caribbean island Redonda has a quirky history of claimed kingship.
  • Authors like M.P. Shiel and Javier Marías claimed the title, granting titles to their friends.
ANECDOTE

Thunder Words in *Finnegan's Wake*

  • James Joyce's Finnegan's Wake contains ten "thunder words," each with 100 letters (except the last with 101).
  • These words represent thunderous noises, including dancing, and are part of Joyce's complex language.
ANECDOTE

Borges's Animal Classification

  • Jorge Luis Borges's fictional Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge categorizes animals nonsensically.
  • This inspired Michel Foucault's The Order of Things, exploring how we categorize and understand the world.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app