Tag: whose body?

Episode 13.5: Neuroscience with Gavrielle Farmer

~ Sharon

In this special episode, Sharon spoke with listener Gavrielle Farmer about breakthroughs in neuroscience in the early 20th century, contemporary conversations about brain chemistry and behavior in Sayers’ day, the evolving conversation around shellshock between the world wars, and more.

Charis and Sharon also catch up on each other’s lives during Covid-19 shelter-in-place.

The podcast is taking a short hiatus and will return in four weeks with an episode on FIVE RED HERRINGS.

Download the episode 13.5 transcript!

Shownotes:

  • Sharon and Charis note that neither STATION ELEVEN (Emily St. John Mandel) nor DOOMSDAY BOOK (Connie Willis) may be comforting pandemic reading. They do recommend TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG and HOGFATHER (Terry Pratchett) if you’re looking for an engrossing read that’s on the lighter side.
  • If you’re interested in learning more about milestones in the study of neuroscience, Gavrielle recommends this resource.
  • Gavrielle cited the following publications in our discussion:
    -“Where Has Psychology Left Religion?” (1923), George Malcolm Stratton, The Journal of Religion Vol. 3 no. 1 p. 51-63
    -“Psychology and Free Will” (1937), Aidan Elrington, Blackfriars Vol. 18 no. 205 p. 262-272
    -“Has Psychology Failed?” (1935), Joseph Jastrow, The American Scholar Vol. 4 no. 3 p. 261-269
  • For more on our current understanding of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, you can find resources from the American Psychiatric Association and the US National Institute of Mental Health.
  • If you would like us to relay a question to Gavrielle on the topic of glands and neuroscience, you can email us at talkingpiffle AT gmail DOT com.

Episode 2: WHOSE BODY?, part 2

~ Sharon

In which Charis and Sharon discuss the second half of WHOSE BODY? We cover shellshock, literary Modernism, the novel’s experimentation with narrative form, and Sayers’ interest in theology, vocation, and social responsibility. Additionally, we reveal the culprit, our favorite lines, and what else we were reading at the time we recorded this episode!

Download the episode 2 transcript.

Shownotes:

  • The Tumblr post about Poirot that Charis loves is this one.
  • Sharon mentions THE COUNTRY AND THE CITY (Raymond Williams) in relation to our discussion on the false binary in literature between pastoral and urban spaces.
  • The Sherlock Holmes story that Charis brings up in relation to secrets in the countryside is “The Adventure of the Copper Beeches” (full text available online here).
  • In the discussion on Modernism, Sharon references THE GREAT WAR AND MODERN MEMORY (Paul Fussell), an influential book of literary criticism. Fussell’s thesis is that the trauma of WWI necessitated the changes in poetic language and narrative representation that gave rise to Modernist forms. Sharon also very cheekily brings up Virginia Woolf’s claim that “in or about December, 1910, human nature changed,” from Woolf’s essay titled “Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Brown” (full text available online here).
  • Sharon’s example of the type of formal experimentation most closely associated with Modernism is ULYSSES (James Joyce).
  • When we recorded this podcast, Sharon was also reading MAGIC FOR LIARS (Sarah Gailey), wherein a non-magical PI is hired to investigate a murder at a magic school.
  • Charis was reading THE FOREST UNSEEN (David George Haskell) and NIGHT WATCH (Terry Pratchett) when we recorded this podcast. THE FOREST UNSEEN chronicles Haskell’s year of observing one square meter of an old-growth Tennessee forest over the course of a year. NIGHT WATCH is a Discworld novel that also deals with themes of justice and social responsibility.

Episode 1: WHOSE BODY?, part 1

~ Sharon

In which Charis and Sharon discuss WHOSE BODY? as an introduction to the Lord Peter series, the uncomfortable anti-Semitism contained in the book, some biographical details about Sayers’ life, and how hideously underpaid Bunter is.

This episode covers up to chapter 7 of the book and does not spoil the whodunnit.

Download the episode 1 transcript.

Shownotes:

via GIPHY
[caption: the character Lucille Bluth, who is extremely wealthy, asks earnestly, “I mean, it’s one banana, Michael. What could it cost? 10 dollars?”]