Tom - Podcast: The Librarian is In

This podcast ended up being pretty interesting. The Librarian is In is "The New York Public Library's podcast about books, culture, and what to read next." The two hosts, Gwen and Frank, have a constant back and forth conversation style that was easy to listen to. 

The first episode I listened to was called Mourning Heathcliff, Hedwig, and All the Literary Dogs. I picked this episode mainly out of my curiosity for the topic that was to be discussed, which was the effect of character death on the reader. For this episode, Gwen and Frank brought along a guest named Eric Molinsky who is the host of a podcast called Imaginary Worlds. 

One of the most important discussions revolved around the role of parasocial relationships, or relationships that one can have with someone that they don't actually know in real life. When you think about it, this is quite an interesting concept. Sometimes we become so connected to characters in a story, we feel as though we know them on a real-life, personal level. This was the main argument for how readers are effected by the deaths of characters that they have parasocial relationships with. The emotions elicited are vivid and impactful. An expert determined that from a psychological standpoint, readers are most likely to establish parasocial relationships with characters that display avoidant attachment styles. Due to their limited circle of friends and conservatism when it comes to trust, forming a parasocial relationship with such a character makes you feel as though you are actually one of their best or closest friends. 

Before listening to this podcast episode, I never truly pondered the reasons behind we as readers can feel such powerful emotions when a character we connect with dies. 

I also listened to the episode titled That Episode about 'Cat Person'. I was drawn to this episode since we have all individually read Cat Person, and since we have discussed it in class. I was interested to learn that many of the story's critics were conflating non-fiction with fiction as they read. 

When discussing the end of the story where Robert sends repeated and increasingly vile texts, Frank says that he felt heartbroken for Robert, although he did not approve of his actions. On the other hand, Gwen states that she felt sorry for Robert the entire time until he sent these texts. Gwen says she predicted the last line of the story, whereas Frank was caught more off guard. Personally, I was shocked when Robert sent his final text. 

One final topic of discussion had to do with the difference between the societal pressures faced by men and women today. Gwen and Frank bring up the point that women are pushed to think about other peoples feelings and emotions, even if it means doing something they don't necessarily want to do in order to preserve someone's feelings and emotions. For Margot, this involves following through with Robert when they go back to his house even though she wants to leave. Conversely, the societal pressure for men to hide and compartmentalize their emotions is discussed in the context of Robert, when he can't accept the emasculating facts about the situation he is in. 

I felt like this episode provided a solid overview and analysis of Cat Person from different perspectives.

The Librarian is In was light, engaging, and provided new insights into some ideas I have never considered deeply before. I give it a thumbs up.