Discussion Notes: Miss Temptation

Find this week’s story here: Miss Temptation by Kurt Vonnegut.

Next week’s story: Strays by Mark Richard.

Rated: Clean

This week Maya, Gerald, Anais, and Rammy discuss a Vonnegut short story called Miss Temptation. Anais got a kick out of the story’s feminist theme and the female protagonist’s reclaiming of her reputation. However, Gerald found the feminist message to be heavy handed. This led Maya to wonder if the feminist themes from a story written in the 50s seems redundant in present day. Yet despite the fact the story is old, our hosts discuss how the same sexism in this story repeats itself today. As for Rammy, he enjoyed the larger than life characters and the supporting cast. When it came to language, Gerald and Anais loved the way Vonnegut built suspense.

How does this story compare to Vonnegut’s other work? Listen for a comparison.

Also, don’t forget to rate the story! For the history of our goofy system, see Anais’ post “Read Short Stories or Ray Bradbury Cries.” On a scale of 1-6 Bradberries, how do you rate this story? Tell us in the comments below or via voicemail.

Also your reviews on iTunes help us grow. Please search Literary Roadhouse in iTunes and leave reviews for all of our shows.

Discussion Notes: Harrison Bergeron

Find this week’s story here: Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Next week’s story: The Dog of Tetval by Saadat Hasan Manto.

Rated: Clean

Gerald is still on vacation. This week Gabriel Jarboe, aspiring author and friend of the show, joins the discussion.

This week’s discussion of Harrison Bergeron led the hosts to debate the choices authors make in designing their characters. Gabriel thought the over-the-top, comedic quality of the title character, Harrison, was a stroke of genius and meant to be taken with levity. While Anais believed the choice to make Harrison an egomaniac undermined the satire’s larger lesson that warns against the perils of egalitarianism. Maya felt the story to be emotionally flat, but an enjoyable thought experiment. Rammy surprisingly liked the science fiction story, and admitted he normally does not like sci-fi. The discussion also veered into how innate competition is to the human condition. Maya noted that the handicaps made the subjects stronger, and Anais realized that even with the handicaps, the characters in the story could tell who was gifted and who was not.

Gabriel makes a valiant effort to convince Maya of the story’s pathos. Is he successful?

Also, don’t forget to rate the story! For the history of our goofy system, see Anais’ post “Read Short Stories or Ray Bradbury Cries.” On a scale of 1-6 Bradberries, how do you this story? Tell us in the comments below or via voicemail.

Also your reviews on iTunes help us grow. Please search Literary Roadhouse in iTunes and leave reviews for all of our shows.