donna tartt

There are works of weird fiction that dispense their strangeness so subtly that many readers never pick up on it, books that allow themselves to be pass for mundane, the better to haunt us after we put them down. Donna Tartt's debut novel The Secret History, published in 1992, is such a work. On the surface, it is a brilliant, yet completely naturalistic, telling of the lead-up and aftermath of a murder. But The Secret History is also a work of the depths, and readers who go in seeking the Weird will find it lurking on every page. More than a masterpiece of psychological exploration, it is a story about the resurgence of the old god Dionysus, and a chronicle of fate; fate conceived, in the manner of the Ancient Greeks, as a cosmic force. Support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/weirdstudies). Buy the Weird Studies sountrack, volumes 1 (https://pierre-yvesmartel.bandcamp.com/album/weird-studies-music-from-the-podcast-vol-1) and 2 (https://pierre-yvesmartel.bandcamp.com/album/weird-studies-music-from-the-podcast-vol-2), on Pierre-Yves Martel's Bandcamp (https://pierre-yvesmartel.bandcamp.com) page. Listen to Meredith Michael and Gabriel Lubell's podcast, Cosmophonia (https://cosmophonia.podbean.com/). Visit the Weird Studies Bookshop (https://bookshop.org/shop/weirdstudies) Find us on Discord (https://discord.com/invite/Jw22CHfGwp) Get the T-shirt design from Cotton Bureau (https://cottonbureau.com/products/can-o-content#/13435958/tee-men-standard-tee-vintage-black-tri-blend-s)! REFERENCES Donna Tartt, The Secret History (https://bookshop.org/a/18799/9781400031702) Robertson Davies (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robertson_Davies), Canadian novelist Weird Studies, Episode 98 on Exotica (https://www.weirdstudies.com/98) M. R. James (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._R._James), English author Weird Studies, Episode 3 on “The White People” (https://www.weirdstudies.com/3) E. R. Dodds, The Greeks and the Irrational (https://bookshop.org/a/18799/9781773239187) Jean Cocteau, La Machine Infernale (https://bookshop.org/a/18799/9782253009160) John Crowley, Little, Big (https://bookshop.org/a/18799/9780061120053) Star Trek: The Next Generation, “The Outrageous Okana” (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0708816/) Weird Studies, Episode 110 on “The Glass Bead Game” (https://www.weirdstudies.com/110) Gabriel Faure, Nocturne No. 11 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8vrmePFUdg) Pierre-André Boutang, L'Abécédaire de Gilles Deleuze (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyXMmx2Ofgs) Donna Tartt, The Goldfinch (https://bookshop.org/a/18799/9780316055444)

Summary: Ah, the follies and joys of youth! If you’ve been with us since the start, you know that Holly and Devin love stories with octogenarian protagonists. This week we’re mixing it up and focusing on 20-something people who are still figuring themselves out. Holly struggled to find a book in her wheelhouse for this theme, but is generally drawn to young protagonists in thrillers because the silly mistakes they make to get murdered seem more plausible. Devin struggles to find books that *don’t* focus on 20-somethings, since the romance genre has a long history of focusing solely on young people. Overall, though, they always have a blast following young protagonists through thorny plots and tough growth, and today’s episode is no exception!  

Topics Discussed:

• The Dagger (3:04): Holly discussed The Secret History by Donna Tartt, a novel following 6 friends at an elite Vermont college who, through their own hubris, are sucked into a dark tangled web heavily featuring Greek Classics. As an inverted detective story, we quickly learn that the group is responsible for the murder of one of their own, Edward “Bunny” Corcoran, whose body is found days after his disappearance at the bottom of a ravine. Her key takeaways were:

• Tartt captured the 20-something experience by delving into themes that resonate with that time in life. Holly was especially impacted by the dangers of isolation, superficiality, and the weight of keeping secrets for the group of 6 young students. 
• While initially fearful of reading this book because it might be too pretentious for her taste, Holly enjoyed it thoroughly after 8 years on her TBR shelf. The writing is incredibly strong and Holly was ultimately drawn to the group of friends and Tartt’s phenomenal character development 
• This book popularized the dark academia / campus novel subgenre when it was published in 1992; Holly especially appreciated the chill fall moods and dusty college setting that added to the sense of isolation and doom for the plot. 

• The Heart (20:21): Devin discussed Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert, Book 3 in the Brown Sisters series that follows Eve Brown, the youngest sibling and a 26 year old self-described mess. When Eve fails at yet another job, a fight with her parents sends her driving nowhere just to escape; 45 minutes later she stops for a snack at a bed and breakfast that is in desperate need of a new cook. She interviews on the fly with the B&B owner, Jacob Wayne, but his stormy and abrasive attitude make her flee yet again - only to hit Jacob (by accident) with her car. 

• If you haven’t already, Devin *highly* recommends reading all 3 books in the Brown Sisters series! You can check out all the offerings at Talia Hibbert’s website here; they are diverse, sexy, well-written plots with characters you’ll love! 
• Both Eve and Jacob are on the autism spectrum and their mutual support, communication, and clarification of their needs throughout the book not only makes their enemies to friends to lovers journey something to root for, but the intimacy and sexual connection between them much more profound.
• As a coming of age romance, Eve is the sunshine, singsong friend and Jacob is the gray, stormy, unyielding counter. Together, though, their witty banter evolves into growth for both - Jacob with his abandonment issues and Eve with her deel fear of failure. 

• Hot On the Shelf (37:59):

• Devin: The Winners by Fredrik Backman
• Holly: Babel by R.F. Kuang

• What’s Making Our Hearts Race (42:27):

• Devin: Cross-country skiing setup 
• Holly: The Banshees of Inisherin

Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod

Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com

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Donna Tarts Roman und seine Auseinandersetzung mit der Antike und der Klassischen Philologie.

Wir haben einen kleinen Freund, den Distelfink und das ist unsere geheime Geschichte... Es geht weiter mit unserem zweiten Teil über die beeindruckende Autorin Donna Tartt. Haben wir uns beim letzten Mal auf sie und ihren Debütroman konzentriert, geht es in dieser Folge nun um »Der Distelfink«, für den sie den Pulitzer-Preis erhielt und um das Gemälde, welches als Grundlage für ihre Geschichte diente. Lernt den kleinen Stieglitz kennen und was alles in ihm steckt..

Wir haben einen kleinen Freund, den Distelfink und das ist unsere geheime Geschichte... Donna Tartt erschafft Romane mit unglaublicher Fülle. Sie schenkt uns Schönheit in Geschichten, die alle Facetten des Lebens aufdecken und uns in die tiefsten Abgründe der menschlichen Charaktere schauen lassen. In der ersten Folge unseres Donna Tartt-Zweiteilers stellen wir euch die Autorin und ihren Lebensweg vor und tauchen ein in ihren Debütroman »Die geheime Geschichte«.

Kann man sich komplett in einem Menschen täuschen? Und warum zieht Jack Reacher die Gefahr an wie ein Magnet? Diese und weitere Fragen stellen sich Karla und Günter in Folge 6. Daneben stellen sie uns ihre Lieblingstitel von Dolores Redondo, Lee Child, Melanie Raabe und Donna Tartt vor – in jeweils 60 Sekunden. Unsere allgemeinen Datenschutzrichtlinien finden Sie unter https://art19.com/privacy. Die Datenschutzrichtlinien für Kalifornien sind unter https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info abrufbar.

Kate and Rob discuss the twenty books on the longlist for this year's Women's Prize for Fiction. Brought to you by Audible. To start your free trial go to www.adventureswithwords.com/audible.

A poorly Kate means no new podcast this week. Instead with The Goldfinch due out, listen again to our thoughts on The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Brought to you by Audible. To start your free trial go to www.adventureswithwords.com/audible.

In association with Bookplate Books, Kate and Rob discuss The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Brought to you by Audible, to start your free trial go to www.adventureswithwords.com/audible.