George Saunders Riffs on Vonnegut, Teaching Writing, and How Capitalism Plunders the Sensuality of the Body

Posted on by Biblioklept

Published by Biblioklept

6 thoughts on “George Saunders Riffs on Vonnegut, Teaching Writing, and How Capitalism Plunders the Sensuality of the Body”

  2. The first short story of his I ever read, the caveman exhibit one, left me feeling as though I had just taken a miracle drug that shifted me out of hell. I drove to town and bought all of his books. George Saunders is a hero.

    Like

    1. I read the first half of Tenth of December last night—I think he merits the attention.The book is zeitgeisty but also likely transcendent of its time. It’s also very painful—more sad than funny.

      Like

      1. Unless he’s lost his touch, he should own you by the time you’ve finished it. He is masterful at contrasting superficiality and depth. That first short story… couldn’t’ve been goofier… suddenly, as though the cosmos has downshifted, meaning, meaning like you just never get in this society, has you flattened to the Milky Way, thrusting into the next spiral arm. So if he’s using zeitgeist here, prepare for a soul cleanse.

        You might pardon all the driving going on here because he’s at the wheel and we are his cars.

        Like

  3. I would hope not to appear as some kind of reactionary, knee-jerk, anti-capitalist, but you can call me that if you want: it is amazing how somebody who appears to be something of an intellectual has to “walk on eggs” in his care not to offend American society as television audience, and most importantly, the owners of the networks. But this is just what you see in this clip: the total domestication of critical thought. And I have heard writers being interviewed on French TV, for example, who use the word “predatory” when asked to describe American society in her view (Toni Morrison). But with that word you won’t get on MSNBC, ‘cuase you’ll loose your job; that’s what I hear Saunders telling me.

    Like

Your thoughts?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.