Banned Book Club

In this episode, we discuss one of the most iconic and thought-provoking novels of the 20th century. "Fight Club" follows an unnamed narrator as he struggles with insomnia and an unfulfilling job, eventually leading him to create an underground club where men can gather to fight.
Palahniuk explores themes of masculinity, consumerism, and the search for identity in a society that often feels hollow and oppressive. Join us as we break the main rule of Fight Club... talking about Fight Club.
Timestamps

0:00 Introduction/Nick’s thoughts
6:50 About the Author/The film
8:30 Why is it banned?
9:30 Plot (containing spoilers)
14:00 Human Angst
17:00 Main message of novel/Toxic Masculinity
20:45 Favorite scene/ Contradictions in the book
27:20 Marla’s Character
30:00 Is this a story men should be inspired by?
38:40 The sigma male grindset
43:10 The style of Fight Club
46:15 Closing/Final thoughts

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Get "Tropic Of Cancer" by clicking the link below and support local book stores.
https://bookshop.org/a/57229/9780802131782
In this episode we tackle probably the most banned of the banned books we've covered so far - Henry Miller's infamous "Tropic of Cancer". It literally got people sent to jail. This one breaks every rule of polite society, and also every rule in the fiction writing handbook; no plot, no structure, mountains of adjectives, pages long plunges into intangibles, and overall vulgar self indulgence. But that’s kind of the point. Join us and find out why, despite all that, TOC remains in so many 'top 100 books of all time' lists.
1:30 Intro
3:35 About the Author & Novel
5:15 Why it’s banned
6:30 Who really is Arthur Miller?
9:10 Rafaella’s review
13:00 Nick’s Review / The writing style of Miller
16:00 Arthur Rimbaud, Apollo, and Dionysus
17:15 Nietzche on artistic frenzy
20:15 Does this novel work in this style?
20:35 Midroll
22:40 Bukowski vs. Miller
24:10 Stream of consciousness vs simple writing
27:15 Reinventing the self
29:30 Why it’s important to read Tropic of Cancer
30:22 Was Henry Miller truly free?
32:13 Outro

Every sale supports local bookstores.
Bookshop is on a mission to financially support your local, independent bookstores.
Socially Conscious. Fast Shipping. Huge Selection.
https://bookshop.org/shop/bannedbookclub

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In this episode, we review “Madame Bovary” by Gustave Flaubert. Published in 1856 - the novel was deemed a threat to morality and caused Flaubert to face charges in the French court - because of the searingly detailed account it gives of protagonist Emma Bovary’s romantic affairs. But the book is anything but romantic - widely considered to be the first ‘modern novel’- Madame Bovary ushered in a new era in fiction by handling its controversial subject matter with a camera like neutrality. The infrequent good, the overwhelmingly banal, and the repulsively ugly details of life are on full display here, - presented in a distanced ‘coolness’ that shaped the mold for modern fiction. Join us as we discuss one of the most influential banned books in history.
Links:
Atlantic Article on Flaubert:
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1882/08/a-note-on-flaubert/633293/
James Woods - How Fiction Works
https://slate.com/culture/2008/07/james-wood-s-how-fiction-works.html
It’s Too Late to Apologize - Book Review on Madame Bovary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNZCSodyvQQ&ab_channel=It%27sTooLatetoApologize
A note on Flaubert
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1882/08/a-note-on-flaubert/633293/
0:00 Intro
3:10 About the Novel
7:10 Why it’s banned/style of writing
9:10 Who is Emma Bovary?
13:10 Gustave Flaubert’s Realism/ Style of Writing
22:10 More on realism/Best scenes
27:30 Message of the novel
31:50 Analysis of Emma Bovary
36:20 Charles Bovary / Leon & Rodolphe
43:00 Final Thoughts

Every sale supports local bookstores.
Bookshop is on a mission to financially support your local, independent bookstores.
Socially Conscious. Fast Shipping. Huge Selection.
https://bookshop.org/shop/bannedbookclub

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BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpod
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In this episode, Nick takes you through Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Indian Camp” and explains how it can make you a better writer. The deceptively simple story embodies Hemingway’s iceberg theory - the idea that the weight of a good sentence lies under its surface. Indian camp explores themes like death, birth, maturity, and relationships, - getting great mileage out of very few words.

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In this episode, we discuss Atomised by Michel Houellebecq, who’s been called among other things — France’s greatest literary export, Enfant terrible, provocateur, and a jerk. The story follows half brothers Michel and Bruno, whose lives are sent on painful and seemingly dissimilar trajectories as consequence of their hippie mother’s neoliberal ideology. The book goes on to chart the evolution and spread of neoliberalism in western society, using the lives of Bruno and Michel to illustrate the conditions it creates for modern life — in which (Houellebecq argues) things like living and loving are rendered impossible. Doesn’t that sound fun!? Come join us and make up your own mind — Is Houellebecq onto something here? Or is he just a cranky incel?

Every sale supports local bookstores.
Bookshop is on a mission to financially support your local, independent bookstores.
Socially Conscious. Fast Shipping. Huge Selection.
https://bookshop.org/shop/bannedbookclub

If you liked or didn't like this episode, let us know.
Leave us a comment and subscribe to our channel!
BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpod
Follow us on Facebook: @bannedbookclubpod
Email us at [email protected]