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METAFICTION

Program 06-03-12-A

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Laurence Sterne's 18th Century novel "Tristram Shandy" is a staple of college English Literature courses everywhere. The 600-odd page book-within-a-book-within-a-book is filled to the brim with digressions, stunts and frazzled chronology. For many it's unreadable. For sure it's unfilmable. Next time on To the Best of Our Knowledge, Tristram Shandy the film. We'll review it, we'll compare the film to the book. We'll even sing about it.

SEGMENT 1:

NPR Cultural Critic Neda Ulaby helps Jim Fleming unravel the complications of the new film "Tristram Shady: A Cock and Bull Story." The film is based on Laurence Sterne's sprawling 18th century novel. And we hear clips from the film. Also, Jim talks with musician John Wesley Harding, who's written a novel under the name Wesley Stace. He explains why "Tristram Shady" is one of his favorite books. And we hear a bit of some older metafiction: the Preface to Cervantes' "Don Quixote."

SEGMENT 2:

Steve Paulson produced this essay/report on the Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges. Celebrated around the world for his strange, metaphysical stories, Borges had a profound influence on other writers from Gabriel Garcia Marquez to Umberto Eco and Salman Rushdie. His most famous collection of stories is "Labyrinths." And, Steve Paulson talks with a contemporary master of metafiction - writer Robert Coover. Coover's latest novel is "A Child Again."

SEGMENT 3:

Saul Williams has been hailed as hip hop's poet laureate. He talks with Anne Strainchamps, and we hear some of his work. Williams is the author of "The Dead Emcee Scrolls." And, we hear an excerpt from Italo Calvino's "If on a Winter's Night a Traveler."

CD copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 06-03-12-A.

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Books:

• Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (Everyman's Library)
• Jorge Louis Borges. Labyrinths: Selected Stories and Other Writings (New Directions Paperbooks)
  
• Robert Coover, A Child Again (McSweeney's Books)
  
• Saul Williams, Dead Emcee Scrolls (MTV Books)

Readings:

• Italo Calvino, If on a Winter's Night a Traveler (Everyman's Library)
  (read by Jean Feraca)
• Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. Don Quixote ( Everyman's Library)
  (read by Norman Gilliland)

Websites:

• Official (and very funny) website for the Tristram Shandy film:
  http://www.tristramshandymovie.com
• Official website for the poet Saul Williams and the Dead Emcee Scrolls:
  http://www.saulwilliams.com
• Official website for musician John Wesley Harding:
  http://www.johnwesleyharding.com

Music:

• Tristram Shandy (Trad Arr Harding) published by Plangent Visions Music, Inc ASCAP
• Bjork. Sídasta Ég and Play Dead and Bachelorette and All Neon Like. Family Tree. Ten Little Indians Records.
• Don Quixote op. 35 by Richard Strauss. Lorin Maazel conductor. RCA.
• Mr. Scruff. Ug. Ninja Tunes Xen Cuts. Ninja Tunes Records.
• Amon Tobin. Down and to the Left. Ninja Tunes Xen Cuts. Ninja Tunes Records.
• Saul Williams. Twice the First Time. Ninja Tunes Xen Cuts. Ninja Tunes Records.
• Saul Williams. Talk to Strangers. Saul Williams. Fader Label.

Distribution dates:

week of 08/12/2007 - hour 1 week of 03/12/2006 - hour 1

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