Welcome back to our series on Margaret Kennedy’s The Feast! We begin by answering a couple of listener questions, before discussing the fascinating “symposium” at the heart of this section (“what is wrong with this country!?”), Nancibel’s lovely conversation with her mother, and the Cove girls’ tragic conflict with their mother.
In the razor scene, I was beginning to think Blanche’s back injury was her mother’s doing. I was legitimately scared she was going to slash her back. Hoping for closure for Blanche’s pain, even if it’s an epilogue with Mrs. Paley playing the reformed Scrooge and paying for the doctors.
So I was thinking about Nancibel’s name as an interesting combination that had to be intentional. Belle for beauty, and Nancy is usually a form of Ann(e) or Agnes, which has roots meaning grace, favor, or pure. My mom is a Nancy, so that’s a little extra special connection 🩷
This has been an extremely meaningful read for me! I also couldn’t help but finish the book a while ago and the conversations have been a highlight of each week. I’m new (maybe like some fellow Close Readers) to contemplating vices in a deep way, and Kennedy really brought them to life (I’m excited on behalf of your students, Heidi, who get to do this book with you! What a boon to them!)
Obviously you can find virtuous types in the Great Books, perhaps especially Homer, but is there a *novel* similar to this book kind of doing a more on-the-nose embodying of virtues? Would that be too overt of a project to pull off well? Curious about that from a craft perspective, but mostly because I’d love an antidote to the vices by seeing the virtues embodied in a story :)
Cheers to Sean my fellow NSA alum and, to David: you were a great English Lit teacher and I think about that class a lot (even though we were horribly unruly high school seniors)
Dr. Prior’s On Reading Well examines different vices and virtues in literature, a different one for each book. So Justice was A Tale of Two Cities, Diligence for Pilgrim’s Progress, Hope in The Road, and Patience in Persuasion. I can’t remember the others off hand, but it’s a great read!
The discussions surrounding this book have been some of my absolute favorites! I ended up finishing the book before the first week's podcast because I couldn't stop listening to my Audible version; now I'm determined to buy a copy and read it again with my eyes, not just my ears.
As y'all continue to discuss how the deadly sins show up in the lives of these rather ordinary people of the novel, I'm continually reminded of Lewis' characters in The Great Divorce. I'd love to hear some comparisons with that work. Thanks!
I missed where Mr. Siddle knowingly let's Duff be taken in by Anna. I even went back to look for where that would be the case. Can anyone point it out to me?
Wow, what a book! Can’t wait to hear the final episode. I think this book would be perfect for the next Chetola retreat. We could do one of the days each day of the retreat!
Are there any correlations or nods to the events of Holy Week in the days of the book's structure? I have this book on audio so haven't been able to flip back through with this question in mind and was wondering if anyone else had thought about it. I know David briefly mentioned Holy Thursday in the last episode.
As a side note, I have never been more frustrated with having only the audio and not the physical book. It's missing day divisions, chapter names, so many details that I'm only hearing about through listening here 😖
I am enjoying the novel and am in the Friday section 25 pages from the end. I don’t know how it ends so I don’t think that this is a spoiler. The novel began to become predictable regarding the fate of the various characters, in particular those who map to certain vices, during the Thursday section and now it appears obvious.
Excellent conversation and insights! Thank you. Sean’s input on chapter title references so good. Like you, David, I was immensely touched by Nancibel feeling completely safe with her mother bathing her. So intimate, like Eve with God before the fall.
Huge contrast to the dear Cove children bracing themselves before their mother - NO safety there.
I am enjoying every second of the literary analysis after each day of this book. It really is very enlightening and getting me to think about the literature through a different lens. 👏🏻🥳
In the razor scene, I was beginning to think Blanche’s back injury was her mother’s doing. I was legitimately scared she was going to slash her back. Hoping for closure for Blanche’s pain, even if it’s an epilogue with Mrs. Paley playing the reformed Scrooge and paying for the doctors.
So I was thinking about Nancibel’s name as an interesting combination that had to be intentional. Belle for beauty, and Nancy is usually a form of Ann(e) or Agnes, which has roots meaning grace, favor, or pure. My mom is a Nancy, so that’s a little extra special connection 🩷
This has been an extremely meaningful read for me! I also couldn’t help but finish the book a while ago and the conversations have been a highlight of each week. I’m new (maybe like some fellow Close Readers) to contemplating vices in a deep way, and Kennedy really brought them to life (I’m excited on behalf of your students, Heidi, who get to do this book with you! What a boon to them!)
Obviously you can find virtuous types in the Great Books, perhaps especially Homer, but is there a *novel* similar to this book kind of doing a more on-the-nose embodying of virtues? Would that be too overt of a project to pull off well? Curious about that from a craft perspective, but mostly because I’d love an antidote to the vices by seeing the virtues embodied in a story :)
Cheers to Sean my fellow NSA alum and, to David: you were a great English Lit teacher and I think about that class a lot (even though we were horribly unruly high school seniors)
Dr. Prior’s On Reading Well examines different vices and virtues in literature, a different one for each book. So Justice was A Tale of Two Cities, Diligence for Pilgrim’s Progress, Hope in The Road, and Patience in Persuasion. I can’t remember the others off hand, but it’s a great read!
Love that! Thank you!
The discussions surrounding this book have been some of my absolute favorites! I ended up finishing the book before the first week's podcast because I couldn't stop listening to my Audible version; now I'm determined to buy a copy and read it again with my eyes, not just my ears.
As y'all continue to discuss how the deadly sins show up in the lives of these rather ordinary people of the novel, I'm continually reminded of Lewis' characters in The Great Divorce. I'd love to hear some comparisons with that work. Thanks!
If anyone is curious about what we mean when we talk about "offering it up," it's all right here, in this scene. Amazing!
I missed where Mr. Siddle knowingly let's Duff be taken in by Anna. I even went back to look for where that would be the case. Can anyone point it out to me?
Wow, what a book! Can’t wait to hear the final episode. I think this book would be perfect for the next Chetola retreat. We could do one of the days each day of the retreat!
Are there any correlations or nods to the events of Holy Week in the days of the book's structure? I have this book on audio so haven't been able to flip back through with this question in mind and was wondering if anyone else had thought about it. I know David briefly mentioned Holy Thursday in the last episode.
As a side note, I have never been more frustrated with having only the audio and not the physical book. It's missing day divisions, chapter names, so many details that I'm only hearing about through listening here 😖
I feel your pain! I usually love Audible, and I don't mind this narrator, but I'm certainly wishing I had just picked up a print copy!
I had the same experience and frustration. This novel really did require and reward a close reading.
I am enjoying the novel and am in the Friday section 25 pages from the end. I don’t know how it ends so I don’t think that this is a spoiler. The novel began to become predictable regarding the fate of the various characters, in particular those who map to certain vices, during the Thursday section and now it appears obvious.
Agreed. Somehow that doesn’t spoil the novel for me.
Excellent conversation and insights! Thank you. Sean’s input on chapter title references so good. Like you, David, I was immensely touched by Nancibel feeling completely safe with her mother bathing her. So intimate, like Eve with God before the fall.
Huge contrast to the dear Cove children bracing themselves before their mother - NO safety there.
This book demands a re-read.
My thanks to each of you!
Thank you
I am enjoying every second of the literary analysis after each day of this book. It really is very enlightening and getting me to think about the literature through a different lens. 👏🏻🥳
I was physically tense reading the Mrs. Cove-razor scene! So real and intense.