Welcome back, folks, to Good Scribes Only. Today we’re discussing Stoner by John Williams, and no, despite the title, this isn’t about our escapades with Cannabis. John Williams’s luminous and deeply moving novel is a work of quiet perfection in which William Stoner emerges not only as an archetypal American, but as an unlikely existential hero. In this episode we discuss passion, academia, stoicism, and profundity in ordinary life. To get the inside scoop and much more, don’t just take a hit and pass but stay with us to the end of the episode. As always, thanks for listening and enjoy.
About the Show
Hosted by novelists and entrepreneurs Daniel Breyer & Jeremy Streich, Good Scribes Only is a podcast for curious minds to explore, challenge, and think differently through books. In Season 4 we’re traveling through the 20th century, decade by decade, because Dan really wanted to see what the world was like before plumbing was a common thing.
Episode Notes
0-5 min — Introduction
5-10 min — Praise for Stoner
10-18 min — GuessGPT and casting the movie
18-25 min — Plot summary
25-35 min — The evolution of film and books
35-40 min — Plot continued
40-45 min — On control and surrender
45-50 min — On academia
50-55 min — Plot wrap up
55-60 min — Ranking and conclusion