Prompt Cast
A Creepy Short Story by Edgar Allen Poe: Berenice
TLDR In this Halloween-themed episode, the hosts read Edgar Allen Poe's "Berenice," a creepy short story about a narrator's obsession with his cousin and her teeth, leading to a horrifying discovery. The episode also discusses the convergence of nerd and jock cultures and how it is shaping the monoculture.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
In this episode, the hosts introduce a special Halloween-themed episode where they will be reading a creepy short story by Edgar Allen Poe called "Berenice."
04:43
In this section, the narrator introduces the story and describes the gloomy and eccentric nature of his family and upbringing, as well as his obsession with books and his cousin Berenice.
09:41
Berenice falls ill with a fatal disease that causes a change in her mind, habits, and character, while the narrator becomes increasingly obsessed and develops a monomaniacal focus on even the most ordinary objects.
14:46
The narrator's mind becomes increasingly focused on daydreaming and speculation, while his books and the Latin phrases within them only serve to exacerbate his disorder, and although the narrator feels pain and pondering over Berenice's illness, it does not align with the abnormal meditation caused by his own disease.
19:40
The narrator becomes fixated on Berenice's teeth, which remain perfect despite her deteriorating physical condition, and he becomes obsessed with them to the point of madness.
24:48
The narrator wakes up from a dream and realizes that Berenice is dead and he has done something terrible, including removing her teeth while she was still alive.
29:54
This section includes ads for other podcasts and a discussion about John Hodgman being a guest on the show.
34:49
The host discusses his previous lack of interest in sports and how he decided to learn about and write about sports for his new book, including the fact that the Baltimore Ravens are named after the Edgar Allen Poe poem.
39:17
The host discusses the convergence of nerd and jock cultures, citing examples of athletes incorporating elements of nerd culture into their sports, such as a baseball player naming his bat after a sword from The Hobbit and a football player wearing steampunk-inspired outfits on the field.
44:29
The convergence of nerd and jock cultures is leading to the absorption of nerd culture into the monoculture, which may bother nerds but doesn't bother jocks.
49:12
The episode ends with a plug for various other podcasts and products.
Categories:
Society & Culture
