An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

James Joyce

3 books referenced

Books by James Joyce

Ulysses

Referenced in 5 episodes

397. JFK: A Conspiracy Unmasked (Part 6)

December 07, 2023

Context:

Referenced as a comparison point when discussing the Warren Commission's comprehensive documentation, likening it to Joyce's detailed portrait of Dublin

290: 2022: A History

December 29, 2022

Context:

Mentioned alongside The Waste Land as a landmark modernist work from 1922. The hosts use both works to illustrate the 'great man' model of artistic creation — the genius of individual authors like Joyce — which they argue no longer exists in 2022's fragmented cultural landscape.

237. Marilyn Monroe

September 26, 2022

Context:

Mentioned alongside Dostoevsky as something Marilyn was reading as part of her intellectual self-improvement in New York.

225. J.R.R. Tolkien

August 29, 2022

Context:

Compared to Lord of the Rings in terms of both authors' obsession with language and the evolution of English

136. 1922: The Birth of the Modern World Part 1

January 13, 2022

Context:

Discussed extensively as one of the two great literary works published in 1922, described as 'the greatest English novel in English... written in the 20th century,' published on Joyce's 40th birthday (February 2, 1922)

Finnegans Wake

Referenced in 1 episode

309: Columbus: Villain or Hero? (Part 4)

March 02, 2023

Context:

Mentioned as the literary inspiration for Carlos Fuentes's Terra Nostra, though the hosts note that Terra Nostra is 'infinitely more readable' than Joyce's notoriously difficult final novel. The reference serves to give listeners a sense of Terra Nostra's ambitious, experimental style while reassuring them it is more accessible than its inspiration.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Referenced in 1 episode

239: Young Churchill: Born to Lead (Part 1)

October 03, 2022

Context:

Referenced when praising Churchill's prose about childhood memories, noting 'Joyce would be proud of that' and comparing Churchill's child's perspective to Joyce's technique