Episode · Conversations with Tyler · 2016-04-25
Books mentioned on Camille Paglia on her Lifestyle of Observation (Live at Mason)
Camille Paglia joins Tyler Cowen for a conversation on the brilliance of Bowie, lamb vindaloo, her lifestyle of observation, why writers need real jobs, Star Wars, Harold Bloom, Amelia Earhart, Edmund Spenser, Brazil, why she is most definitely not a cultural conservative, and much more.
Tyler Cowen recommended Sexual Personae by Camille Paglia, and discussed Glittering Images by Camille Paglia. Camille Paglia discussed Faerie queene by Edmund Spenser, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life by Erving Goffman, and The Golden Bough by James George Frazer.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Glittering Images
Discussed“Take your last book, "Glittering Images," and your other work, which emphasized the role of the iconic in Western and Eastern culture”
Where to get it
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Sexual Personae
Sexual Personae is a cultural history and literary critique book by Camille Paglia that examines art and literature through the lens of decadence, nature, and sexuality.
Recommended“This is Sexual Personae, your best known book, which I recommend to everyone, if you haven't already read it.”
Where to get it
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Faerie queene
The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser is an epic, allegorical English poem celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Queen Elizabeth I while exploring moral virtues through the adventures of various knights.
Discussed“We should tell them that "The Faerie Queene" is quite forgotten now, but it had enormous impact, Spenser's Faerie Queene, on Shakespeare, and on the Romantic poets”
Where to get it
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The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
Why people recommend it: This classic 1956 sociology text by Erving Goffman uses theatrical metaphors to examine how individuals manage impressions and perform social roles in everyday life.
Discussed“one of the biggest influences on him was Erving Goffman, of Philadelphia, who was the great sociologist ‑‑ originally Canadian ‑‑ who wrote "The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life."”
Where to get it
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The Golden Bough
The Golden Bough by James George Frazer is a seminal 1890 anthropological and comparative religion study that explores ancient folklore, myths, and rituals of sacrificed kings.
Discussed“James George Frazer, "The Golden Bough," which was considered completely gone but had a huge impact on "The Wasteland" and other works of modernism.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (3) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“It directly inspired my writing of "Sexual Personae," absolutely.”
“"Sexual Personae" was rejected by seven publishers and five agents.”
“I gave her her due in "Glittering Images," because she was a very important figure in the development of conceptual art.”