Raymond Carver's Cathedral might be one of the most simple and beloved American short stories, but Benny is determined to overthink it anyway.

On meta-deception: before we dive in, Benny obsesses over “meta-deception” and feels betrayed by magicians.

On jealousy: is it OK for your wife to write intimate poetry about another man tenderly stroking her face? Also, what does it take to be a good host?

Moment of transcendence: what is the narrator transformed by drawing the cathedral, or is this just an over-interpreted moment in American fiction? We talk about sincerity, empathy, and seeing other people.

Full transcript for this episode at doyouevenlit.com enriched with links, ideas, authors, etc.

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:07) benny mad at magicians using magic (00:04:55) carver’s plain writing (00:07:19) poetry not the first thing we pick up (00:07:48) tribulations of being a good host (00:12:46) getting reality from tv (00:17:12) boundaries on friend zones (00:20:41) dining in the dark (00:26:42) winding down for the night (00:28:24) describing cathedrals (00:35:23) on gaining empathy (00:38:02) what we get from cathedrals (00:41:17) on still being a good host (00:44:54) benny still not getting it (00:49:20) next book announcement

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