Welcome back to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. In this episode, Rhea and Shari continue to scratch their heads over Nemo. Who is this ever-mysterious figure?? They They discuss the narrative and wonder over the central conflict. Where is the story boiling? Who is the main character? is there a central conflict? Or simply a central question? They discuss character counterpoints, and revisit the question of freedom. They talk about isolation and the motif of time passing, and consider how these might be helping to express a deeper meaning. They talk about Twenty Thousand Leagues and the Great Conversation, especially the Great Story. Finally, they end this week’s discussion with a poetry reading: two poems they each thought of separately while reading this week’s section.

For paid subscribers, look for this week’s show outline to come out later this week.

Be sure to look through Rhea’s Reading Guide, especially the interactive map Rhea added that follows the Nautilus’s travels through the Pacific.

Thanks for listening to this episode of The Reader & the Writer! If you liked what you heard, show it some ❤️ and pass it to some enigmatic folks you know.

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