The Pleasures of Reading, Viewing, and Listening in 2022, pt. 4: Erin K. Wagner

 

The Pleasures of Reading, Viewing, and Listening in 2022

by Erin K. Wagner

 

 I actually kept a reading journal this year. Surprisingly, it was the first time I’ve done so. And by journal, I mean I kept a list. Because lists are satisfying. And I realized, as I collated this list, that I want to keep better track of what I watch as well. There is something comforting about flipping back through pleasant memories of stories that kept you going through the year.

 My list this year is filled with books and media that have already been acclaimed. It’s great, reviews said. And I tended to agree. 

 

  Books & Shorts

 --Danielewski, Mark. House of Leaves. Random House, 2000 & Vladimir Nabokov, Pale Fire, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1962.

 Yes, I am very late to House of Leaves. It’s a book I’ve meant to read for a long time, because I have a fondness for postmodern tomes that play with style and format. The most interesting parts of the novel were when there were hardly any words on the page and you were forced to turn and flip the book to follow the text—it did evoke the winding passages of the titular house. Unfortunately, I was a little let down overall and could not help comparing the book to what it wanted to be: Nabokov’s Pale Fire. I love Pale Fire, a novel in the form of poem and commentary. I can’t help but find meaning in the meaninglessness Nabokov wanted to create (or did he?). So I reread that book right after finishing House of Leaves. 

 

 --Davis, Robert H. & Perley Poor Sheehan. Efficiency: A Play in One Act. 1917.

 I stumbled across this short play when I was searching out an appropriate drama for my introductory literature class. In the play, a manipulative scientist presents his new invention, Number 241 (two for one) to his emperor. Number 241 is a wounded solider rebuilt with mechanical parts. The play, in addition to being anti-Russian propaganda, questions the use of humans as soldiers and provides a powerful, if heavy-handed, contemplation of transhumanism and disability. 

 

 --Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Trans. Myra Berman Ramos. Bloomsbury, 2018.

 How? How did I not find Freire until this year? Frequently cited by pedagogy and literacy scholars, Freire is recognized as one of the most influential voices in those fields. He posits a radical pedagogy that resists authoritarian structures (such as that which the typical Western classroom often supports or reinforces) and endorses identification of teacher with student.

 

 --Jordan, Robert. Wheel of Time. Tor, 1990-2013.

 And here’s another comfort read. In general, I find quite a few issues with the Wheel of Time series, but there’s something in its massiveness and formulaicness that can be soothing. Maybe it is the Hallmark Christmas movies of fantasy. Anyways, in the wake of the TV show, I started a reread.

 

--Kuang, R. F. Babel: Or, The Necessity of Violence. Harper Collins, 2022.

 A book that came out to lots of acclaim, all of it deserved. I was drawn to the text initially because of its promise of footnotes and academia. The novel skewers the postcolonial endeavor of the Western university and introduces a fascinating magical system based on linguistics and translation. As an English prof, I loved it even as I acknowledged its warranted criticisms of the system I’m part of (and trying to find ways to improve). 

 

 --McAlevey, Jane F. No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age. Oxford UP, 2016.

 I’ve become very active in my union over this last year and it seems that worker-led strikes and union activities are now receiving more positive attention and support than we’ve seen in awhile. This text argues the necessity for effective unions to truly mobilize and engage all of their constituents. It’s also more widely applicable as a study of how to gain and use power if you don’t already have it.

TV & Movies

--Brunson, Quinta, creator. Abbott Elementary. ABC, 2021-

 The crowd is right about this one as well. One of the funniest and warm-hearted sitcoms out there right now, with an excellent cast, that somehow also manages to capture the severe issues with our current educational system, especially in underfunded areas. It fills the hole in my heart left by Superstore. 

 

 --Jewison, Norman, dir. In the Heat of the Night. United Artists, 1967.

 I am ashamed to say that I had not watched this movie until this year, when my partner and I sought out Sidney Poitier movies to watch. And it is amazing. Poitier, of course, brings a searing energy to film that transcends the screen like few actors I’ve seen. And this movie provides a bitter commentary on racism that is all too relevant still. And it has one of the best slap scenes in cinema. 

 

 --King, Paul, dir. Paddington 2. StudioCanal, 2017.

 This one is just cotton candy and hot chocolate and socks straight from the dryer. It is comfort embodied in film. 

 

 --Kwan, Dan & Daniel Scheinert, dirs. Everything Everywhere All at Once. IAC Films, 2022.

 Could this movie really be as good as the hype, I asked myself. YES. When a scene of two rocks personified and yet barely moving makes you want to cry? And when martial arts with a fanny pack makes you want to laugh? And when the ending manages to both be happy and yet aware of the impossibility of uncomplicated happiness? Then you know you have a good movie. Suggested snack pairing: everything bagels. 

 

 --Payne, J. D. & Patrick McKay, dev. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Amazon, 2022-

 In last year’s list, I discussed my comfort re-read of Lord of the Rings. The copies I received as a teenager are taped along the spine and falling apart. So, needless to say, I was skeptical going into this show. And did I find things to be irritated with? Sure. But, as many have said, it was so nice, at the end of the week, to watch an epic fantasy with great production value and know that I would not have to watch traumatizing assaults in exchange for that experience. It was a gorgeous show, and I’m here for the Elrond-Durin bromance. 

 

 --Peele, Jordan, dir. Nope. Monkeypaw Productions, 2022.

 It’s pretty much a given that we will buy whatever movie Peele releases. But we always wait, just in case, to watch it on streaming first. So, we waited breathlessly for this one. And it did not disappoint. And we will be buying it. This movie is beautiful. The acting is fantastic. The themes are compelling. And the cinematography, per usual, is so sharp. Who knew the image of a sneaker could haunt you? Interested in what that means? Check it out. 

 

 --Somerville, Patrick, creator. Station Eleven. HBO, 2021-22.

 Himesh Patel and Frank Chaudhary were amazing in this adaptation that, in my opinion, transcended the book. Matilda Lawler was also great. And so was Danielle Deadwyler. And I could keep on going. This adaptation captured the intense bittersweetness of a world lost to a pandemic and a future created by art.

 

 --Stiller, Ben & Aoife McArdle, dirs. Severance. Apple TV+, 2022-

 And yet another critically acclaimed series! And yet another ringing endorsement. This is one that keeps you hitting play on the next episode when the credits start rolling. And its commentary on capitalism, the office work environment, loss, and connection engages your brain while its 70s palette of putrid and pastel greens engages your eyes. 

 

 --Watanabe, Shinichirō, dir. Cowboy Bebop. Sunrise, 1998-99.

Yes, I only finally finished watching this series this year. It can be hard to get me to watch animation, even though I fully acknowledge how great much of it is. This series, which bounced effortlessly from humor to tears, is a hallmark of the genre. And the ending still has me all upset inside.

 

Podcasts

I’m late to the podcast game. And much like with music, I tend to stick to one or two podcasts and listen to them faithfully as I drive back and forth to work. Here are my two favorites right now.

--Greene, Alyssa & Andy Crow. Say Podcast and Die!

 A delightful re-read and commentary on R. L. Stine’s classic Goosebump series (and related books). Somehow, I never read these as a kid (what!), so listening to the podcast has allowed me to fill in the gaps of my 90s childhood. And the intense theoretical scrutiny of the hosts, who acknowledge how much theorizing can be play, satisfies my literary critic self. It’s also just really funny.

 

 --Marshall, Sarah. You’re Wrong About.

This show deconstructs society’s popular narratives and shows you what’s going on behind the curtain. Definitely pay attention to the man there.

 

Erin K. Wagner grew up in southeast Ohio on the border of Appalachia, but now lives in central New York, where she hikes in the Catskills and listens for ghostly games of nine-pins. She holds her Ph.D. in medieval literature and teaches literature and writing in the SUNY system. Her stories have appeared in a variety of publications, from Apex to Clarkesworld, and her novella The Green and Growing is available from Aqueduct Press. Her second novella, An Unnatural Life, was released by Tor.com in September 2020. You can visit her website at https://erinkwagner.com/. Aqueduct released her collection of short fiction, When Home, No Need to Cry, last month.