Birth, School, Work, Death

Program 04-03-07-A

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To The Best of Our Knowledge
from Wisconsin Public Radio

After World War Two, existentialism was all the rage in the U.S.A. College students rebelled by smoking European cigarettes and wearing black clothes and berets. Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus felt that Americans were too self-confident and superficial to accept this dark, brooding philosophy, but existentialism has deep American roots. In this hour ofTo the Best of Our Knowledge, the history of angst in America. Also, why Nietzche's philosophy still matters.

SEGMENT 1:

Alexander Nehamas is the author of "Nietzsche: Life as Literature." He explains Nietzsche's ideas to Steve Paulson and explains why he is still important today. Also, Nathan Radke tells Anne Strainchamps why the characters from the "Peanuts" comic strip can be seen as acting out the dilemmas of existentialism. His ideas can also be explored in an article called "Sartre and Peanuts" published in "Philosophy Now" magazine.

SEGMENT 2:

Ronald Aronson is the author of "Camus and Sartre: The Story of a Friendship and the Quarrel That Ended It." Aronson recounts for Steve Paulson the relationship and the very public dispute between two of the twentieth century's leading intellectuals. Though both men of the left, they eventually fell out over the issue of political violence and support of the Soviet Union. Their argument was never really settled and we are still living with its consequences. Also, George Cotkin, author of Existential America, tells Jim Fleming that angst is familiar emotional territory for Americans and explains why Existentialism appealed to people here.

SEGMENT 3:

Francis M. Nevins is an authority on suspense writer Cornell Woolrich and wrote the introduction for a new anthology called Night and Fear: A Centenary Collection of Stories by Cornell Woolrich. Nevins tells Jim Fleming that Woolrich had a sense of doom from early in life, wrote mainstream fiction influenced by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and explains why he turned to suspense. And we hear a bit of a radio drama adaptation of one of his stories.

Cassette copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 04-03-07-A.

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Books:

• Ronald Aronson, Camus & Sartre: The Story of a Friendship and the Quarrel
  That Ended It (The University of Chicago Press)
  http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/027961.html
  
• George Cotkin, Existential America (The Johns Hopkins University Press)
  
• Alexander Nehamas, Nietzsche: Life As Literature (Harvard University Press)
• Edited with an Introduction by Francis M. Nevins, Night & Fear: A Centenary Collection of Stories by Cornell Woolrich (An Otto Penzler Book/Carroll & Graf)
• Essay: "Sartre & Peanuts" by Nathan Radke from "Philosophy Now" Magazine
  http://www.philosophynow.org/issue44/44radke.htm
• -- Clip from "The Black Curtain", radio adaptation of Cornell Woolrich's novel, "The Black Curtain", which aired as an episode of "Suspense" in 1943 provided by:
  - Radio Revisited
  http://www.radiorevisited.com
  - Old Time Radio Now
  http://www.otrnow.com
  

Music:

• -- "The Meaning of Life"/Monty Python
  from the CD, "The Instant Monty Python CD Collection, Volume 6" (Virgin)
  
• -- "The Diagram"/Drums & Tuba
  from the CD, "Vinyl Killer" (Righteous Babe Records)
  http://www.drumsandtuba.com/
  
• -- "Linus And Lucy"/Vince Guaraldi Trio
  from the CD, "A Charlie Brown Christmas - Original Soundtrack Recording (Fantasy/Starbucks)
  
• -- "She Doesn't Laugh at My Jokes"/Jonathan Richman
  from the CD, "Action Packed: The Best of Jonathan Richman" (Rounder Heritage)
  http://www.rounder.com/index.php?id=Album.php&catalog_id=6315
  
• -- Excerpt from Symphony No. 2, "The Age of Anxiety": "The Seven Stages: Variations 8-14"/Leonard Bernstein
  from the CD, "Leonard Bernstein: A Portrait" (Sony Classical)
  
• -- "Orchestral Opening" from Giacomo Puccini's "Madama Butterfly"
  from the CD, "Puccini: Madama Butterfly"/Price, Tucker, Elias, Maero, Leinsdorf" (RCA Red Seal)
  

Distribution dates:

week of 03/06/2005 - hour 2 week of 03/07/2004 - hour 1

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Questions and comments can be addressed to: flemingj@wpr.org

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