Catch-22
Here in 2023, everyone knows the general meaning of a catch-22. It’s a situation where you can’t win no matter what you do. You’re trapped, you’re stuck, and there’s no other option. But in 1961, when Joseph Heller’s seminal novel Catch-22 was published, there was no phrase for what it meant to be that kind of trapped. Thankfully for us all, Doc Daneeka, the endlessly bummed medical professional of the Air Force Corps on Pianosa, breaks the catch-22 down for Captain Yossarian, an Air Force bombardier trapped in a tremendous amount of bureaucratic red tape while everyone around him succumbs to the horrors of war.
Heller’s novel goes on to describe the absurdities of war, from officers who attempt to one-up each other to the ironies of ailments that put soldiers in the hospital. As Yossarian stumbles his way through scenario after scenario, and tries to do the right thing for himself, he’s reminded over and over that even if he gets out, he’s never REALLY out. In this episode, we’re discussing capitalism, the systems novel, and the fungibility of humans. And, of course, Major Major Major Major.
Titles and topics discussed:
Catch-22 by Peter Heller
The systems novel, a literary genre outlined by Tom LeClair in his book In the Loop: Don Delillo and the Systems Novel
White Noise by Don Delillo
Underworld by Don Delillo
Always Coming Home by Ursula K. Le Guin
Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
Fallout 4, released by Bethesda Games
The Pale King by David Foster Wallace
Titles from the RA Corner:
Old Joy, directed by Kelly Reichardt
Libra by Don Delillo
The Monty Python catalog
Jojo Rabbit, directed by Taika Waititi
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
The Trees by Percival Everett
What we’re reading and watching:
Rea: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt and Whalefall by Daniel Kraus
Joseph: The Bee Sting by Paul Murray, the TV show Reservation Dogs, and the TV show Justified
Jess: Kissing Kosher by Jean Meltzer and The 39 Steps, directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Find them in SCPL’s catalog by clicking here!
Our music: “Budding” by Broke for Free, available through a Creative Commons License