Bellow Seizes Our Day

9 May 2025

Episode 5.15 – Bellow Seizes Our Day

Sure we can philosophize, but what happens when we put carpe diem to the test in the modern world of capital?

We work through Saul Bellow’s approach to carpe diem, how his ironies may not all be what we expect them to be, what separates Seize the Day from other modernist American literature, and how he spins our ethical discussion on carpe diem with still more complexity. Our analysis will focus on the final mystifying scene of the novel. Oh, and we also talk about my first efforts in business!

Key Terms:

Trickster figure – Generally a trouble-making, cunning, or humorous character who upsets social norms. Trickster figures are often complex or paradoxical, and they are almost always transformational. Think of Loki in mythology, Bart Simpson, the Chesire Cat in Alice’s Wonderland, Bugs Bunny, Batman’s Joker, or Q in Star Trek.
The American Dream – “A kind of romantic expectation, a belief in the possibility of achieving some kind of glowing future through hard work and sincere devotion” (Walter Brylowski).

Our Reading & Interpretation Process Complete:

Notice – What text stands out in the reading?
Significance – What possible meanings are in that text?
Pattern – What pattern forms amongst these possible meanings?
Coherence – Does the pattern hold together in the total work?

The closing paragraph of Seize the Day which we focus our time on:

“The flowers and lights fused ecstatically in Wilhelm’s blind, wet eyes; the heavy sea-like music came up to his ears. It poured into him where he had hidden himself in the center of a crowd by the great happy oblivion of tears. He heard it and sank deeper than sorrow, through torn sobs and cries toward the consummation of his heart’s ultimate need.”

Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/andrew-marvell-coy-mistress/

CHAPTERS

00:00 The Dream
05:56 Opening Theme
06:28 A Glowing Future
11:53 Bellow’s ‘Seize the Day’ in Brief
15:56 Capitalism and Alienation
22:50 Seizing and Seducing
36:53 Ethics of a Machine
43:17 Answering the Question
52:04 Outro and Credits

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Transcript: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/transcript-5-15-bellow-seizes-our-day

Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/MmhqcGgeLcjCaVK97

What are your thoughts on our discussion? Email me: [email protected]

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Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

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CREDITS:

Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

USING THIS WORK:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

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