Michael Martone: Homer on Homer, or, a Bunch of Stuff That Happens (January 2005)

In this playful “Episodic Meditation on Episode,” Michael Martone considers the limitations of neat narrative structure and the ways in which it can be subverted.  Considering examples from contemporary television, and sources as diverse as The Simpsons, Gone with the Wind, and John Barth’s “Lost in the Funhouse,” Martone reflects on the benefits of character- rather than plot-driven fiction.