12 Dec 2025

Episode 6.19 –

The Great Societies, Pt 2: Metropolis & The Ways of Meaning

We finish our discussion of the silent film Metropolis and answer our question of art and politics by examining the text, context, and reader meaning-making.

Discussed in the episode:

• A definition of Context:
  
  
  
  • with / accompanying / outside of (traditional definitions)
  
  
  • as a Limitation
  
  
  • as Dialogue
  
  
  • as Horizon
  
  
  • as Motive
  
  
  
  

Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

CHAPTERS

00:00      Art Against the Emperor

04:37      Intro Theme

05:12      Reading the Text: Architecture pf Exploitation

15:38      Blinding Ourselves with Plot

22:03      Reading Context

30:51      Revisionism and Metropolis

36:56      Reader Readings

45:39      Accountability for Politics and Arts

49:27      Closing Credits

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New to Literary Nomads? Check out episode 5.00 to find out what we’re all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

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Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/6-19-the-great-societies-pt-2/

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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.

Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

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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.

MLA CITATION:

Chisnell, Steve. “6.19 The Great Societies, Pt 2: Metropolis & The Ways of Meaning,” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 12 Dec 2025, https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/.