Podcast Summary: Critics at Large | The New Yorker Episode: The Elusive Promise of the First Person
Release Date: January 9, 2025

Introduction

In the January 9, 2025 episode of Critics at Large, The New Yorker's cultural critics—Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz—delve into the intricate world of first-person narrative across various mediums. Titled "The Elusive Promise of the First Person," the episode explores the strengths, limitations, and evolving role of first-person perspectives in literature, film, and digital media. Through lively discussions and insightful analysis, the hosts examine how this narrative technique shapes our understanding of characters, stories, and our own place within them.

Understanding the First-Person Narrative

The episode opens with the hosts defining the first-person narrative as a storytelling technique that allows audiences to experience events through the eyes of a character, emphasizing intimacy and personal perspective.

Vinson Cunningham introduces the concept with enthusiasm:

"It's all about the eye, but also the E, Y, E I through somebody else's eyes." ([00:50])

Naomi Fry underscores its historical significance:

"It's all about the eye. It's all about the eye." ([00:50])

Alex Schwartz adds nuance, highlighting the paradox inherent in the first-person perspective:

"The first person is the most occluded of any perspective you can use... you gain intimacy, this sense of being pressed next to someone... at the same time, the distance is the opening up of a different perspective from your own." ([04:45])

The hosts discuss how first-person narratives have been a staple in Western literature since the Psalms, extending their influence into modern platforms like social media.

Case Study: 'The Nickel Boys' Film Adaptation

A significant portion of the discussion centers around Romel Ross's film adaptation of Colson Whitehead's novel The Nickel Boys. The film employs a first-person perspective to immerse viewers in the harrowing experiences of two boys in a segregated reform school.

Alex Schwartz provides a detailed synopsis:

"Nickel Boys begins in Tallahassee, Florida... Elwood Curtis, a black high school student inspired by Martin Luther King Jr., is wrongfully sent to Nickel Academy, a reform school where black boys are brutally mistreated." ([08:07])

Vinson Cunningham elaborates on the film's narrative technique:

"The camera lingers... you hear Elwood's voice almost as if it's proceeding from behind the screen." ([10:13])

Naomi Fry praises the film's visual aesthetics while critiquing its emotional impact:

"I thought this was a gorgeous movie... The world is figured in a way that's very sensate, you know, that's very sensual." ([11:53])

However, Naomi expresses some reservations:

"When he interacts with other characters... I couldn't connect... It distanced me in a way that seemed counterproductive." ([13:37])

In contrast, Alex shares a more personal and emotional response:

"I loved this movie... I found it powerful and moving... a feel of being in someone else's eyes." ([14:24])

Vinson provides a critical perspective on the film's conclusion:

"At the end of it, there's like this big collective exhale... it felt more like an expressionistic display." ([16:22])

The analysis of The Nickel Boys serves as a springboard for broader discussions on the efficacy and challenges of first-person storytelling in film.

First Person in Film: Historical and Modern Examples

The hosts explore various film examples that utilize the first-person perspective, assessing their successes and shortcomings.

Alex Schwartz references early cinematic attempts:

"Lady in the Lake was from 1947... It’s interesting that in the 40s, film technology being much newer than it is now, this idea hits of, okay, actually we could put the camera in a different place." ([20:13])

Vinson Cunningham adds another classic example:

"There's another 1947 movie directed by Delmer Daves, starring Humphrey Bogart... you are seeing through his eyes as he hitches a ride." ([20:38])

Moving to modern cinema, Alex mentions Gaspar Noé's Enter the Void:

"The film is from the perspective of an American drug dealer who dies at the start of the movie and then kind of hovers over the rest of it." ([21:29])

Naomi Fry cites The Blair Witch Project as a notable first-person narrative in horror:

"The surprise hit Blair Witch Project... it's kind of like the filmic, their filmic remains through their POV." ([24:04])

Vinson touches on video games, specifically first-person shooters, drawing parallels between interactive and passive media:

"The first person shooter... when you're running... getting up, up at the sky... It's experiential." ([25:50])

These examples illustrate the diverse applications and potential of the first-person technique across different storytelling mediums.

First Person in Literature and Other Media

The conversation transitions to literature, focusing on autofiction—a genre that blurs the lines between autobiography and fiction.

Naomi Fry defines autofiction and provides examples:

"Autofiction is the literary response to the culture of self-exposure on the Internet... books like Karl Ove Nausgaard's My Struggle, Ben Lerner's 1000's, Sheila Heti's How Should a Person Be." ([28:03])

Alex Schwartz discusses the power and pitfalls of first-person narratives in literature:

"There is a kind of conflation of the user of first person with the text itself... It can be a power in a way." ([29:44])

Vinson Cunningham offers a philosophical take on the limitations of first-person perspectives:

"The paradox is that the impossibility is actually what it's giving me, not the opposite." ([42:07])

The hosts debate whether first-person narratives can truly bridge the gap between individual consciousness and shared human experience.

First Person in Social Media and Contemporary Culture

The discussion shifts to the prevalence of first-person storytelling in social media, highlighting both its addictive nature and cultural implications.

Vinson Cunningham raises concerns about the dominance of first-person perspectives:

"It does seem to me that the first person is ascendant and maybe in like, in a negative way." ([34:04])

Naomi Fry reflects on her own experiences with social media's first-person content:

"I'm riveted by her first-person narration of her completely mundane experiences... I can't stop watching them." ([35:50])

Alex Schwartz suggests that technological advancements have facilitated the surge of first-person content:

"Part of me wants to say that it's because the technology just continuously serves this up." ([36:38])

The hosts express a sense of overwhelm and questioning about the cultural shift towards self-centered narratives, pondering its impact on empathy and collective consciousness.

Conclusions and Final Thoughts

Wrapping up the episode, the hosts synthesize their discussions, reflecting on the enduring allure and inherent challenges of the first-person narrative.

Vinson Cunningham emphasizes the personal and collective tensions created by first-person storytelling:

"The tension, that impossibility is, for me, the actual promise. Not the promise of a final mind meld, but a confrontation." ([42:07])

Naomi Fry finds comfort in shared humanity despite the inherent isolation of individual perspectives:

"To read a convincing account of someone's consciousness through first person telling is to me a real comfort." ([43:39])

Alex Schwartz offers a hopeful perspective on the necessity of inhabiting others' experiences:

"You have to leap off and try to inhabit someone else's. Thank goodness we can jump into other people's lives." ([44:55])

Naomi Fry extends the conversation to abstract art, suggesting that first-person expressions can inspire personal creativity:

"This art was conveying something to me that I then wanted to expand into my own life or accept this invitation to expansion." ([45:16])

The episode concludes with a nuanced understanding that while the first-person narrative may never fully bridge individual consciousness, its ability to foster empathy and personal connection remains its most profound promise.

Key Takeaways

• Intimacy vs. Distance: First-person narratives offer deep personal insight but can create emotional distance or detachment.

• Medium-Specific Challenges: Adapting first-person storytelling varies across literature, film, and digital media, each with unique technical and emotional hurdles.

• Cultural Impact: The rise of social media has amplified first-person perspectives, raising questions about its effects on empathy and societal cohesion.

• Autofiction's Role: Blurring the lines between reality and fiction, autofiction reflects contemporary issues of identity and self-exposure.

• Artistic Expression: Despite limitations, first-person narratives continue to be a powerful tool for artists seeking to convey personal and universal human experiences.

Notable Quotes:

• Vinson Cunningham on first-person film techniques:

  "The camera just lingers... you hear his voice almost as if it's proceeding from behind the screen." ([10:13])

• Naomi Fry on first-person narrative in literature:

  "Autofiction is the literary response to the culture of self-exposure on the Internet." ([28:03])

• Alex Schwartz on the emotional power of first-person storytelling:

  "I loved this movie... I found it powerful and moving and visually very beautiful." ([14:24])

• Vinson Cunningham on the collective experience of first-person narratives:

  "The tension, that impossibility is actually what it's giving me, not the opposite." ([42:07])

This summary encapsulates the rich and multifaceted discussion from the episode, providing insights into the complexities of first-person narratives across various forms of art and their broader cultural implications.