Celebrating 100 Years: Jia Tolentino and Roz Chast Pick Favorites from the Archive
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What is the significance of The New Yorker’s 100th anniversary?
Listen, I am not one for anniversary journalism or even birthdays. You reach a certain age, and it's hard to remember what all the fuss is about. But when you reach 100, well, at 100 you get to make a fuss. And the debut issue of the New Yorker magazine appeared on newsstands dated February 21st, 1925. Throughout this year, we're going to be celebrating the centennial in many ways. And one of them is to highlight a few of the gems from the New Yorker's archive. And we've asked some of our writers to pick a piece that means something special to them. And so we'll start off today with Gia Tolentino, who's the author of the bestselling book, Trick Mirror. And Gia picked a story by one of the great genius observers of American life, the late Joan Didion.
What makes Joan Didion's writing about Martha Stewart special?
Joan Didion. One thinks of the stingray, the mohair throw, and the typewriter, Bloodshed and Laurel Canyon, the decaying summer of love. It's always a surprise to remember that the neurasthenic empress of American nonfiction once turned the terrifying gimlet of her attention to Y2K-era fan blogs and Kmart cake toppers for a defense of Martha Stewart.
The dreams and the fears into which Martha Stewart taps are not of feminine domesticity, but of female power. Of the woman who sits down at the table with the men and, still in her apron, walks away with the chips.
Joan Didion's essay on Martha Stewart, read for us by an actor, and I'm here with staff writer Gia Tolentino. Gia, tell me why you picked this story out of so many thousands that we've published over 100 years. Why Joan Didion? And why this piece about Martha Stewart?
This is published in the year 2000. And three years later, Martha Stewart gets indicted for securities fraud. And four years later, Joan Didion starts writing The Year of Magical Thinking.
Her memoir about losing her husband and daughter.
Yeah. And so their entire sort of 21st century image is defined by things that have not happened yet, but are almost about to happen when this piece comes out. And so I find it just this amazing thing that exists.
It remains surprising to me that she decided to take the song.
Wait, can you actually, can you give me the goss? Like, can you tell me how did it happen?
I think we threw ideas at Joan Didion constantly hoping for the best, that we would get lucky once in a blue moon. And for some reason, she bid on this.
Well, do you think you know what the reason is when you read the piece?
I think when you read the piece. When you read the piece, you really... When you read the piece, she's really interested in this kind of domestic... god-goddess notion.
You could bottle that chili sauce, neighbors say to home cooks all over America. You could make a fortune on those date bars. You could bottle it. You could sell it. You can survive when all else fails. I myself believed for most of my adult life that I could support myself and my family, in the catastrophic absence of all other income sources, by catering.
I think when you read this piece, you get why she accepted this assignment, because she loves Martha Stewart. I don't think... Did you? Um, no. No. You know, both Martha Stewart and Joan Didion are fascinating figures to me that I could never feel an entire kinship with because two things. They are both perfectionists on the surface, something that I... Can't quite connect to. And there's a real steel. There's such a genteel perfection and ease. But behind it, there's like a little bit of blood. There's some sense of kind of violence. I mean, she kills her own Thanksgiving turkeys, right? And with Didion, too, there's this icy, icy, icy like control and coldness.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the significance of The New Yorker’s 100th anniversary?
0:58–1:49
2
What makes Joan Didion's writing about Martha Stewart special?
1:49–5:57
3
How does perfectionism play a role in women's narratives?
5:57–8:18
4
What is the connection between Martha Stewart and Joan Didion?
8:18–12:38
5
How did Martha Stewart's legal issues affect her public image?
12:38–15:04
6
What themes are explored in the essay about Martha Stewart?
15:04–18:45