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Third Person Limited

Third Person Limited

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Third Person Limited is a podcast about books and culture with Nathan Pensky and Mason Stockstill, two writers living in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles.

We both work in academia, so we are therefore both tired, but in, like, a droll, entertaining way. Our opinions are numerous and wonderful to behold.

Each of our chats will focus on a specific book, author, or cultural trend. Talk will be wide-ranging, with other topics likely to include literary gossip, the importance of Michael Mann’s film Heat to modern culture, snack discourse, family news, philosophy of mind, confessional poetry, very funny jokes, and also much less funny jokes.

Episodes will often include interviews with working writers both well-known and up-and-coming. We encourage you to listen to this podcast when jogging or cleaning your apartment.

Visit our site at thirdpersonlimited.comCopyright 2025 All rights reserved.
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Épisodes
  • Episode 18: Author Tom Ryan and Movies Being Too Literal
    Feb 16 2026

    Will Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Encyclopedia Brown, or any of the other fictional teen sleuths ever grow up? We spoke with Tom Ryan, whose novel We Had a Hunch throws adult versions of kid detectives into several harrowing grown-up situations, from hunting a serial killer to the slow-dawning realization that they’ve become middle-aged.

    Plus: are contemporary works of art too literal? It’s no fun if a novel or a movie tells to your face its theme and meaning. That’s the message of our movie, Movies Should Not Tell You Their Meaning.

    We Had a Hunch by Tom Ryan is out now.

    Works Cited this episode:

    Nancy Drew mysteries, Franklin W. Dixon/the Stratemeyer Syndicate

    Hardy Boys mysteries, Franklin W. Dixon/the Stratemeyer Syndicate

    The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Agatha Christie

    Keep This to Yourself, Tom Ryan

    The Treasure Hunters Club, Tom Ryan

    Murder, She Wrote, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson, and

    The Silence of the Lambs, dir. Jonathan Demme

    “The New Literalism Plaguing Today’s Biggest Movies,” Namwali Serpell, The New Yorker

    Anora, dir. Sean Baker

    Cinderella, dir. Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, and Clyde Geronimi

    Mad Men, created by Matthew Weiner

    The Brutalist, dir. Brady Corbet

    Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison

    The Trial, Franz Kafka

    Eradication, Jonathan Miles

    The Housemaid, Frieda McFadden

    Valley of the Dolls, Jacqueline Susann

    The Daydreaming Boy, Micheline Aharonian Marcom

    Outbreak, dir. Wolfgang Peterson

    Friends, created by David Crane and Marta Kaufman

    Field of Dreams, dir. Phil Alden Robinson

    Shoeless Joe, W.P. Kinsella

    Mikey and Nicky, dir. Elaine May

    The Parker novels, Richard Stark

    Tender is the Flesh, Agustina Bazterrica

    The Jungle, Upton Sinclair

    Sister Carrie, Theodore Dreiser

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    47 min
  • Interpretation and Ecstasy
    Feb 2 2026

    We have too many reviews and not enough interpretive criticism. At least, that’s what Nathan says, and it seems to hold water. A true critique engages your intellect and raises questions, while a review just says whether you should watch that movie/read that book/listen to that podcast.

    In our second segment, we engage with Ivy Pochoda’s latest novel, Ecstasy, which itself engages with the classical play The Bacchae. We’re not saying a cult of drunken women who kill the men would solve all our problems, but maybe it’s a start.

    Ecstasy by Ivy Pochoda is available now

    Works cited this episode:

    I Know What You Did Last Summer, dir. Jim Gillespie Return of the Jedi, dir. Richard Marquand The Empire Strikes Back, dir. Irvin KershnerFargo, dir. Joel Cohen Siskel & Ebert “Fargo Forum: Minnesota, Masculinity, Mike Yanagita, and more,” Noel Murray, Keith Phipps, Nathan Rabin, Tasha Robinson, Matt Singer, Scott Tobias, The Dissolve “Against Interpretation,” Susan Sontag The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald “In Defense of the Traditional Review,” Richard Brody, The New Yorker Volcano, dir. Mick Jackson “It Lavas L.A.,” Richard Corliss, TIME Capital, Karl Mark The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien Wonder Valley, Ivy Pochoda Sing Her Down, Ivy Pochoda Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen The Bacchae, Euripides Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver David Copperfield, Charles Dickens Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov Liar Liar, dir. Tom Shadyac 30 Rock, created by Tina Fey

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    51 min
  • Literature for Aliens, and How to Be Perfect
    Jan 19 2026

    Our hosts have ideas about what sort of books should have been included on the Voyager spacecraft, to support its heartwarming mission of spreading humanity to the stars. Would you have just sent the aliens your favorite book? Because maybe they don’t have the context to understand what a “Da Vinci Code” even is. And speaking of putting a lot of pressure on a book, TV creator Michael Schur’s How to Be Perfect put that pressure on itself. Philosophical ethics never sounded so good.

    How to Be Perfect by Michael Schur

    Works cited this episode:

    The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, William Shakespeare Bridgerton series, Julia Quinn Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk Twilight, Stephenie Meyer The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien The Shawshank Redemption, Frank Darabont To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee The Ride of the Valkyries, Richard Wagner “Queen of the Night,” The Magic Flute, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart “Johnny B. Goode,” Chuck Berry The Three-Body Problem, CIxin Liu Contact, Carl Sagan The Art of War, Sun Tzu Silo, created by Graham Yost Fox in Socks, Dr. Seuss The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss Galaxy Quest, dir. Dean Parisot The Tragedy of King Lear, William Shakespeare The Office, developed by Greg Daniels Parks and Recreation, created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur The Good Place, created by Michael Schur The Apology of Socrates, Plato Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, dir. Ed Solomon The Simpsons and Philosophy, William Irwin, Mark T. Conrad, Aeon J. Skoble, editors Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts, David Baggett, Shawn E. Klein, William Irwin, editors The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy, Luke Cuddy, editor Jimmy Buffett and Philosophy, Erin McKenna, Scott L. Pratt, editors Radiohead and Philosophy, Brandon W. Forbes, George A. Reisch, editors Chicken Soup for the Soul, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert M. Pirsig

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    1 h et 3 min
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