Episode details
Available for over a year
Why do endings matter so much to us? How has their function and purpose changed over time? Acclaimed novelist Kate Weinberg speaks to directors, writers, psychologists and anthropologists. Kate explores why people are drawn to particular endings, and how an unspoken contract between artist and audience depends on the nature and quality of how a work ends. It feels as if we’re living through a period when thoughts of a catastrophic end to our world are all around us. Kate interrogates a rich archive of writers, thinkers, comedians, film-makers and critics to find out if our current fears are different from those in previous times, and why our understanding of time itself may now need to change. She explores how all stories rely on our notions of time, and what happens to endings when our concept of time shifts – as could be happening today. Producer: Jonathan Brunert First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2021.
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