Rephonic
Artwork for Master the 40: The Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald

Master the 40: The Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald

Kirk Curnutt and Robert Trogdon
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Charisma
Great Depression
Hollywood
Race
Racial Passing
Saturday Evening Post
The Dance
Davis
Catherine Jones
Katie Goldstein

In 1929 F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote Ernest Hemingway that because his short stories now earned $4000 a pop he was "an old whore" who had "mastered the 40 positions" when "in her youth one was enough." But were the upwards of 180 stories he cranked out when not writing The Great Gatsby really the work of a literary prostitute selling out his talent for a fast buck? Kirk Curnutt and Robert Trogdon don... more

PublishesMonthlyEpisodes28Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Arts

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Master the 40: The Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald

Latest Episodes

Send us Fan Mail

Published in Esquire in September 1937, "The Long Way Out" could possibly be the best F. Scott Fitzgerald short story nobody has ever paid attention to---not even seasoned scholars. Set in a sanitarium, the plot involves a traumatiz... more

Send us Fan Mail

While we're editing our next episode (out before the end of the month!), we're very excited to share this adaptation of Fitzgerald's "The Dance," which first appeared in Red Book exactly 100 years ago. Although not widely known, "Th... more

Send us Fan Mail

Published December 17, 1927 in the Saturday Evening Post, "A Short Trip Home" is most notable as one of a handful of supernatural short stories F. Scott Fitzgerald published throughout his career. Indeed, the Post almost declined th... more

Send us Fan Mail

Published in the Saturday Evening Post on March 3, 1928 "Magnetism" tells the story of an "accidental" Hollywood star, George Hannaford, whose life is beguiled by celebrity and the pitfalls of fame. And by pitfalls we mean all the w... more

Key Facts

Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Great American Novel
Great American NovelScott Yarbrough and Kirk Curnutt
One True Podcast
One True PodcastMark Cirino and Michael Von Cannon
The History of Literature
The History of LiteratureJacke Wilson / The Podglomerate
Secret Life of Books
Secret Life of BooksSophie Gee and Jonty Claypole
Very Bad Wizards
Very Bad WizardsTamler Sommers & David Pizarro

Hosts

Kirk Curnutt
Host of the show, co-host; multiple episode appearances; affiliated with literary organizations.
Robert Trogdon
Co-host, discuss topics with co-hosts; frequent collaborator on Master the 40.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 41 ratings
  • Thoroughly Enjoyable

    Educating and enjoyable banter. Sometimes I join in on my own lol

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Ruby St. Diamond
    United Statesa year ago
  • Informative and Entertaining!

    This is a great podcast about the short stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Each podcast provides great history, analysis, and background of each story and Fitzgerald’s life. After each episode, I find I have a page of notes regarding biographies, short stories, authors, and books that I would like to read that are mentioned in the podcast. Both professors provided extraordinary detail about Fitzgerald and the stories, as well as Fitzgerald’s contemporaries, such as Hemingway and other authors of... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Finnie55
    United States2 years ago
  • Discovering the Hidden Gems of Fitzgerald's Short Stories with Master the Forty

    Master the 40 is a great podcast for fans of F. Scott Fitzgerald's short stories. Hosts Kirk Curnutt and Robert Trogdon offer insightful and engaging discussions of Fitzgerald's work, with a focus on the themes, literary devices, and historical context of each story.

    I particularly enjoyed the episodes on "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." In the "Diamond" episode, Curnutt and Trogdon explore the story's satirical take on the American Dream, as well as F... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    E from St. Paul
    United States3 years ago
  • I am flying through this podcast after finding it. What a treasure and what an educational literary adventure. Jump on and enjoy.

    Audible
    5
    Martha McIntosh
    United States3 years ago
  • A must listen for Fitzgerald readers and scholars.

    I am flying through this podcast after finding it. What a treasure and what an educational literary adventure. Jump on and enjoy.

    Audible
    5
    Martha McIntosh
    United States3 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Excellent resource for Fitzgerald fans and English scholars alike
Witty banter and strong chemistry between hosts enhances listening
Impeccably knowledgeable hosts who make literary history accessible
Insightful context on publication history and era culture adds depth

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per EpisodeGender SkewLocation
InterestsProfessionsAge Range
Household IncomeSocial Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast

What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Two hosts explore Fitzgerald's short fiction through close reading, historical context, and publishing history, blending literary analysis with gossip and era-specific anecdotes. Episodes spotlight race, gender, and societal norms in a range of stories, while examining authors' careers, magazine markets, and the evolving boundaries between popular fiction and literature. The show's appeal lies in its lively banter, accessible scholarship, and ability to connect 1920s-30s culture to contemporary readers. A notable strength is pairing tight textual analysis with rich biographical and industry context, making it engaging for both literature students and general fans of the era.

Where can I find podcast stats for this podcast?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to this podcast and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does this podcast get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for this podcast, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for this podcast?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for this podcast, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does this podcast have?

To see how many followers or subscribers this podcast has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to this podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with this podcast:

1. Great American Novel
2. One True Podcast
3. The History of Literature
4. Secret Life of Books
5. Very Bad Wizards

How many episodes of this podcast are there?

this podcast launched 6 years ago and published 28 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact this podcast?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for this podcast?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for this podcast from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for this podcast?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of this podcast. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days