Discussion Notes: The Goophered Grapevine Find this week’s story here: The Goophered Grapevine by Charles W. Chesnutt. Next week’s story: And It Is My Fault by Janet Towle. Rated: Explicit. Our hosts discuss a short story classic from The Atlantic, The Goophered Grapevine by Charles W. Chesnutt. Gerald, Rammy, and Anais could not stand the dialect used to tell the bulk of the story, and Maya valiantly defended the use of such dialect as best she could. While Maya herself admits the dialect is a distraction, she wondered if it served as a preservation of a long gone diction. Perhaps following the old adage ‘if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all’, Rammy and Gerald were unusually quiet on this episode. And finally, the hosts do dissect the representation of black spirituality in fiction, and how author’s intentions color their reception of an author’s work. Did we miss a crucial piece of this story? Tell us below! Also, don’t forget to rate the story! For the history of our goofy system, see Anais’ post “Read Short Stories or Ray Bradbury Cries.” On a scale of 1-6 Bradberries, how do you rate this story? Tell us in the comments below or via voicemail. Also your reviews on iTunes help us grow. Please search Literary Roadhouse in iTunes and leave reviews for all of our shows.