In this conversation, James Cox reflects on the public images of iconic authors such as Mark Twain and Robert Frost, and shares a few favorite lines from Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.” James Olney discusses the roles of hypocrisy and humor in the work of Mark Twain and the nature of public life in general.
At the time of this interview, Cox was professor of literature at Dartmouth College. Olney, a Fellow at the National Humanities Center (1980-81), was professor of English at North Carolina Central University.
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.
