THAT HOMETOWN FEELING by EDNA FERBER

Jon is back narrating 3 episodes per week, some old,some new- all great stories! Check out the answer to the question "Who coined the term "Gilded Age" below.... THAT HOMETOWN FEELING (FROM THE COLLECTION "BUTTERED SIDE DOWN" Published in the 1912 collection Buttered Side Down, this story captures the tension between the allure of the big city and the persistent pull of one's roots. The Summary: The story centers on characters who have moved away from their small towns to find success in the city, only to discover that the "hometown feeling" is something they can never quite outrun. It focuses on the humorous and sometimes bittersweet interactions of people trying to reconcile their new, sophisticated identities with their humbler beginnings. The Hook: Ferber masterfully explores the idea of nostalgia as a double-edged sword. For your listeners, you might frame it as: Is the "hometown feeling" a warm embrace or a trap that keeps us from moving forward? About Edna Ferber (1885–1968) Edna Ferber was a powerhouse of early 20th-century literature. Though she is often associated with the later "Roaring Twenties," her early career and upbringing were deeply rooted in the end of the Gilded Age.  A Voice for the Worker: Ferber was a beloved chronicler of American working people. Her writing often highlighted strong, business-minded women and the grit required to survive in a rapidly industrializing America. Overcoming Adversity: Her perspective was shaped by her childhood in the Midwest, where she faced significant antisemitism. This fueled her lifelong passion for social justice, which is visible even in her lighter short stories. Literary Legacy: She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1925 for So Big and wrote Show Boat, which transformed American musical theater by tackling serious themes of race and poverty.  Who Coined the Phrase "Gilded Age"? The term was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in the title of their 1873 satirical novel, The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today.  The Metaphor: The authors used "gilded" to describe a period that looked glittering and golden on the surface but was corrupt and "cheap" underneath. Unlike a "Golden Age," a "Gilded Age" is merely a thin layer of gold leaf masking social problems and inequality. Adoption: While Twain coined it to satirize his own time, historians in the