The Genius of Tom Wolfe, Destruction of Atlanta, and Decay of America's "Moral Tone" with Rowdy Yates episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 18, 2026 · 1H 12M

The Genius of Tom Wolfe, Destruction of Atlanta, and Decay of America's "Moral Tone" with Rowdy Yates

from The Old World with Will Tanner

In this episode, Will and Rowdy Yates discuss the two premier novels of American journalist and author Tom Wolfe—The Bonfire of the Vanities and A Man In Full. They discuss what Wolfe says about America and the men within it through the lens of the novels, from the decayed "moral tone," as Wolfe put it, of cosmopolitan cities in the New South like Atlanta to the nature of class and wealth in America. They discuss everything from the mess that is Atlanta to Wolfe's genius as an author, along with some of their favorite "laugh out loud funny" moments and characters in each novel. Further, they discuss how Wolfe portrays the Civil Rights grifters, new money, old money, and men who are out of place in a cosmopolitan world. Get A Man in Full here Get Bonfire of the Vanities here

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The Genius of Tom Wolfe, Destruction of Atlanta, and Decay of America's "Moral Tone" with Rowdy Yates

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This episode was published on March 18, 2026.

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