Miss MacIntosh, My Darling: Chapter 29: The Butterflies, Which Poses the Question: Is the Transformation of the Chrysalis into a Butterfly Nature's Metaphor for the Survival of the Soul After Death?, Part 1, Michael Wager

Michael Wager reads Chapter 29 “The Butterflies” of Miss MacIntosh, My Darling by Marguerite Young. Wager (1925-2011) was a Hollywood film and television actor. He appeared in films such as Giv’a 24 Eina Ona (1955), Exodus (1960), and Jane Austen in Manhattan (1980). He also performed on the CBS Radio Mystery Theater for many years.

Often compared to James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake, Young's novel resonates with unique and poignant observations of American culture, in an epic and surrealist poetic prose. It took the under-recognized, enigmatic and iconoclastic author eighteen years of work to complete this dense, two volume novel.

The Butterflies is one of the most celebrated chapters of Young's epic novel. It foretells of the monarchs delicate beauty and the wonderment that they possess. These tiny creatures give hope and comfort for the character, Mr. Spitzer, and to those that listen to his story.

In 1976-77, Charles Ruas produced a series of WBAI radio programs focused on literature and radio performance, called The Reading Experiment. As part of this series, Miss MacIntosh, My Darling was read over a year-long period by Marguerite Young’s contemporaries from the New York City literature, music, and theater communities. All readings are underscored with soundscapes and music by artist Rob Wynne.

This program has been restored by The Clocktower Radio; with the assistance of Charles Ruas; and by agreement with The Yale Beinecke Library, home to the Marguerite Young Papers. Special thanks to Dr. Contance Eichenlaub for her passion and generosity.

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