{"id":379723,"date":"2026-04-14T23:21:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T23:21:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/379723\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T23:21:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T23:21:11","slug":"author-maria-semple-explores-stoicism-and-misogyny-in-new-novel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/379723\/","title":{"rendered":"Author Maria Semple Explores Stoicism and Misogyny in New Novel"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"AnThe lavish textures and high-fashion aesthetics of the entertainment world provide a conceptual backdrop for the author’s exploration of Stoicism and misogyny.Whittier Today<\/p>\n

In her new novel ‘Go Gentle,’ author Maria Semple introduces readers to Adora Hazzard, a former TV comedy writer who now works as a philosopher for a wealthy family. As Adora tries to apply Stoic principles to her life, she falls into a potential art heist scheme and a new romantic relationship, leading to a deeper exploration of her past experiences in the misogynistic world of Hollywood.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

Semple’s novel blends her expertise in Stoicism and TV comedy writing to create a unique protagonist navigating the complexities of modern life. The story examines themes of conformity, the pursuit of status and acceptance, and the challenges of maintaining emotional detachment in an increasingly chaotic world.<\/p>\n

The details<\/p>\n

The novel follows Adora Hazzard, a single mother and working philosopher who finds herself entangled in an art heist scheme while also exploring a new romantic relationship. Semple draws on her own experiences in the TV industry to depict Adora’s past as a comedy writer struggling with self-image and the misogyny of Hollywood.<\/p>\n

Semple has practiced Stoicism for about 12 years.The novel ‘Go Gentle’ was published in 2026.<\/p>\n

The players<\/p>\n

Maria Semple<\/p>\n

The author of ‘Go Gentle’ and other hit novels such as ‘Where’d You Go, Bernadette.’ Semple has also written for TV shows like ‘Mad About You,’ ‘Saturday Night Live,’ and ‘Arrested Development’.<\/p>\n

Adora Hazzard<\/p>\n

The protagonist of ‘Go Gentle,’ a former TV comedy writer who now works as a philosopher for a wealthy family.<\/p>\n

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\n What they\u2019re saying<\/p>\n

\u201cThe basic premise is to differentiate between what you can and cannot control and that’s second nature to me now, though it’s not that hard for anybody. The hardest thing for me still is to bring detachment to the things that are outside my control.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Maria Semple, Author<\/p>\n

\u201cI love the idea of the coven, and I always talk about it with my friends. It was very much alive in my imagination and I thought it would be fun to write about, but one of my beliefs is that your protagonists can’t have friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Maria Semple, Author<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

Semple’s new novel ‘Go Gentle’ is set to be released in bookstores and online retailers in the coming months.<\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

Semple’s blend of Stoic philosophy, TV comedy writing, and a protagonist navigating the complexities of modern life offers readers a unique and insightful exploration of themes like conformity, the pursuit of status, and the challenges of emotional detachment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a The lavish textures and high-fashion aesthetics of the entertainment world…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":379724,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[156,111,139,69,437],"class_list":["post-379723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=379723"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379723\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/379724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=379723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=379723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=379723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}