A Critical Dragon
Rings of Power Ep. 02 Adrift - Spoiler Chat with Philip Nemesis Chase
updated
This time we are discussing the eighth and final episode of Season Two, Episode Eight 'Shadow and Flame'. Delightfully I had just had some wisdom teeth removed the day before, so that was giving me a bit of trouble speaking.
Previous Rings of Power Chats:
S1 E1 youtu.be/dHJTxMRV2ss?si=BlZLGwvKKnUEBoYB
S1 E2 - youtu.be/pNMUGsNwcLI?si=NeSxfA6OyXrcUFHY
S1 E3 - youtu.be/xkFKpLwGnYA?si=hlCgpbFvmHVQSsxY
S1 E4 - youtu.be/yRp847HVcXM?si=O58CU34UwrIGhkWE
S1 E5 - youtu.be/rjoM76zw0Ac?si=DxNDqEmBsm7srHLt
S1 E6 - youtu.be/s_fhshj8yjM?si=Y2j1VpsfpOdPc8Kr
S1 E7 - youtu.be/KXkmJ5wqb-A?si=tQMRBZ3rPNtjKvms
S1 E8 - youtu.be/XnowLwr3bQ8?si=-8TTCgEEde3CCRq4
S2 E1 - youtu.be/wyUBrbkPlF0?si=Fq4tjxblBLF55wkP
S2E2 - youtu.be/r3abVCweCpU?si=xI6VH1wB5X7NrJsK
S2 E3 - youtu.be/VooUChLwpBs?si=nmnl0caFEPL6vLJn
S2 E4 - youtu.be/bVz4BzlD2nU
S2 E5 - youtu.be/PAT44RDny7g?si=i9MsxgA4ebvkxoPD
S2 E6 - youtu.be/WCHCDKwgAY0
S2 E7 - youtube.com/watch?v=zuJEXbCVjdc
S2 E8 -
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
#RoP #lotrrop #lotr
This time we are discussing the fourth episode of Season Two, Episode Six 'Where is He?'. As a throwback, we also have added internet disruption... oh joy. I have not missed that.
But thank you to Paul for the research in uncovering yet another image of the nefarious Dr. Fantasy.
Previous Rings of Power Chats:
S1 E1 youtu.be/dHJTxMRV2ss?si=BlZLGwvKKnUEBoYB
S1 E2 - youtu.be/pNMUGsNwcLI?si=NeSxfA6OyXrcUFHY
S1 E3 - youtu.be/xkFKpLwGnYA?si=hlCgpbFvmHVQSsxY
S1 E4 - youtu.be/yRp847HVcXM?si=O58CU34UwrIGhkWE
S1 E5 - youtu.be/rjoM76zw0Ac?si=DxNDqEmBsm7srHLt
S1 E6 - youtu.be/s_fhshj8yjM?si=Y2j1VpsfpOdPc8Kr
S1 E7 - youtu.be/KXkmJ5wqb-A?si=tQMRBZ3rPNtjKvms
S1 E8 - youtu.be/XnowLwr3bQ8?si=-8TTCgEEde3CCRq4
S2 E1 - youtu.be/wyUBrbkPlF0?si=Fq4tjxblBLF55wkP
S2E2 - youtu.be/r3abVCweCpU?si=xI6VH1wB5X7NrJsK
S2 E3 - youtu.be/VooUChLwpBs?si=nmnl0caFEPL6vLJn
S2 E4 - youtu.be/bVz4BzlD2nU
S2 E5 - youtu.be/PAT44RDny7g?si=i9MsxgA4ebvkxoPD
S2 E6 -
S2 E7 -
S2 E8 -
If you would like to buy me a coffee or a book, Support me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/criticaldragon
Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
#RoP #lotrrop #lotr
This time we are discussing the fourth episode of Season Two, Episode Two 'Eldest'. No Beowulf this time around.
Previous Rings of Power Chats:
S1 E1 youtu.be/dHJTxMRV2ss?si=BlZLGwvKKnUEBoYB
S1 E2 - youtu.be/pNMUGsNwcLI?si=NeSxfA6OyXrcUFHY
S1 E3 - youtu.be/xkFKpLwGnYA?si=hlCgpbFvmHVQSsxY
S1 E4 - youtu.be/yRp847HVcXM?si=O58CU34UwrIGhkWE
S1 E5 - youtu.be/rjoM76zw0Ac?si=DxNDqEmBsm7srHLt
S1 E6 - youtu.be/s_fhshj8yjM?si=Y2j1VpsfpOdPc8Kr
S1 E7 - youtu.be/KXkmJ5wqb-A?si=tQMRBZ3rPNtjKvms
S1 E8 - youtu.be/XnowLwr3bQ8?si=-8TTCgEEde3CCRq4
S2 E1 - youtu.be/wyUBrbkPlF0?si=Fq4tjxblBLF55wkP
S2E2 - youtu.be/r3abVCweCpU?si=xI6VH1wB5X7NrJsK
S2 E3 - youtu.be/VooUChLwpBs?si=nmnl0caFEPL6vLJn
S2 E4 -
If you would like to buy me a coffee or a book, Support me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/criticaldragon
Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
#RoP #lotrrop #lotr
This time we are discussing the second episode of Season Two, Episode Two 'Where the Stars are Strange'. There may be a mention of Beowulf, sorry.
Previous Rings of Power Chats:
S1 E1 youtu.be/dHJTxMRV2ss?si=BlZLGwvKKnUEBoYB
S1 E2 - youtu.be/pNMUGsNwcLI?si=NeSxfA6OyXrcUFHY
S1 E3 - youtu.be/xkFKpLwGnYA?si=hlCgpbFvmHVQSsxY
S1 E4 - youtu.be/yRp847HVcXM?si=O58CU34UwrIGhkWE
S1 E5 - youtu.be/rjoM76zw0Ac?si=DxNDqEmBsm7srHLt
S1 E6 - youtu.be/s_fhshj8yjM?si=Y2j1VpsfpOdPc8Kr
S1 E7 - youtu.be/KXkmJ5wqb-A?si=tQMRBZ3rPNtjKvms
S1 E8 - youtu.be/XnowLwr3bQ8?si=-8TTCgEEde3CCRq4
S2 E1 - youtu.be/wyUBrbkPlF0?si=Fq4tjxblBLF55wkP
If you would like to buy me a coffee or a book, Support me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/criticaldragon
Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
#RoP #lotrrop #lotr
Dr. Philip Chase, (@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy ) and I share what we’ve learned about analyzing stories over the years. During the series, we will cover various topics, including story versus plot, narrative perspective, characters, setting and world building, symbols, tone and style, and themes. It is our hope that the tools and techniques we discuss will add enjoyment to people’s storytelling journeys and help advance critical reading skills.
This is part three of answering viewer questions... because there were a lot of questions.
If you would like to buy me a coffee or a book, Support me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/criticaldragon
Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
Analysing Stories Series:
01. Introduction: youtu.be/HGRFj0VZbKM?si=xtV6-MOoJngf1sfg
02. Narrative, Story, and Plot: youtu.be/vB-2n2FA1Es
03. Narrators and Narrative Point of View: youtu.be/tzXUAte52lA?si=h-lLepoRxtF7Fd5Z
04. Characters: youtu.be/YFzuhu2CYVo
05. Setting and World Building: youtube.com/watch?v=0KbvEt4xqzk
06. Symbols and Symbolism youtu.be/GKNbclL2_S0
07. Style, Tone, Irony, Genre, Audience youtube.com/watch?v=0UGYiZaiZTw
08. Theme youtu.be/W4_RAfUwkG4
09. Q&A Part One youtu.be/jwGAJHT2vN4
10. Q&A Part Two youtu.be/tK4y8lAGQrs
11. Q&A Part Three youtu.be/JMEATznlMng
Dr. Philip Chase, (@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy ) and I share what we’ve learned about analyzing stories over the years. During the series, we will cover various topics, including story versus plot, narrative perspective, characters, setting and world building, symbols, tone and style, and themes. It is our hope that the tools and techniques we discuss will add enjoyment to people’s storytelling journeys and help advance critical reading skills.
This is part two of answering viewer questions... because there were a lot of questions.
If you would like to buy me a coffee or a book, Support me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/criticaldragon
Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
Analysing Stories Series:
01. Introduction: youtu.be/HGRFj0VZbKM?si=xtV6-MOoJngf1sfg
02. Narrative, Story, and Plot: youtu.be/vB-2n2FA1Es
03. Narrators and Narrative Point of View: youtu.be/tzXUAte52lA?si=h-lLepoRxtF7Fd5Z
04. Characters: youtu.be/YFzuhu2CYVo
05. Setting and World Building: youtube.com/watch?v=0KbvEt4xqzk
06. Symbols and Symbolism youtu.be/GKNbclL2_S0
07. Style, Tone, Irony, Genre, Audience youtube.com/watch?v=0UGYiZaiZTw
08. Theme youtu.be/W4_RAfUwkG4
09. Q&A Part One youtu.be/jwGAJHT2vN4
10. Q&A Part Two youtu.be/tK4y8lAGQrs
11. Q&A Part Three youtu.be/JMEATznlMng
Dr. Philip Chase, (@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy ) and I share what we’ve learned about analyzing stories over the years. During the series, we will cover various topics, including story versus plot, narrative perspective, characters, setting and world building, symbols, tone and style, and themes. It is our hope that the tools and techniques we discuss will add enjoyment to people’s storytelling journeys and help advance critical reading skills.
This is part one of answering viewer questions... because there were a lot of questions.
If you would like to buy me a coffee or a book, Support me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/criticaldragon
Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
Analysing Stories Series:
01. Introduction: youtu.be/HGRFj0VZbKM?si=xtV6-MOoJngf1sfg
02. Narrative, Story, and Plot: youtu.be/vB-2n2FA1Es
03. Narrators and Narrative Point of View: youtu.be/tzXUAte52lA?si=h-lLepoRxtF7Fd5Z
04. Characters: youtu.be/YFzuhu2CYVo
05. Setting and World Building: youtube.com/watch?v=0KbvEt4xqzk
06. Symbols and Symbolism youtu.be/GKNbclL2_S0
07. Style, Tone, Irony, Genre, Audience youtube.com/watch?v=0UGYiZaiZTw
08. Theme youtu.be/W4_RAfUwkG4
09. Q&A Part One youtu.be/jwGAJHT2vN4
10. Q&A Part Two youtu.be/tK4y8lAGQrs
11. Q&A Part Three youtu.be/JMEATznlMng
This episode delves a little deeper into literary themes, and how we interpret and discuss them.
If you would like to buy me a coffee or a book, Support me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/criticaldragon
Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
Analysing Stories Series:
01. Introduction: youtu.be/HGRFj0VZbKM?si=xtV6-MOoJngf1sfg
02. Narrative, Story, and Plot: youtu.be/vB-2n2FA1Es
03. Narrators and Narrative Point of View: youtu.be/tzXUAte52lA?si=h-lLepoRxtF7Fd5Z
04. Characters: youtu.be/YFzuhu2CYVo
05. Setting and World Building: youtube.com/watch?v=0KbvEt4xqzk
06. Symbols and Symbolism youtu.be/GKNbclL2_S0
07. Style, Tone, Irony, Genre, Audience youtube.com/watch?v=0UGYiZaiZTw
08. Theme youtu.be/W4_RAfUwkG4
09. Q&A Part One youtu.be/jwGAJHT2vN4
10. Q&A Part Two youtu.be/tK4y8lAGQrs
11. Q&A Part Three youtu.be/JMEATznlMng
This episode delves a little deeper into symbols, symbolism, and how we interpret and discuss them.
If you would like to buy me a coffee or a book, Support me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/criticaldragon
Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
Analysing Stories Series:
01. Introduction: youtu.be/HGRFj0VZbKM?si=xtV6-MOoJngf1sfg
02. Narrative, Story, and Plot: youtu.be/vB-2n2FA1Es
03. Narrators and Narrative Point of View: youtu.be/tzXUAte52lA?si=h-lLepoRxtF7Fd5Z
04. Characters: youtu.be/YFzuhu2CYVo
05. Setting and World Building: youtube.com/watch?v=0KbvEt4xqzk
06. Symbols and Symbolism youtu.be/GKNbclL2_S0
07. Style, Tone, Irony, Genre, Audience youtube.com/watch?v=0UGYiZaiZTw
08. Theme youtu.be/W4_RAfUwkG4
09. Q&A Part One youtu.be/jwGAJHT2vN4
10. Q&A Part Two youtu.be/tK4y8lAGQrs
11. Q&A Part Three youtu.be/JMEATznlMng
I try to explain how I think about these questions, and while this is my own personal opinion, hopefully it inspires some thought as to what we are doing when we read and discuss texts.
If you would like to buy me a coffee or a book, Support me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/criticaldragon
Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
This episode delves a little deeper into characters.
If you would like to buy me a coffee or a book, Support me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/criticaldragon
Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
Analysing Stories Series:
01. Introduction: youtu.be/HGRFj0VZbKM?si=xtV6-MOoJngf1sfg
02. Narrative, Story, and Plot: youtu.be/vB-2n2FA1Es
03. Narrators and Narrative Point of View: youtu.be/tzXUAte52lA?si=h-lLepoRxtF7Fd5Z
04. Characters: youtu.be/YFzuhu2CYVo
05. Setting and World Building: youtube.com/watch?v=0KbvEt4xqzk
06. Symbols and Symbolism youtu.be/GKNbclL2_S0
07. Style, Tone, Irony, Genre, Audience youtube.com/watch?v=0UGYiZaiZTw
08. Theme youtu.be/W4_RAfUwkG4
09. Q&A Part One youtu.be/jwGAJHT2vN4
10. Q&A Part Two youtu.be/tK4y8lAGQrs
11. Q&A Part Three youtu.be/JMEATznlMng
Janny Wurts Website: https://www.paravia.com/JannyWurts/in...
Steven Erikson Website: malazanempire.com/site
PL Stuart Website: @thedrownedkingdomsaga7847
Phillip Chase: @PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy
Nikos Book Reviews: @nikosbookreviews
John A. Douglas: @AuthorJohnADouglas
Bryce of Shelf Centered: @ShelfCentered
Johanna Reads: @Johanna_reads
Under The Radar SFF Podcast (Blaise Anacona): https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/sh...
This episode delves a little deeper into plot, story, and narrative.
NB: As I mention in the video, there was a section about diegetic levels and I was not happy with how I was simplifying some of the concepts. So if you would like a video on that, just let me know.
If you would like to buy me a coffee or a book, Support me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/criticaldragon
Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
Analysing Stories Series:
01. Introduction: youtu.be/HGRFj0VZbKM?si=xtV6-MOoJngf1sfg
02. Narrative, Story, and Plot: youtu.be/vB-2n2FA1Es
03. Narrators and Narrative Point of View: youtu.be/tzXUAte52lA?si=h-lLepoRxtF7Fd5Z
04. Characters: youtu.be/YFzuhu2CYVo
05. Setting and World Building: youtube.com/watch?v=0KbvEt4xqzk
06. Symbols and Symbolism youtu.be/GKNbclL2_S0
07. Style, Tone, Irony, Genre, Audience youtube.com/watch?v=0UGYiZaiZTw
08. Theme youtu.be/W4_RAfUwkG4
09. Q&A Part One youtu.be/jwGAJHT2vN4
10. Q&A Part Two youtu.be/tK4y8lAGQrs
11. Q&A Part Three youtu.be/JMEATznlMng
But this is a short video looking at the 'Crawl' from the novel, from an early draft of the screenplay, and from the cinematic release to talk about how different media and different audiences can impact what is said and understood, and what information we can glean from the variations.
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
So I thought this might be a good opportunity to talk about both subjects.
How to evaluate text, and how that impacts what reviewing is.
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
There are two major elements of Discovery that irk me.
1. Inconsistent and incoherent 'rules' within the worldbuilding.
2. Plot overriding psychological realism, common sense, rationality, and logic.
But this may be more a 'me thing' and not an aspect of 'bad writing' in so far as the type of narrative and what the narrative is trying to achieve often alters what we consider to be the 'rules' of good writing.
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
So this video is a look at a non-spoiler section of Grand Conspiracy by Janny Wurts, and a brief discussion of some of the elements she puts in her writing.
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
Writing advice often stresses 'strong, concise, unambiguous' prose. But context, desired effect, and information communicated, are always important considerations.
So this is a short exercise demonstrating some of the aspects of 'strong' 'direct' writing, all the way down to 'weak', ambiguous, writing complete with 'filler words'.
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
I also discuss Code 8: Part II (Director: Jeff Chan, 2024), Road House (Director: Rowdy Herrington, 1989), and Road House (Director: Doug Liman, 2024).
If you would like to buy me a coffee or a book, Support me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/criticaldragon
Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
If you would like to buy me a coffee or a book, Support me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/criticaldragon
Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
Philip and I had a non-spoiler discussion about Dune: Part One over on his channel: youtube.com/channel/UCtggKwACpBTToxBqaUawByw/featured
And the spoiler discussion of Dune: Part One is here:
youtu.be/ZoH7uedzsuQ
If you would like to buy me a coffee or a book, Support me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/criticaldragon
Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
We discuss as spects of Hard/Soft magic and SF, gaming narratives, gaming in narratives, and the reader expectations created by the rising prevalence of ludic narratives (computer games) in how information and the fictive world is
presented to the reader.
If you would like to buy me a coffee or a book, Support me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/criticaldragon
Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
#17 'Calliope'
#18 'A Dream of a Thousand Cats'
#19 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
#20 'Façade'
Writer: Neil Gaiman
Pencillers: Kelley Jones, Charles Vess, & Colleen Doran
Inkers: Malcolm Jones III & Charles Vess
Letterist: Todd Klein
Colorists: Robbie Busch & Steve Oliff
Video 01 is on Varsha's Channel
youtu.be/YxGoW7N0bJM?si=sqpWUeMDR4m5Hpwj
Video 02 is on Philip's Channel
youtu.be/ArOeIPZQpMo?si=pm5npm6R6KIl2YDQ
An earlier video I had done on 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' can be found here: youtu.be/Tti-_AWZ-iI
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
This is just a short video highlighting some of the basic techniques that we find in literature.
once we know about them, we can recognise them and their use.
Once we recognise them , then we can start engaging with what effects they are creating.
Once we can identify the effects they create, then we can start asking why they are there.
It is all part of the process of understanding the written words in front of us beyond a simple reading and understanding of the meaning of the sentence.
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
There is a great amount we can discuss, dissect, critique, and engage with when works exhibit any of these things, but their presence in literature, film, and television, are not indicators of poor quality, bad books, and these creators and authors have every right to include these things.
But a few of my reasons for objecting to these particular statements are:
Firstly, because they conflate what we personally might enjoy in a story with an over-reaching universal criteria that should be applied to all literature and narrative, when clearly that isn't true.
Secondly, these arguments disregard the vast swathes of literature (both historical and contemporary) that do these things (or have done them) and are great stories.
Thirdly, there are entire genres and subgenres in which all these practices are not only common but also desirable.
Fourthly, personal expectations and preferences about one genre or even subgenre, are not foundational grounds for any of these statements.
So I may have been in a bad mood when discussing these points, but a few people that I respect made variants of these arguments and I got irritated and wanted to discuss my perspective.
But hey, this is just my opinion, so I guess that is just as valid as someone else's opinion.
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
Steven Erikson (Malazan Book of the Fallen) stopped by for a chat, and we decided to record a bit of our discussion. We were meant to be discussing prose and structure, but, as usual, we ended up being side tracked.
I hope you enjoy this glimpse into how Erikson and I argue about various aspects of writing. He always thinks about writing first and foremost as an author, and I almost invariably come at the writing as a reader. It makes for a fun discussion of writing and thinking about writing as we each have different perspectives that don't always align.
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
I avoid swearing for the vast majority of the video, so if you are looking for me swearing, this isn't really the place.
I do discuss some different ways of categorising swearing that Prof. Steven Pinker outlines in his work, and how that can help us identify why and how fantasy swear words can sound silly, rude, or authentic.
If you would like to buy me a coffee or a book, Support me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/criticaldragon
Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
Non-Spoiler Discussion of Swearing in Fantasy - DLC Bookclub - HOUSE OF CHAINS - MALAZAN BOOK OF THE FALLEN - Chapters 15-17
youtube.com/watch?v=1G1fgswCsoY&ab_channel=JeffCannata
Steven Pinker: The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature youtube.com/watch?v=U654Kw6oVA4&ab_channel=TheEthanwashere
George Carlin: Seven Words
youtube.com/watch?v=5ssJtD08vCc&ab_channel=TheUnreliableTV
We discussed some of their inspirations, but also were the dividing line is when it comes to writing.
Discussion of Zack Snyder's recent film Rebel Moon may have come up... as well as Glen Cook's Black Company, and we might just have referenced the great Malazan Controversy of Elric 😂
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
So this is just a short chat about how underlying elements can link narratives, even if their expression and specific details are different.
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
So here are some thoughts about why there is sometimes a disconnect between fan and critic, and hopefully it leads to some productive conversation in the new year.
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
For those of you who may have had an experience closer to mine, I try to break down why the film didn't work for me.
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
So here are my thoughts on it.
As always, these are my thoughts on how to approach these things, and we live in a wonderous world in which multiple opinions and perspectives exist.
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
In the comment section, a commenter had expressed their displeasure/dissatisfaction with the series thus far, and had made a number of points explaining why.
While every reader is perfectly entitled to like or dislike a story, and nothing I say can make you like something you don't, I thought was a good opportunity to discuss different aspects of reading and how we think about the narrative in front of us.
So I have attempted to address a number of the concerns that they raised and how I personally think about them, reading concepts that they relate to, and how our individual approaches to understanding narrative and what we personally bring to the table can shape our understanding of the story in front of us.
To be very clear, they are absolutely entitled to have their perspective of the series, to say what they dislike about it, and this is in no way an attempt to say they are wrong in their approach, but they framed many of their complaints in terms of how some aspects are not believable when I believe they are. So I am explaining how I approach a text.
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
Authors use all sorts of techniques to make their writing impactful, powerful, concise, and efficient, and it is not always about short sentences. The first two paragraphs of McCaffrey's writing are a masterclass in how to evoke the fantastic, communicate incredible amounts of detail to the reader, and how to imply a vast amount of information to create interest, ease, and context.
Excerpt from Dragonflight, the first book of the Dragonriders of Pern at Penguin Random House Canada.
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
This got me thinking about the impact of 'Series as an influence of how we perceive the narrative in front of us.
I have previously discussed Farah Mendlesohn's concept of the Intrusion Fantasy from her work Rhetorics of Fantasy, and how Urban Fantasy series often start that way, but soon move past it to something more akin to Secondary World fantasy. By analogy, I think that something similar happens with Alternate History stories.
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
And yes, this is the first 4 paragraphs of chapter one of Assassin's Apprentice rather than a 'prologue' but it is the first four paragraphs of the start of the novel.
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
A lot of these are inter-related and it is when they build on one another that we see how powerfully they impact our evolution as readers.
This video is a short discussion of aspects of literalism and surface level reading that can impact our ability to understand and appreciate literature that employs focalisation, subtext, and context.
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
You don't need to have seen the film to follow the discussion here.
Intro and Music by Professor Trip
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So this is me trying to explain what I understood about the end of the story, and how I envisage what the story was telling us.
It was a Comics Explained video that told me about Atlez. He makes a compelling argument, and I am inclined to believe him on this.
youtube.com/watch?v=G7G6MykBBdI
Intro and Music by Professor Trip
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The DLC Bookclub (@CannataJeff ) has just finished their read along of Memories of Ice, Book 3 of Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen, following their discussions of Gardens of the Moon and Deadhouse Gates. I am a huge fan of their discussions that combine humour, insight, and great personal responses to the material. I can't recommend it enough.
We had a pretty relaxed chat about reading, Malazan, some of the differences between narrative in literature and in gaming.
I had a wonderful time meeting them and chatting with them, and I hope that you enjoy the discussion too.
Intro and Music by Professor Trip
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So I recently had a video that was demonetized by YouTube but I am not sure why. It was focused on overly elaborate prose (using a word beginning with 'P' that sounds a bit like pretend...tious). Anyway, I thought I would approach the topic again but from a different angle.
So this time I am discussing Transparent Prose, or Windex Prose, or Window Prose... basically prose that does not 'intrude', and some of the assumptions that we make about it.
Yes, I talk about Brandon Sanderson, but also Ernest Hemingway and George Orwell.
By the way, there is a great post by Elizabeth Bear that talks a lot about aesthetics, style, and how style and voice interact with story, and how we often have false dichotomies in which voice is seen as antithetical to story. matociquala.livejournal.com/841864.html
Intro and Music by Professor Trip
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Some further reading that might be of interest:
data.oecd.org/pisa/reading-performance-pisa.htm
oecd.org/skills/piaac/Country%20note%20-%20United%20States.pdf (In particular see page 13. Interesting reading.)
bbc.com/news/education-29885222 An interesting and short article on the subject of literacy.
wired.co.uk/article/analysis-of-news-articles for some breakdown of 'reading ages' in regards to news articles. Admittedly Wired isn't a great source, but it refers to the research done by others.
Yet there is always a tension between what is 'real' and what narrative requires in terms of what is persuasively 'believable' and that is where suspension of belief steps in.
In a lot of modern discussions about narrative there is a tendency to focus on Realism and mimetic representation of the 'real' as the only objective metric.
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
This is a video discussion about a couple of elements of Midnight Tides (MBotF 05) MBotF from a re-read perspective and how knowledge of who the ultimate narrator of the series is gives readers a different view of the events, their meaning, and a new way to interpret what is happening on the page.
While not a definitive list, I hope it gives some food for thought on how the full context can help us see events and characters from a different perspective, and re-evaluate the importance of various events given our newly acquired knowledge.
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
So this is just a short video to talk about that, and to talk about a partial defence of escapism, and why, sometimes, it is necessary.
Intro and Music by Professor Trip
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A lot of these are inter-related and it is when they build on one another that we see how powerfully they impact our evolution as readers.
This video is about how assumptions about our place as 'the reader' can negatively impact our perception of the text, and even cause us to misread the text.
If you would like to buy me a coffee or a book, Support me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/criticaldragon
Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
Night of Knives is the first book of the Novels of the Malazan Empire series by Ian C. Esslemont. Esslemont took the time to sit down with me to talk through the opening few paragraphs.
I always enjoy chatting about books with their authors as often their perspective on what they were trying to do can deepen my own understanding of text and narrative.
Intro and Music by Professor Trip
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Janny selected some passages from other fantasy authors (and I snuck one in from her own work) so that we could discuss how these authors created magic on the page and how it works in a fundamentally different way to the common 'magic system'.
So if you are interested in magic in fantasy novels, or even just in how authors evoke the sense of the fantastic, I hope that you find the examples interesting.
I am also reading through Janny Wurts' War of Light and Shadow with Philip Chase and Johanna Reads.
The Discussion of Book One The Curse of the Mistwraith is on Philip's channel: youtu.be/rcEQvxJLyWw?si=kvyCRZoMXmzA7gSZ
The Discussion of Book Two Ships of Merior is on Johanna's channel:
youtu.be/iWDWUuKOvyg?si=2zJIPTJfHycFrlAX
The Discussion of Book Three Warhost of Vastmark is here:
youtu.be/OCgtwuPy_00
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Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
This video has us trying to make insightful comments about Amazon's The Wheel of Time: Season Two Episode Eight: What Was Meant To Be.
This is the season finale, and will be the last discussion Philip and I will have on the subject, but I could make one more on my full season thoughts if anyone is interested.
The Episode One discussion is on Philip's Channel. youtube.com/watch?v=cheY20oGhkU
Episode Two: youtu.be/wGjN2UmsF8o
Episode Three: youtube.com/watch?v=8tRd5efMwUo
Episode Four: youtu.be/HRQY9AfpojI
Episode Five: youtu.be/UY1ucGv9zpM?si=sE8dCQonf0k1qEf7
Episode Six: youtu.be/4-G2I3qqxxU
Episode Seven: youtube.com/watch?v=nqRLUUdMDKs
If you would like to buy me a coffee or a book, Support me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/criticaldragon
Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
A lot of these are inter-related and it is when they build on one another that we see how powerfully they impact our evolution as readers.
This video is about the potential importance of context, and how taking scenes out of context can negatively impact our ability to engage with a text.
If you would like to buy me a coffee or a book, Support me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/criticaldragon
Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
I was joined by @Johanna_reads and @PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy for a discussion of Book 3 Warhost of Vastmark.
Warhost is the conclusion of Arc 1 of Wurts' series, and in some editions is the second half of Book 2 Ships of Merior.
We have a short 'Non-Spoiler discussion' followed by a more in-depth spoiler discussion of the book and we focused on some of the scenes that really stood out to us.
The Discussion of Book One The Curse of the Mistwraith is on Philip's channel: youtu.be/rcEQvxJLyWw?si=kvyCRZoMXmzA7gSZ
The Discussion of Book Two Ships of Merior is on Johanna's channel:
youtu.be/iWDWUuKOvyg?si=2zJIPTJfHycFrlAX
If you would like to buy me a coffee or a book, Support me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/criticaldragon
Intro and Music by Professor Trip.