As avid readers and bibliophiles, Madeleine and Jules will pretty much tackle anything, no questions asked. As writers however, and especially as SFF writers, they all too often run aground against the literary merit debate. Said debate is that true literature which is worth reading should be hard, it should require effort to read and digest. Ultimately, literary fiction is more worthwhile than genre fiction. This week the dragons delve into the origins of this argument - where did literary fiction originate as a term? What is the genre divide? Who decides which is which? - as well as taking a look at the roots of the history of the novel and side trip through the disreputable origins of SFF, before confronting their own prejudices and snobberies over types of fiction. On the slab this week - The Bone Clocks - David Mitchell, The Book of Strange New Things - Michell Faber, The Night Circus - Erin Morgernstern, When the Moon was Ours - Anna-Marie McLemore and Sing Unburied Sing - Jesmyn Ward.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 233: Hidden Cities & Forgotten Kingdoms - Lost Worlds in Speculative Fiction
Episode 232: Murder Most Foul - Killing with Purpose in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 231: Writing for Relaxation - the Therapy of Putting Pen to Paper
Episode 230: Growing Pains - the Coming of Age Narrative in Speculative Fiction
Episode 229: A Tale for Bards - Why Historical Fantasy Works
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 228: Identity Crisis - The Quest for Self Knowledge in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 227: Fighting Fire with Fire - When Good Guys Dabble with Dark Arts
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 226: Continuity Error - Retconning and Misremembering in Speculative Fiction.
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 225: Innocence and Experience - Inadequate Narrators in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 224: The Magic of the Craft - Artists Engineers and Creatives in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 223: Jump on the Train, or get off the Tracks - Pacing, Prologues & Bridging Distance in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 222: Getting the Band Back Together - Subverting Tropes in Fantasy Teams
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 221: A Knight to Remember - Courtly Love, Chivalry and Noble Warriors in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 220: The Greatest Liars - What Actors can Teach Writers about Creating Characters
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 219: Children of the Prophecy - Subverting the Chosen One Trope in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 218: Plotting, Pantsing, Middling and Snowflaking - Creating Outlines for Books and Series...or Not!
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 217: You Are Cordially Invited - Costume Dramas, 19th Century Literature & Dragons
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 216: Sugar & Spice - Nuance and the Nice-washing of Female Characters in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 215: The Book was Better than the Film, or When it Wasn't - Adaptations, Revamps and Sequels
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 214: Something Sweet & Deadly - Easter Eggs and the Problems with Fan Service
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