While diversity representation is slowly becoming more balanced in books, film and TV, the scales still tilt firmly towards a straight, white, cis-gendered, heterosexual and usually male default. This creates an expectation that all stories will default to this default setting which everyone to some degree ingests on a subconscious level. This week the dragons try an exercise whereby they deviate from the default and read fiction as though the standard is for a character to be 'queer' or non-cis gendered and non heterosexual, before exploring how shifting the default can enhance both reading experience and real worl perception. On the slab this week - The Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch, Moby Dick - Hermann Melville, Dracula - Bram Stoker, The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins and many more.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Episode 290: Absent Saints and Cruel Caretakers - How Parents Shape Characters in Speculative Fiction part1
Episode 289: Women, Swords and Trauma - the Backstory of the Female Warrior in Speculative Fiction
Episode 288 - Battle of the Animated Feature Films - Disney vs Don Bluth vs Studio Ghibli
Episode 287: Its All About Me - the Strange Appeal of Narcissism in Speculative Fiction
Episode 286: The Road to Hell - Moral Quandaries and Impossible Choices in Speculative Fiction
Episode 285 Challenging Expectations vs Wokewashing - Blindcasting, Diversity USPs and Nuance in Speculative Fiction
Episode 284: From Tea Houses to Taverns - Tea, Coffee and Intoxicating Substances in History and Speculative Fiction
Episode 283: Vanishing Acts and Secret Scandals - A Compilation of Author Mysteries
Episode 282: Mysterious Parcels and Mystical Cups - McGuffins, Plot Devices and Choosey Magical Objects in Speculative fiction
Episode 281: Mean Girls & Toxic Friends - Why Friendship Conflicts are Important in Speculative Fiction
Episode 280: Gentle Giants and Brick Outhouses - the Tank Character in Speculative Fiction
Episode 279: We're All in This Together - The Art of Collaborating in the Arts
Episode 278: Sins of the Father - Inherited Curses, Crimes and Responsibilities in Speculative Fiction
Episode 277: All Around My Hat - More Folksong Writing Inspiration Part 2
Episode 276: All Around My Hat - More Folksong Writing Inspiration Part 1
Episode 275: Mean Girls and Internet Trolls -Positive Body Representation in Speculative Fiction Part 2
Episode 274: Mean Girls and Internet Trolls - Positive Body Representation in Speculative Fiction part 1
Episode 273: The Dark Descent into Hell - Tracing the Origins of Persephone and Other Underworld Goddesses
Episode 272: This is Not 1984 - Stopping Dystopia and False Utopia Spilling into Reality
Episode 271: Maintaining the Mood - How to Avoid Misusing Tone in Speculative Fiction
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Voice of Mushfik
Lit Society: Books and Drama
Ex Libris
The Story of Mankind
Anne of Green Gables
Fresh Air
The Count of Monte Cristo