The Dragons have looked at rivalries and snobberies between different genres in previous episodes - it's endemic and baked in to the creation of literature. But they've never fully tackled the 'mythology' that has specifically risen around writing fantasy. This week Jules and Madeleine delve into how these strange and often nonsensical pieces of 'wisdom' came about, and why they stalk the genre to the extent that some fantasy writers deny they write fantasy even now. Does fantasy engage with important themes? Does it have value beyond mere entertainment? Can it cause the reader to lose their ability to tell between reality and fantasy? The dragons tackle all this and more. On the slab this week - Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series, J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and many more.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
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
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 212: I'm the Bad Guy (or am I?) - Morally Grey Characters in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 211: Write What You Know & Other Pearls of Wisdom - the Worst Publishing and Writing Advice
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 210: Toss a Coin to Your Fantasy Author - When Epic Fantasy Hits the Screen
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 209: Bring On the Heartbreak - When Romantic Subplots go Wrong in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 208: Welcome to the Multiverse - Alternate Realities, Evil Twins and Unmade Choices in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 207: Nervous Timid Goth Boys vs Manic Pixie Dream Girls - How a Single Trope can Shift Narrative Preference
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 206: Devilish Dogs and Last Unicorns - Traumatic Moments in Children's Animated Feature Films
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 205: Guardians of Knowledge - Magical Libraries in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 204: Good Hearted Rogues to Xenomorphs - the Dragons' Formative Films
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 203: For the Dead Travel Fast - Monster Hunters in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 202: 2019 - Marvels and Oddities
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 201: It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas - Our Favourite Festive Scenes
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