The pirate is a controversial, often highly romanticised figure in fantasy and even science fiction. Connected both with the myths and ghost stories of the sea, and with the same connotations as the highwayman or outlaw in folk ballad, the pirate is a tricky archetype to pin down. Some speculative fiction readers have a knee jerk aversion to fantasy depictions of such characters when their real life counterpoints were often violent and unprincipled. This week, the dragons delve into both the history and the romanticised fiction of pirates. While historical pirates (and Jules and Madeleine have restricted themselves to 1600 - 1800s!) were hardly heroic figures, they weren't merely thugs who travelled by sea. From the oft broken 'Pirate's Code' of Captain Bartholomew Roberts' Articles to the little known and surprisingly progressive practice of 'matolage', historical pirates were far more multi dimensional that opinion, common record or fiction give them credit for. But just where did the romantic 'Pirates of the Caribbean' type figure come from? Tune in to find out. On the slab this week - Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, Peter Pan by J. M. Barre, Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch and many more.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 199: Troubled, Dead or MIA - Parent-child Relationships in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 198: Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey - Time Travel in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 197: The Trouble with the Victorians - How a Single Era Influenced Our Opinions
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 196: Tale as Old as Time - Why Fairytales Endure
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 195: Key & Codex - Secret Societies in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 194: Creaky Floorboards & Locked Doors - Learning Tension and Suspense from Gothic Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 193: Tragic Heroes and Unexpected Children - More Tropes We Love in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 192: Fitted Breastplates & Feminine Mystique - Sexist Absurdities in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 191: It's Harder that You Think - Writing Sex Scenes in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 190: Art and Artifice - What Jane Austen has to say to a Modern Readership
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 189: Last One Alive - Final Girl Tropes in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 188: I'm Not Gay, I'm Just Evil - The Queer Coded Villain Trope in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 187: Designer Flu & Superhumans - The Conspiracy Theory Trope in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 186: Going Through Changes - Shapeshifters in Myth and Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 185: This is Not Forgiveness - Redemption Arcs in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 184: Auguries and Omens - Bird Symbolism in Myth and Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 183: The Future We Deserve? - Learning Hope From Science Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 182: Full Immersion Fantasy - the Appeal of RPG
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 181: Of Their Time - the Changing Faces of Diversity and Prejudice in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 180: 10,000 - A Celebration of Dissecting Dragons
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