Episodi
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You never know what kind of flower a podcast will become until it reaches full bloom. We descend gracefully into the night with a return to the author from our first episode.
One more episode of reminiscing is to come, and then we will be embarking on a new project with better everything. I'm so excited! -
Keawe buys a bottle with an imp inside who grants as many wishes as you like. You can only sell the bottle for less than you bought it. If you possess it on your death, you will go to hell.
We discuss story stakes, consider if the imp checks the exchange rate and explain the Bottle Imp Paradox, named after this story. -
Episodi mancanti?
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It's The Happy Prince. Look how happy he is. Aren't you glad that he's happy?
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A tale of two scientists racing to find the key to invisibility. We discuss made-up science, rivalries and sandwich metaphors.
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This week we talk about monsters, especially the big kind. Ray Bradbury's story is a little sad and often poignant - what makes it so effective?
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We discuss breaking the fourth wall in fiction, horror vs ghost stories and more in our discussion of this ghostly tale by M.R James.
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A dubious scientist experiments on his friends with water from The Fountain of Youth in one of Nathaniel Hawthorne's most popular short stories. We discuss why you shouldn't be friends with dubious scientists.
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We discuss why we felt guilty for laughing at Moonface, whether optimists are annoying and writing villain protagonists.
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The title is funny because it's also a story about depending on others. In this episode, we attempt to explain this story as neatly as I just explained my own joke. We talk about character agency, feminine "ideals" and whether calling people bro influences your sexuality.
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We discuss raising the stakes, describing characters and ABCs aka Alien Big Cats in this short horror story
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A winding time travel tale from the 50s that will keep you guessing. At times more of a puzzle than a story, we discuss internal consistency, our favourite time travel systems, and building character motivations.
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Arsene Lupin is a gentleman thief and only steals the finest of things. We discuss the first story written about this character, who was said to be a master of disguise.
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The return of Ray Bradbury with a light sci-fi story that's both funny and a little creepy. We discuss use and abuse of the 'creepy children' trope, the use of non-diegetic information in short stories and Bradbury's distinctive style.
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This story contains one of the first examples of invisibility in fiction. We discuss the elements of terror and why everyone wants to be invisible.
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This charming fairy tale about a talented mouse is a fun little story. We discuss happy vs ambiguous endings, the Finnish language, translation and more.
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Take a journey to heaven in EM Forster's The Celestial Omnibus. We discuss snobbery in literature, transitions between worlds and try to work out some of the story's many literary references.
For more on EM Forster - https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/feb/17/e-m-forster-my-policeman -
This week's story is the winner of our competition we ran at the end of last year. We talk about keeping a story moving and how to come up with a strong concept.
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An unusually-titled story from Kurt Vonnegut that shows how everything can go horribly wrong, even with good intentions. We discuss the idea of collective vs individualistic ideals, dark humour, and contrasting themes.
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Guy de Maupassant's naturalist writing style influenced O Henry and Kate Chopin. This story about marriage has plenty of twists and turns.
How to say Guy de Maupassant's name actually and properly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOkQLmlokAE&ab_channel=JulienMiquel
(With thanks to Holly and Andy for the reading material!) - Mostra di più