Science Fiction and Fantasy have long been areas of literature where difficult topics have been explored - rightly or wrongly - with relative candour. Events in the bookish community have led Jules and Madeleine to look at an oft used issue in sff - slavery. Taking a look at the etymology of the word and the origins this suggests, and following it with a very brief look at slavery in history, the dragons then delve into why we need various portrayals of it in speculative fiction. How is it done well? How is it done less well? And why is it important to consider many perspectives? Under examination this week - The Roman Mysteries by Caroline Lawrence, Tricker's Choice by Tamora Pierce, Thor Ragnorok and many more.
(The dragons fully acknowledge that this week's topic is a sensitive one and have accordingly done their best to both thoroughly discuss the issues surrounding portrayals of slavery in speculative fiction, and deliver that discussion in a way that is both informative and inoffensive. But we are both human and both white, so there may be issues outside our realm of experience or other items we have not done justice to. As always, we are open to being wrong and encourage our listeners to contact us should they wish to do so.)
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 147: Trading Capes - When Villains become Heroes
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 146: The Hollywood Treatment - What the Movies Changed
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 145: Away with the Faeries - Girls versus Supernatural Queens
Dissecting Dragon: Episode 144: Private Eyes and Underworlds - Crime Meets Urban Fantasy
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 143: Making Sh!t Happen - Avoiding the Number One Writing Fail
Dissecting Dragons Episode 142: Battlefield Earth - Intergalactic Invasions in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 141: Spirits of the Deep and Dark - A Dissecting Dragons Hallowe'en Special
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 140: Parody, Farce and Exaggeration - Satire in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 139: That is Illogical - Murderous, Wacky and Wise-cracking AI in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 138: Streetwalkers, Courtesans and Companions - The World's Oldest Profession in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 137: This Year's God - The Human Need for Archetypes
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 136: Remus Werewolf McWerewolf Lupin - The Importance of Character Names in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Ep 135: Grimalkin, Mogget and Mr Kindly - Cats in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 134: Love Ladies Lost! Revisiting Arthurian Legend
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 133: Every Hero Needs a Sam - The Unlikely Best Friend in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 132: Stranger than Fiction - the Weird and Wonderful World of Writing
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 131: Hobbit Holes, Burrows and Secret Lairs - the Concept of Home in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 130: Masked Marauders - Double Lives and Secret Identities in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 129: Marrying in Haste - Young Love in YA Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 128: Neat Little Monsters - The Animal Companion in Speculative Fiction
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