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 25: Death and All His Friends - Themes of Death, Dying and Grief in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 24: Cognoggins and Clockwork - What makes good Steampunk?
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 23: Genius Loci - Writing Real World Places in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 22: Once More Around the Sun - Celebrating Terrible Birthdays in Speculative Fictio
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 21: Down with the Empire - exploring political themes in YA Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 20: Clash of the Titans - Superheroes vs Superheroes
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 19: Was that REALLY necessary? The overuse of Sexual Violence in Speculative Media
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 18: Oh not another Zombie Movie - the Rise and Fall (and Rise) of the Living Dead
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 17: Magnus Bane to Jack Harkness - LGBTQA+ Representation and Diversity in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 16: Rattling Bones and Poltergeists - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Ghost Stories
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 15: Moustache Twirling 101 - the Mechanics of writing a Villain
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 14: Main Mission - Gaming Narrative, the Future of Storytelling
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 13 - Man-Eating Monster to Flower-Toting Belle - the transition of Fairies in the Victorian Era
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 12: The Gender Bend - Does the Gender make the Story?
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 11: Teams, Trios and Fellowships - the importance of Friendship in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 10: Fight like a Girl - 'Strong' Female Characters in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 9: From West to East - translating Speculative Fiction into Anime and Manga
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 8: Bugbears of Battle - Inciting Violence in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 7: Tatooine to Tudor England - the trappings of Historical and Speculative World Building
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 6: Merlin, Mordred and Morgana - Magic in Arthurian Legend
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