The dark and supernatural seducer of myth and folklore tells us a lot about a culture's tendencies and viewpoint when it comes to sex, marriage and forming a society. It also explains at least partially how that group of people view and treat women. Almost every culture in every time period has or has had a 'daemon lover' myth but the moral behind these stories varies greatly. Today, it can be found reflected in the huge body of paranormal romance. In the 1920s, if found its reflection first in films such as the 1922 'Nosferatu' and then followed the progress of the film industry - the daemon lover becoming more suave, sophisticated and appealing with each incarnation. Before the daemon lover ever touched the silver screen, he (and it almost always is a 'he') starred in literature and, in particular, in the gothic novel. This week Jules and Madeleine dig into the archetype - why is the presence of such a character so prevalent? Why has his image gone through so many permutations? And what exactly does his presence in speculative fiction say about our mindset today?
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 163: Into the Woods - Mythical, Magical and Malicious Forests in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 162: Bring Out Your Dead - Sickness and Pandemics in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 161: That's not Historically Accurate - the Fallacy of Fantasy Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 160: The Kids are Alright - Why do we need a NA Genre as well as YA?
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 159: I See Dead People - Psychics, Mediums and Communing with the Dead
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 158: Dominion, Mastery and Emancipation - Portrayals of Slavery in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 157: Chosen Ones and Fated Champions - the Phenomenon of the Special Snowflake in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 156: Childcatchers and Trunchbulls - Portrayals of Abuse in Children's Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 155: All in Your Head - Portrayals of Mental Illness in Modern YA Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 154: Death and Sex Appeal - Assassins in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 153: A Pirate's Life for Me - Myths, Stories and Crime on the High Seas
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 152: The Universe in Motion - Expanding Series & Reader Opinion in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 151: Reading Like a Writer - How Critical Reading Informs the Writing Process
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 150: The Twilight Zone - When Fandoms are Attacked in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 149: 2018 - The Good, the Bad and the Utterly Bizarre
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 148: The Holly and the Ivy - The Root of the Carol
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
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