Continuing on the Spook-tober theme, this week the dragons take a look at a classic trope in gothic and horror fiction: possession. Made more popular in the genre by films like The Exorcist, possession is an unsavoury subject, combining body horror with psychological terror. But where does the idea originate? What part does the human understanding of 'souls' or religion play? And what about the alleged 'true story' status some speculative fiction featuring possession is based on - is there any truth to the claim? Jules and Madeleine take a deep dive into the origins of the trope, citing several 'real life cases' and drawing parallels with popular fiction. On the slab this week: the Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Exorcist, Phil Rickman's Merrily Watkins series and many more.
CW: Some of this discussion centres on familiar and religious abuse, as well as mental health issues.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 27: Harnessing Demons - How Writers use their own faults and insecurities in Writing
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 26: A Touch of Faust - Changing Goals on your Protagonist and when this works
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
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