All posts tagged a fantasy podcast

fantasy clichés 1

The first of two episodes to come this week (as I have to make up for the missed one last week) discusses fantasy cliches. I have a second podcast on the subject to come next week, a pair to this one, and both of them stemming from the previous discussion of the “grown up” nature of modern fantasy. This episode looks at older fantasy cliches such as the boy hero, the enigmatic wizard, and the magic sword.

Direct Download – 23:14 – 21.4mb mp3

In the podcast I mention this brief essay on swords in fantasy that I have posted here on the website.

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by Brondt on November 1, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by Brondt on November 1, 2011

http://wbrondtkamffer.com/2011/11/01/fantasy-cliches-1/

fantasy, all grown up

Well, I am finally back to producing the podcast. It has been a while, but I have a few new episodes lined up in which I will be discussing general subjects related to the fantasy genre. In that sense, we might think of this as the General Series, season 2. This should occupy me through to December, at which point I will break from teaching and be able to produce a lecture series on another fantasy novel.

Direct Download – 22:29 – 20.7mb mp3

This episode basically deals with the changes in fantasy over the last 30 – 40 years. I look at those changes through the lenses of sex, cursing, and violence to see how the genre has “grown up” and become much more mature in its themes.

I, of course, have my own opinions on whether this is all good, and I am not afraid to share them, but I’d love to have a discussion with you about it, so drop me a comment if you agree or disagree.

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by Brondt on October 20, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by Brondt on October 20, 2011

http://wbrondtkamffer.com/2011/10/20/fantasy-all-grown-up/

the death of turin

The Children of Hurin lecture 8 of 8, looking at Turin’s final battle with the dragon Glaurung, the death of his wife/sister Nienor Niniel, and his own death.

*Special thanks to Stephan Davis who pointed out to me the Kullervo references in the novel. Not having read the Finnish epic poem The Kalevala, I was unaware of this part of Tolkien’s influence.*

Text:
Chapter 16, “The Coming of Glaurung”
Chapter 17, “The Death of Glaurung”
Chapter 18, “The Death of Turin”

Direct Download – 51:27 – 47.3mb mp3

Text: The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien

*To my knowledge, there is no difference in pagination between the various printed editions. Therefore, though I am using the mass market paperback, you can use the hardcover or trade paperback edition and still follow along with no problem when I reference page numbers.*

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by Brondt on September 22, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by Brondt on September 22, 2011

http://wbrondtkamffer.com/2011/09/22/the-death-of-turin/

turin in brethil

The Children of Hurin lecture 7 of 8, looking at Turin’s coming to Brethil, the curse laid upon Nienor, Turin’s sister, by Glaurung the dragon, and her coming to Brethil to be reunited with her brother, setting up the final tragedy of the novel.

Text:
Chapter 13, “The Coming of Turin to Brethil”
Chapter 14, “The Journey of Morwen and Nienor to Nargothrond”
Chapter 15, “Nienor in Brethil”

Direct Download – 50:16 – 46.3mb mp3

Text: The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien

*To my knowledge, there is no difference in pagination between the various printed editions. Therefore, though I am using the mass market paperback, you can use the hardcover or trade paperback edition and still follow along with no problem when I reference page numbers.*

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by Brondt on September 1, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by Brondt on September 1, 2011

http://wbrondtkamffer.com/2011/09/01/turin-in-brethil/

the future is … the next four months

This is a bit of an eclectic post in which I will cover a whole lot of news related to this website: the podcast, reviews, writing, and vacation-recovery. Today is the final weekday of my summer vacation, the Fall semester of the new academic year beginning at my university on Monday. As such, this week has been taken up by department meetings, syllabus construction, learning a whole new online course management system, and other things that take up time when preparing for the new semester as a lecturer. All that fiddle-faddle means that I haven’t got a new podcast this week, and I suppose that’s where I’ll begin.

Gods and Men, the Podcast

As mentioned, there is no new podcast this week. I am still recovering from my recent vacation, which compounded with the preparations for the new academic year has meant I just haven’t been able to get to record the lecture. I still have two lectures pending in The Children of Hurin series, and I will have the first of those two ready next week–you may just have to wait until about Thursday to get it, though.

(more…)

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by Brondt on August 26, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by Brondt on August 26, 2011

http://wbrondtkamffer.com/2011/08/26/the-future-is-the-next-four-months/

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