Episode 18 - Mature Content Part 2

Why do many Christians think fantasy is for children? Is there room for Christians to read and write fantasy books designed for a mature audience? How should the Bible influence our storytelling methods?

Recommended: “Till We Have Faces” (CS Lewis), “Children of Hurin” (JRR Tolkien), “Tales of the Diversity” (Karlissa J), “The Cosmic Trilogy” (CS Lewis) including “Out of the Silent Planet.”

Resource mentioned: Philip and Carol Zaleski, “The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings.”

Also: The BibleProject series on Parables!

Episode 17 - Mature Content Part 1

Does Christian fantasy need more ‘mature content’? What IS maturity? What is the role of the spiritual - and of spiritual maturity - in fantasy? We will be exploring these questions and more in our series on mature content.

(Don’t worry, this episode’s content is suitable for all ages!)

Quote from C.S. Lewis comes from his article “The Lord of the Rings,” which can be found in his book “On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature.”

Episode 16 – Familiarity: Creative Stifler?

Does constantly reaching for the familiar stunt our creativity? In this episode, each co-host answers how he/she makes a point of stepping outside the box of familiarity to strengthen their writing abilities.

Episode 15 – Stereotypes, Mary Sues and Gary Stus

The evolution of the word stereotype, the invention of the term Mary Sue, our dislike of James Bond, what Ironman has in common with Paw Patrol… our discussion of Mary Sue and Gary Stu characters leads to multiple random reflections!

Dictionary.com article on Mary Sue: https://www.dictionary.com/e/fictional-characters/mary-sue/

The actor who plays Superman in the CW’s “Superman & Lois” is Tyler Hoechlin.

The Tolkien Society Frequently Asked Questions: https://www.tolkiensociety.org/author/faq/

Episode 14 - 10 Facts About J.R.R. Tolkien

Karlissa came up with a list of ten fun things to say about John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, author of the Lord of the Rings, among other books!

Resources mentioned: the CS Lewis Podcast with Alister McGrath; J.R.R. Tolkien’s letter to Milton Waldman; “On Fairy Stories” (J.R.R. Tolkien)

Jason Fisher’s Article “Reluctantly Inspired: George MacDonald and J.R.R. Tolkien”: https://digitalcommons.snc.edu/northwind/vol25/iss1/8/

Episode 13 - Favourite Fantasy Characters

Do we have a type? Can a villain be a favourite character? Can a character be separated from their story? We explore our thoughts on favourite characters!

SPOILER ALERTS: George MacDonald’s “Lilith,” “The Dragon Prince” (Wonderstorm).

Other books mentioned: “The Silmarillion” (JRR Tolkien), “Tales of the Diversity” (Karlissa J), “Till We Have Faces” (CS Lewis), Sonic Comics from IDW, “Rise of the Guardians” (William Joyce), “Chronicles of Narnia” (CS Lewis), Redwall series (Brian Jacques), “All-New Wolverine” (Tom Taylor)… the Bible!

Episode 12 - Relatable vs Aspirational Characters

Which are better: characters that exemplify who we wish to be, or ones that remind us of who we already are? Jason and Karlissa discuss the Bible, superheroes, Sonic the Hedgehog, and even throw in a reference to Disney's "Treasure Planet"!

“When a character is relatable, the audience can see themselves in them, and they are more likely to invest in their story.” - neilchasefilm.com/relatable-characters/ - by Neil Chase

2 years ago, the website Comic Vine did a poll that asked which voters preferred: Aspirational or Relatable. Now, out of the fourteen that voted, the results were 57-43 in favour of “Aspirational”.

According to Falcon At the Movies “An aspirational hero is somebody to look up to and fights for the right thing. I think they CAN make mistakes and even have flaws, but they can NEVER question fighting for good.” - https://falconmovies.wordpress.com/2021/07/23/great-debate-what-is-an-aspirational-hero-movies/

Episode 11 - Is Magic Necessary in Fantasy?

Jason and Karlissa discuss magic: a topic that sometimes gets brought up in Christian circles concerning fantasy. Together, they consider the complexities that often get overlooked.

Resources used: “The Gospel According to Tolkien” (Ralph C. Wood); “Narnia, Middle-Earth, and the Kingdom of God” (Mark Worthing); “The Fellowship: the Literary Lives of the Inklings” (Philip and Carol Zaleski); and a few dictionaries!

A nod to Madeleine L’Engle, who brought up the magi and the stars in her book, “Penguins and Golden Calves.”

And George MacDonald’s “Lilith” indeed has many odd, magical moments - Karlissa recommends reading it!

Episode 10 - Where to Find Fantasy

Jason tells the story of how he discovered Brian Jacques’ Redwall series; then he and Karlissa give some ideas on where to find fantasy books.

Karlissa’s Current Reading: “The Heart of George MacDonald” (Rolland Hein), and “The Gospel According to Tolkien” (Ralph C. Wood).

Corrections: “The Green Ember” was written by S.D. Smith. The George MacDonald scholar is Rolland Hein. J.R.R. Tolkien’s book mentioned is “Tales from the Perilous Realm.”

Episode 9 - Underrated Books

Karlissa and Jason share their lists of fantasy books that deserve more attention!

Recommended books: Phantastes (George MacDonald), The Children of Hurin (J.R.R. Tolkien), Lilith (George MacDonald), The Thrawn Trilogy (Timothy Zahn), Out of the Silent Planet (C.S. Lewis), Tales of the Diversity (Karlissa J.), Till We Have Faces (C.S. Lewis)

Resource mentioned: The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis (Jason M. Baxter)