Folklore & Fiction

Episode 35: What is a ritual?

This episode of the Folklore & Fiction podcast was first published as a newsletter in November 2019. I'm recording it as a supplemental podcast now so that new listeners and subscribers have an opportunity to engage with the material. In it, I'm discussing ritual with help from scholars Catherine Bell, Ronald L. Grimes, and others, discussing ritual use in story craft, and providing you with an example and exercise on the topic. (Companion Dispatch: https://csmaccath.com/blog/what-ritual)

Episode 34: ”The Marriage Of Sir Gawain”

A villain sends King Arthur on a quest to discover what women want, but only the ugliest woman in the world knows the answer, and she demands to wed Sir Gawain in exchange for it. Join me for a discussion of a fragmented Child ballad, and come away with a list of folkloric resources you can use in storytelling. (Companion Dispatch: https://csmaccath.com/blog/gawain)

Episode 33: What is a tall tale?

This episode of the Folklore & Fiction podcast was first published as a newsletter in October 2019. I'm recording it as a supplemental podcast now so that new listeners and subscribers have an opportunity to engage with the material. In it, I'm discussing the tall tale with help from scholars Richard Bauman, Carolyn S. Brown, Henry B. Wonham, and others, helping you analyze a tall tale, and discussing ways to bring tall tales to your story craft. (Companion Dispatch: https://csmaccath.com/blog/what-tall-tale)

Episode 32: ”Gylfaginning”

Guest poet Math Jones reads from his recent poetic adaptation of Northern Germanic mythology and discusses his creative process, while I offer a few insights into his source material and an introduction to Old English poetics. Join us for this very special edition of the dispatch and podcast. (Companion Dispatch: http://csmaccath.com/blog/gylfaginning)

Episode 31: What is a fable?

This episode of the Folklore & Fiction podcast was first published as a newsletter in September 2019. I'm recording it as a supplemental podcast now so that new listeners and subscribers have an opportunity to engage with the material. In it, I'm discussing the fable genre with help from scholars Patrick Olivelle, Christos A. Zafiropoulos, Harriet Spiegel, and others, helping you analyze a fable, and discussing ways to bring fables to your story craft. (Companion Dispatch: https://csmaccath.com/blog/what-fable)

Episode 30: ”Luck from Heaven and Luck from the Earth”

An honest old man and an evil old man dream of fortune in the coming year, but only one of them receives it. Join me for a discussion of structural symmetry in folktales, and come away with a few ways to subvert it for the sake of better storytelling. (Companion Dispatch: http://csmaccath.com/blog/luck-heaven-earth)

Episode 29: What is a märchen?

This episode of the Folklore & Fiction podcast was first published as a newsletter in August 2019. I'm recording it as a supplemental podcast now so that new listeners and subscribers have an opportunity to engage with the material. In it, I'm discussing the märchen genre with help from scholars Christine A. Jones, Jennifer Schacker, Jack Zipes, and others, helping you analyze a märchen, and discussing ways to bring märchen to your story craft. (Companion Dispatch: https://csmaccath.com/blog/what-is-a-marchen)

Episode 28: ”The Span Of A Man’s Life”

God grants Adam a longer lifespan by giving him the years abandoned by suffering animals. Join me for a discussion of problematic themes in fables, and learn about the ways folkloristic and literary analysis can help you adapt and subvert these themes. (Companion Dispatch: http://csmaccath.com/blog/spanmanslife)