Stars and Swords: Footnoting Genre Fiction

This week, we conclude our discussion of Terry Pratchett's Mort with thoughts on Pratchett's precision as a stylist, tick-tock structure, and how much of the theme is on the page. Is sentimentality a good thing? Is Mort effectively sidelined in the final conflict? How do we embrace subjectivity over objectivity? To see the video version of this week's show, click here ; to see the slides, click he...

This week, we return to Terry Pratchett's Mort to discuss perspective, the dualities of life on the Disc, and what is really going on with Death. Do we believe that everything is predestined? Who gets to tell the story? Does Ysabelle sparkle in the sunlight? To see the video version of this week's show, click here ; to see the slides, click here ! Footnotes: Mort Terry Pratchett Audiobooks (includ...

This week, we dive into the Discworld with our first discussion of Terry Pratchett's Mort . Are the rules as unbreakable as they seem to be? Are ideas as dangerous? How does Death blow smoke rings? To see the video version of this week's show, click here ; to see the slides, click here ! Footnotes: Mort Terry Pratchett Rhianna Pratchett Terry Pratchett's Mort (BBC Radio 4) Audiobooks (including th...

This week, we return from an extended hiatus to offer a short conclusion to our unit on William Gibson's Neuromancer . How are Zion and Istanbul connected? Is Wintermute right about the power of hate? Is the punk more important than the cyber ? Footnotes: Neuromancer William Gibson William Gibson on Bluesky Follow Stars And Swords on YouTube , Bluesky and Instagram . To join me for the live broadc...

This week, we continue our unit on William Gibson's Neuromancer . Are there only a few pathways to juvenile rebellion? How does the industrial become the post-industrial? How does Gibson's understanding of artificial intelligence hold up in 2025? To see the video version of this week's show, click here ; to see the slides, click here ! Footnotes: Neuromancer William Gibson William Gibson on Bluesk...

This week, we begin our unit on influential science fiction with the first part of William Gibson's novel Neuromancer . Where does cyberpunk come from? How does Gibson complicate the mind-body problem? How do we know what's cool ? To see the video version of this week's show, click here ; to see the slides, click here ! Footnotes: Neuromancer William Gibson William Gibson on Bluesky Follow Stars A...

This week, we conclude our spooky-season unit on The Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. As Eleanor retreats from the story, how do we become aware of the perspective of the house itself? Is it possible to read Theodora as a villain? What, in the end, walks alone inside Hill House? To see the video version of this week's show, click here ; to see the slides, click here ! Footnotes: The Haun...

This week, we continue our thirteenth unit on The Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. What are the atomic units of identity, and how do they interact? How does the book operate with -- or without -- the queer subtext? Is there, at the most basic level, something supernatural about Hill House? To see the video version of this week's show, click here ; to see the slides, click here ! Next wee...

This week, we begin our thirteenth unit with an introduction to The Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. How does Jackson's biography help us to understand the themes of this book? How do we understand Hill House in the gothic tradition? Is this the best first paragraph any book ever? To see the video version of this week's show, click here ; to see the slides, click here ! Next week, chapte...

This week, we conclude our unit on David Sodergren's The Haar . Where did cozy fiction come from? Is the satire effective? How do we understand Muriel's faith and final decision? To see the video version of this week's show, click here ; to see the slides, click here ! Next week, we begin Shirley Jackson's The Haunting Of Hill House , live on Patreon on Thursday, October 16th at 9PM Central Time. ...

This week, we continue our spookily-seasonal unit on David Sodergren's The Haar . What is the role of memory in a story preoccupied with bodies? How is identity constructed? Is this book the first recorded instance of Cosy Gore? To see the video version of this week's show, click here ; to see the slides, click here ! Next week, we conclude David Sodergren's The Haar , live on Patreon on Thursday,...

Welcome to spooky season, and our Modern Horror unit on David Sodergren's The Haar . What is the necessary context for this novel? How does the possibility space of a horror novel work in practice? Is Muriel Margaret McAuley the best protagonist we've studied? To see the video version of this week's show, click here ; to see the slides, click here ! Next week, we continue David Sodergren's The Haa...

This week, we conclude our discussion of Jane Austen's Sense And Sensibility . How does the text position WIlloughby as an interesting villain? Is there a moral lesson to be found in Marianne's last transformation? Is Edward enough for Elinor? To see the slides, click here !  Don't forget to check out my new Tolkien-related show, Shire Reckoning ! Next week, we begin David Sodergren's The Haar , l...

 This week, we continue our discussion of Jane Austen's Sense And Sensibility . How are the Miss Steeles revealed to be undesirable types? Why does Mrs. Jennings set up a great conflict, then immediately resolve it? Just how feminist is Austen anyway? To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here ; to see the slides, click here !  Don't forget to check out my new Tolkien-related show, Shi...

This week, we continue our discussion of Jane Austen's Sense And Sensibility . How does Colonel Brandon's awkwardness communicate his honesty? How do we understand the backstory of Willoughby and Eliza? Is John Dashwood or Robert Ferrers worse? To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here ; to see the slides, click here ! Don't forget to check out my new Tolkien-related show, Shire Recko...

This week, we continue our discussion of Jane Austen's Sense And Sensibility . How does Marianne embody the modernity of Austen's age? What are the social expectations surrounding courtship and engagement? Is Edward maybe sometimes kind of a loser? To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here ; to see the slides, click here ! Don't forget to check out my new Tolkien-related show, Shire R...

This week, we continue our discussion of Jane Austen's Sense And Sensibility. Does Willoughby make the perfect heroic entrance into the story? What draws Elinor and Colonel Brandon together? Is Barton Cottage secretly a metaphor for Marianne? To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here ; to see the slides, click here ! Don't forget to check out my new Tolkien-related show, Shire Reckoni...

This week, we begin our eleventh unit and our discussion of Jane Austen's 1811 novel Sense And Sensibility . How are Elinor and Marianne Dashwood compared and contrasted? How sharp is Austen's satire? What exactly makes a flannel waistcoat so unattractive? To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here ; to see the slides, click here ! Don't forget to check out my new Tolkien-related show,...

This week, we conclude the our study of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion with the back half of On the Rings of Power and the Third Age. How bad is Isildur's failure? How does Tolkien integrate the material from The Hobbit? Does Sam deserve more attention? To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here ; to see the slides, click here ! Don't forget to check out my new Tolkien-related show,...

This week, we conclude the history of Númenor and the Second Age with some apocalyptically terminal punctuation, and then rewind to consider what's been happening in Middle-earth this whole time. Could Sauron have been redeemed? What are the powers of the Rings? Why is it called the Last Alliance? To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here ; to see the slides, click here ! Don't forget...

This week, the history of Númenor and the Second Age in the penultimate part of The Silmarillion, Akallabêth. How do we understand the different influences which inspire this part of Tolkien's secondary creation? Why do the Men of Westernesse have such a hard time reconciling themselves to death? Are the words Atalantë and Avallónë really just coincidental? To see the video broadcast of this episo...

This week, the stories of Eärendil and the War of Wrath in Chapter XXIV of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. How does Tolkien stick the landing in the story of Beleriand and First Age? How do we understand the consequences of the Oath of Fëanor and the Doom of the Noldor? Are there hints of a happy ending? To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here ; to see the slides, click here ! Ne...

This week, the last city falls but a new hope is born in Chapter XXIII of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. How is Tuor different from the other heroes of the age? Why is the story, as presented in this book, so brief? Does Maeglin get the fate he deserves? To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here ; to see the slides, click here ! Next week, the end of the Quenta Silmarillion and th...

This week, things come undone in Chapters XXII of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. What do we make of the final fate of Húrin? How does the influence of Morgoth differ from that of the Silmarils? Could anything have saved Beleriand? To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here ; to see the slides, click here ! Next week, we discuss Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin in Chapter XXIII of the...

This week, we conclude the story of Túrin Turambar in Chapter XXI of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Who do we blame for the tragedy of the Children of Húrin? Does Nienor end her life on her own terms? Why is Túrin counted among the Elf-Friends? To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here ; to see the slides, click here ! Next week, we approach the end of the First Age with Of The Ru...