The Left Page

We're back into Science Fiction, and with a great friend and comrade! As Breht from RevLeftRadio fame joins us to talk about the relationship of this genre and Empires. Talking the roots of imperial representation, how we can critique them, and how a lot goes back into colonialism, fascist projects and more. A wonderful dive into how this genre and this representation and structure connect, enjoy!...

This time we go into how we think about Pathology in media and videogames, while still talking about gaming news and the Left Page Book Club, enjoy! itinerary: 00:00:00-01:03:21 - Intro + Summer Games Fest + Minute AI rambling 01:03:21-01:55:05: - The Broader Pathology of Media 01:55:05-END - The Left Page Book Club Our next set of chapters is from Catelyn VII to Catelyn VIII! (Another 16 chapters...

We continue our travails this time with disecting the discourses around power fantasies and an interesting track through one of videogames largest franchises. Itinerary: 00:00:00 - 00:15:52 Intro (What are we up to) 00:15:52 - 01:03:28 Power Fantasies 01:03:28 - 01:40:00 AI in Music 01:40:00 - 02:16:50 AC 02:16:50 - END Book Club aGoT Jon II - Eddard V Essay mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watc...

We're talking about men this time. Using different media like Star Wars, American Psycho, and Blade Runner 2049, we develop some theory on this idea of "media illiteracy", on masculinity and its toxicity. Fundamentally considering what we mean when we talk about Patriarchy, how it exists and is historically defined, and what does it mean to consider and confront it today. Enjoy!   If you can and a...

A new kind of episode! Lighter and more current, as we talk about what we've been playing, some things we've been thinking about, and the new Left Page Book Club! Time stamps 00:00:00 - 00:40:40 Intro + What are we watching, reading, playing 00:40:40 - 01:27:45 AI In Video Games 01:27:45 - 02: 23:45 Left Page Book Club The article we talked about: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/new-research-shows-o...

We deploy Critical Harvest Theory in this episode, when we ask: What happens when we don't look critically at escapist fantasies? We then try to answer this question by looking at two video games: Stardew Valley (2015) and Citizen Sleeper (2022 & 2025) Going into the ways of how these games create their realities and end up surviving in or attempting to sideline capitalism, which will surely go we...

Wolfenstein is a fascinating series of games, so let's talk about the recent Machine Games' iterations. Asking the fundamental question of how to properly kill fascism and how this game is presenting it, or not. Enjoy!   Check out Jon's stuff: Horror Vanguard & The Haunt Blog Morris Rosenfeld's poem In The Factory from 1914 Intro song: Machine, Machine. Nits. 2019, Werf & V2 Records Outro song: Na...

Hello everyone!! Today we're starting off with our new kinds of episodes, as we discuss a more broad element... the discourse on the new Oddyssey film! We've often talked about historical representation, mythology, and what "historical accuracy" can mean, but not as directly as of yet. So this time we went full into some of the terrible ways those are all used, distanced from any interesting or us...

Good lord! It's sure been a while, huh? Celebrating 7 years of running this podcast, Frank and Leon go over some of the changes, some of the achievements, how they see the pod, how they think of it moving forwards, and a couple of interesting things to come! Thank you all so so much for being here, for listening, and especially supporting the show, for as little or as long as you have! It means th...

To celebrate the centennial Left Page we go to the start, the originator of the modern novel: Don Quixote de la Mancha! We go over the fantasies of Don Quixote, the way the two books deal with reality, fantasy, and primarily books and reading! All the while not forgetting the deep materiality involved in the depictions, and how there is still more than we think to it. Come celebrate our 100th epis...

Hello everyone!! We continue with the First Law Standalone novels, now going into Heroes and Red Country ! We talk about how these characters continue to be engagin, how the materiality of war and conflict continues, and how change, propelled by capital, can be such a dangerous thing the world over, fantasy world it might be. Enjoy! If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus con...

Hello everyone!! We continue with Joe Abercrombie's First Law series, now talking about the 3 standalone novels: Best Served Cold , Heroes , and Red Country ! Because these books are great and there is a lot to talk about, we split these episodes in 2 parts, both already available for Patrons! First we talk about Abercrombie and the setup to these books, then Best Served Cold and how to write a ph...

Hello everyone!! We visit the sequel of our very first Here be Media episode, coming alongside a very special announcement in the first 10 minutes about the future of this podcast. We set out to explore the pitfalls of exclusively centreing psychology in your familial narrative, that is therefore ot able to grapple with the existential conflict it seeks to portray. Please enjoy! If you can and are...

Hello everyone!! We're wrapping up the year in serious fashion, diving once back into Imperialism everywhere, with the 2025 Superman, and bringing our superhero liasion along, André! This was a film really well talked about for being positive, and progressive and... things which it isn't. It's still imperialist and still very much on the US' side when thinking about anything. So come along as we l...

Hello everyone!! We're finally tackling Tolkien! And so here we are, at the beggining... In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit. We go into Tolkien's role in fantasy, how The Hobbit still holds up as both a monument of fantasy and still an excellent book, and the resonance that this work has to fantasy still. Thus we close off 2025 on The Left Page, by beggining Tolkien, with more to come! E...

Hello everyone!! We're back talking about Brazilian Literature, with a long overdue request! It's "Golden Harvest" or "São Jorge dos Ilhéus", by Jorge Amado! The horrors of capitalism are everywhere, and none less here, where the forces of empire and capital seek to make Brazilian cocoa production their own, with no regard for people and their lives. So come along in this historically inspired nov...

Hello everyone!! We're talking about a great Sci-fi film, going into language, history and time. As we discuss some of Ted Chiang's short story "Story of Your Life", but primarily, the Denis Villeneuve film "Arrival"! Why are aliens here? How can our understanding of reality changing help us confront the horrors of capitalism? How is time's linearity a simplistic way to confront capital's victorie...

In our latest Conversation, Frank has something special for us! Following attempts at bringing together all their academic work, Frank goes into Star Trek proper for the first time in the podcast, surprisingly. In an attempt to articulate how the original 1966-1969 run articulated a certain version of the future that, while utopian, was still entrenched in Liberalism and certain elements of Empire...

Happy closing of the spooky season Listeners Jay and I are talking about Titane, and subsequently Queer relations and cars. Enjoy! Find more of us at: https://www.patreon.com/leftpage Find Jay at: www.librarypunk.gay https://bsky.app/profile/wildeatheart.bsky.social Intro Music: I Would Never Have To Know - Samurai Drive. From the Album: Samurai Drive ℗ 2020 Daniel Riederauer Outro Music: Don't Le...

Hello everyone!! We're finally talking about one of the big ones for our special Halloween collab with Horror Vanguard, it's Berserk! Focusing on the Golden Age Arc, we talk about how this manga so effectively depicts despair and hope, how it can have ultraviolence and still have one emotional gutpunch after another. And, of course, about fighting fascism in all its forms. Enjoy! And check out Hor...

Hello everyone!! We're back talking about vampires and abuse, but with a twist! It's far more elaborate and engaging this time, as we discuss the indie game El Paso: Elsewhere! How do we deal with the holes of violence? With the abyss of abuse that seems to swallow and destroy us whole? In this Max Payne-inspired game (1 and 2, not 3, not at all) we find several ways to not destroy ourselves in su...

Hello everyone!! We're talking about another classic today, but for sci-fi, it's the 1995 anime film of Ghost in the Shell! Time to talk about one of the most iconic cyberpunk objects there are, and for good reason. Quite a lot to go over when thinking of bodily relations and representation, identity, the urban landscape and, of course, a whole heap of gender. And it's great! It's a phenomenal fil...

Hello everyone!! We finalize another series! James S. A. Corey's The Expanse! Returning for the last three novels, Persepolis Rising , Tiamat's Wrath , and Leviathan Falls. Discussing how these books represent fascism and cannot conceive of any other kind of enemy, we also reexamine the series as a whole. Pointing out its merits in materialism and political relationships... up to the point where i...

Hello everyone!! We're talking about one of 2025's biggest and best releases so far, and with our good friend André! It's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33! It's French, but we have to talk about it. Both how it creates a mechanically elaborate and successful game, and how it manages to incur in unfortunate psychological reductions and an... unfortunate bump into imperialism and colonialism. We have ple...

Hello everyone!! Joined by good friend Jon, of Horror Vanguard, as we talk about one of the books of all time, Moby Dick, or The Whale, by Herman Melville! Come along as we discover why this book is everything, how it fits into the larger body of American Literature, and how the threats and consequences of individualism are ever-present. Oh, and of course: how this is a phenomenally gay book indee...