In a continuation of our series on why mythologies and folklore are useful to the identity of a culture, we continue diving into the stories that have cemented themselves in the American mind.

Even if these particular stories are unfamiliar, their essence will resonate with the stories you think of as foundational to what it is to be "An American", the same way the stories of Hercules or Perseus defined what it was to be "Greek".

This episode is fascinating as you realize how much the idea of the frontier was a building block to our identity as a country even now, when the frontier wilderness has all been mapped and populated.

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We've been floating down the river having a pretty good time so far, but the events of the last chapter have sobered Huckleberry Finn up a bit to the uglier side of life.

But we're back on the raft with Jim, with more people to meet, more life lessons to be experienced, and more dangers to be faced.

Let's settle in to the rest of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn------------------------

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What happens when you take a story that is controversial enough to be frequently banned from libraries and mix it with an author who doesn’t care what you think about his writing?
You get Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”.

But why is a story about a boy floating down a river so scrutinized?
Some reasons are obvious, but others are less so. All I know is I found the character of Huck to be a great study in choosing what matters to you.

So come on in, the water is fine...for now.

DONATE TO BEN'S FIGHT AGAINST CANCER:
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Why does a culture need its own stories? Can't it just borrow someone else's?

The USA is too young to have formulated a mythology like classic civilizations did, and yet from our early years we still ended up creating fictional stories that are inherently ours.

Why?

In this special episode to help celebrate the 250th anniversary of the nation I grew up in, I explore a couple of reasons for this, and I share examples of stories so baked into our belief system of what it is to be "American" that we largely consider them to be true.
Because, as I'm discovering, it's not enough to have a belief system...it needs to be ours.

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In Part 2 of our coverage of The Scarlet Pimpernel we are waiting to see what Chauvelin will discover in the dining room. Marguerite feels sick for being a spy for the villain, but it was the Pimpernel, or her brother Armand, and she has made her choice.

How will this play out? Will the Pimpernel escape? Will Marguerite be able to live with her choice? Let's find out together.

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Here at BTMC, we examine the greatest fiction ever written through a lens that pays attention to the character choices and how they ultimately lead to our heroes and villains getting what they want or being defeated.

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Before the acronyms MCU or DCEU ever existed, superheroes were illustrations on the page of comic books.

But before comic books came to be, there was another story that first gave us a hero with a secret identity.

The original superhero who risked it all to save others, while wearing a 'mask' in his day-to-day life to protect himself and those he loved.

In this episode, we begin coverage of Baroness Orczy's adventurous historical drama, "The Scarlet Pimpernel". A novel that set the foundation for a genre.

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Here at BTMC, we examine the greatest fiction ever written through a lens that pays attention to the character choices and how they ultimately lead to our heroes and villains getting what they want or being defeated.

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What if I told you that you have been deprived of one of the best forms of storytelling for most of your life?

The "The Three-Act" story structure has dominated Western storytelling for centuries. Hero has desires, Hero encounters conflict, Hero overcomes conflict in order to achieve desires. Easy Peasy. 

But the Four-Act structure, aka Kishōtenketsu proposes an entirely different take on why we tell stories. Once in a while, a Four-Act breaks out into western culture like Bong Joon Ho's Parasite. But what felt like a complete curveball to our Western minds is simply a perfectly executed Four-Act story to those in the know. 

Let's learn how it works, see how it differs from Three-Act, we'll see it in action as I retell the ancient Japanese myth of Urashima Taro, and we'll discuss where it's valuable in your life.

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You ready for part 2, question?

Grace is now teamed up with his alien friend Rocky, and they have worked together to the point of creating a theory that might save both of their planets. But can they find out the answer in time? Grace also remembers a dark secret about himself...

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I woke up in space without a clue of what's going on...how's your day been?
Andy Weir has carved out a niche for himself that you could call "lone man lost in space". This time, the creator of The Martian dives into even deeper space as he explores interstellar travel, extinction-level events on earth, unexpected friendship, and self-discovery.
I have never heard someone say they read this book and didn't love it. So settle in, because this story is literally out of this world.

Part 2 is out next week. For full access now:

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How Did I End Up Here?

Mattie Ross finds herself out on the frozen hillsides of Oklahoma. Body aching from being on horseback all day, she just witnessed the gruesome killing of two bandits...

It's enough to make her ask 'what am I doing out here?'

Part 2 of True Grit will lead to what I believe is the very relatable answer to that question.

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