Episode 63: Mentors, Wizards and Wise Women - Portrayals of the Elderly in Speculative Fiction

 

Elderly characters often get side lined or suffer from being less developed with less satisfying story arcs in fiction. As mentors, they are often given one function and then quietly killed off. This week the dragons take a look at why this so often happens before going on to examine what makes an older character work and why you might want to write one, even in children's or YA fiction. On the slab this week Robin Jarvis' The Whitby Witches, Sauraman and Gandalf, and Marvel's Logan.

 

Title music: 'Ecstasy' by Smiling Cynic