Alan gets a little more personal about the things he has in common with Sarene in Chapter 17 of Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. What is Pedagogy and why is it so hard to learn? What is up with Shuden and Race in this book? How is Sarene so good at figuring out Hrathen’s whole plan, but so terrible at finding information about the Elantrians?

Alan gets Axial about Raoden in Chapter 16 of “Elantris’ by Brandon Sanderson. The chapter is packed with a lack of violence and I love it. How many times can one person say alienation in one podcast? There aren’t even aliens in this book, and I’m going to say that word a lot. Like- A LOT.

Alan analyses Hrathen’s Trolley Problem as he has a repressed dream of Elantris in Chapter 15. I talk about the Crusades, the utility of doubt in faith, and how time is a circle.

Alan details Sarene’s fight against the Patriarchy, and her greatest enemy- Art- in chapter 14 of Elantris. What do women want in Kae? What are they allowed to want? What does it cost Sarene to live authentically? The answers reveal what it means to be a hero in Sarene’s story.

Alan talks about the short-story that is Elantris Chapter 13. Can Raoden climb Maslow’s pyramid to discover how hieroglyphs became an alphabet? Is Karata Omnibenevolent?Am I just throwing words and ideas together in a description that describes nothing?

Alan gets into Contrast, Abstraction, Devotion, and Dominion as the we explore Chapter 12. Hrathen envies Dilaf’s passion while he has a crisis of identity. What would St Anselm say? St who? What’s all this now?

Alan takes a long look at Chapter 11. The Patriarchy shows up to the party, we get a lesson about the meaning of ‘Plantation’, and meditate on the corporate structure of King Iadon’s government. Does Utopia make us better people, or so comfortable that we never have to change? If the gods are dead, is that the worst thing that could happen? Why was Beowulf fighting naked in the dark? Because he was a hero, sule. Kolo?

Alan returns after an unplanned break to talk about Chapter 10. Learn about the Male Gaze by not experiencing it. Learn about the Emperor of America who never ruled anything. Learn about how stereotypes are subverted as they are asserted in Elantris.

Alan breaks down Chapter 9 of Elantris which is practically a zoo with all the animals roaming around. Metaphorical animals. Which kinda makes it a metaphorical zoo. Well it isn’t a zoo really, it’s more like…… a fantasy of a zoo if the animals were also people. Not like- werewolves. There aren’t werewolves in Elantris. Just metaphorical political animals who are also people…… Wow. There is some stuff in this chapter.

Is Elantris Marxist propaganda? Are the Laws of Supply and Demand hardwired into people? Alan digs into the humor of Chapter 8, the Great Chain of Being, and Serene’s feminist Marxist tendencies. Lots of pretentious words in this one!