Stars and Swords: Footnoting Genre Fiction

This week, we continue our unit on Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula and discuss the wreck of the Demeter, the limits of Dracula’s power, and the insidious assault on Lucy Westenra. What really happens aboard the ship from Varna? How is mysticism seeping into our rational view of the world? Has our attention to the timeline finally paid off?

To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!

Next week, we cover chapters eleven through fourteen, live on YouTube on Tuesday November 26th at 8PM Central.

Footnotes:

To join me for the live YouTube broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!

Stars and Swords: Footnoting Genre Fiction is a Next Word production, written and produced by Alastair Stephens.

Copyright © 2024 Stars and Swords. All Rights Reserved.

This week, we overcome ill fortune to continue our unit on Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. How do we listen to intuition in an age of rationality? Does the supporting cast describe the boundaries of (acceptable) Victorian society? Is work the universal cure?

To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!

Next week, we cover chapters seven through twelve, live on YouTube on Monday November 18th, 8PM Central.

Footnotes:

To join me for the live YouTube broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!

Stars and Swords: Footnoting Genre Fiction is a Next Word production, written and produced by Alastair Stephens.

Copyright © 2024 Stars and Swords. All Rights Reserved.

This week, we continue our unit on Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. What are we to make of a man who lays his own table? How does the Count turn the tools of the Victorian world against English society? Does a queer reading of Dracula falter on the threshold of the gender binary?

To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!

Next week, we cover the first seven chapters of the book, live on YouTube on Monday November 11th, 8PM Central.

Footnotes:

To join me for the live YouTube broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!

Stars and Swords: Footnoting Genre Fiction is a Next Word production, written and produced by Alastair Stephens.

Copyright © 2024 Stars and Swords. All Rights Reserved.

This week, we finally resume our seasonal horror unit with the beginning of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. How are we to understand Stoker’s introduction to the novel? Is Harker too stupid to live? What’s worse: dragons or devils?

To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!

Next week, we cover the first seven chapters of the book, live on YouTube on Monday November 4th, 8PM Central.

Footnotes:

To join me for the live YouTube broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!

Stars and Swords: Footnoting Genre Fiction is a Next Word production, written and produced by Alastair Stephens.

Copyright © 2024 Stars and Swords. All Rights Reserved.

This week, we begin our super-spooky horror unit with an all-time classic: Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. Is it possible for a book as well-known and influential as this one to be under-appreciated? How did Dracula enter the public domain? Do we prefer Transylvania or Ultrasylvania?

To see the live video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!

Next week, we cover the first seven chapters of the book, live on YouTube on Monday October 7th, 8PM Central.

Footnotes:

To join me for the live YouTube broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!

Stars and Swords: Footnoting Genre Fiction is a Next Word production, written and produced by Alastair Stephens.

Copyright © 2024 Stars and Swords. All Rights Reserved.

This week, we conclude our discussion of Ultimate Spider-Man, and discuss the second volume, Learning Curve. How does Peter Parker navigate the boundaries of society? How can a book stay continuity-light but bind itself to the original comic text? Is MJ or JJJ the best character in Spider-Man’s supporting cast?

To see the slides for this week’s episode, click here!

Next week: something spooky! Stay tuned, or head over to the Patreon page to cast your vote!

Footnotes:

To support the podcast, join the conversation on Discord and get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!

Stars and Swords: Footnoting Genre Fiction is a Next Word production, written and produced by Alastair Stephens.

Copyright © 2024 Stars and Swords. All Rights Reserved.

This week, we begin our discussion of Ultimate Spider-Man, and discuss the first volume, Power And Responsibility. How 2000s can a book possibly be? How does decompression change the way we interact with the text? Is Peter Parker the single best character of the last fifty years?

To see the slides for this week’s episode, click here!

Next week: we continue our live-show format and discuss the second volume of Brian Michael Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man: Learning Curve. Join me live on the Next Word Discord server at 8PM Central Time on Monday, September 23!

Footnotes:

To support the podcast, join the conversation on Discord and get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!

Stars and Swords: Footnoting Genre Fiction is a Next Word production, written and produced by Alastair Stephens.

Copyright © 2024 Stars and Swords. All Rights Reserved.

This week, we conclude our discussion of Nnedi Okorafor’s Binti: The Complete Trilogy, and discuss the short story Sacred Fire. Why is it important to read according to the chronology of production? What’s the deal with the Saturnian aliens? What, in the end, is harmony?

Next week: in a new live-show format, we’re going to discuss the first volume of Brian Michael Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man: Power & Responsibility. Join me live on the Next Word Discord server at 8PM Central Time on Monday, September 16!

Footnotes:

To support the podcast, join the conversation on Discord and get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!

Stars and Swords: Footnoting Genre Fiction is a Next Word production, written and produced by Alastair Stephens.

Copyright © 2024 Stars and Swords. All Rights Reserved.

This week, we continue Nnedi Okorafor’s Binti: The Complete Trilogy, and discuss the third novella, The Night Masquerade. What is the dividing line between science fiction and fantasy? Is identity reducible? Is Mwinyi an Edward or a Jacob?

Next week: a wrap-up episode on Binti, including discussion of the short story Sacred Fire.

Footnotes:

To support the podcast, join the conversation on Discord and get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!

Stars and Swords: Footnoting Genre Fiction is a Next Word production, written and produced by Alastair Stephens.

Copyright © 2024 Stars and Swords. All Rights Reserved.

This week, we continue Nnedi Okorafor’s Binti: The Complete Trilogy, and discuss the second novella. What is philosophical dualism? Is Binti a Frodo or a Sam? How are universities exactly like Survivor?

Next week: Binti: The Night Masquerade, the third novella in Binti: The Complete Trilogy!

Footnotes:

To support the podcast, join the conversation on Discord and get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!

Stars and Swords: Footnoting Genre Fiction is a Next Word production, written and produced by Alastair Stephens.

Copyright © 2024 Stars and Swords. All Rights Reserved.