Stars and Swords: Footnoting Genre Fiction

This week, the middle act of the story of Túrin Turambar in Chapter XXI of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Why is this version of Glaurung so different? What is the mythic power of a sword re-forged? How many names can one man have?To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!Next week, we conclude our discussion of Túrin with Chapter XXI of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Thursday, June 5th at 9PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.orgThe Children of Húrin ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This week, battle and bloodshed as we conclude the Nirnaeth Arnoediad and begin the story of Túrin Turambar in Chapters XX and XXI of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Why does foresight get so sharp at the moment of death? Is Morwen very good at naming children, or very bad? What are the literary and mythic inspirations behind Tolkien's most depressing story?To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!Next week, we conclude our discussion of Túrin with Chapter XXI of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Thursday, May 29th at 9PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.orgThe Children of HúrinThe Story of KullervoColor-Coded Item Quality in World of Warcraft ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This week, we give up the promise of immortality as we reach the end of Chapter XIX and begin Chapter XX of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Why does the Lay of Leithian end where it does? Why are the sons of Fëanor so unkillable? Have we finally solved the mystery of the deadly hallowing?To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!Next week, we conclude our discussion of the battle of Unnumbered Tears and continue to the story of Turin in Chapters XX and XXI of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Thursday, May 22nd at 9PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.orgPopulations of Middle Earth in the First Age - Part 1: The Elves ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This week, Beren and Lúthien reach the end of their story in Chapter XIX of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Why do our heroes keep trying to disguise themselves? Where does Lúthien's sleep-magic come from? Is Huan the Hound an under-celebrated character?To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!Next week, we conclude our discussion of Beren and Lúthien and chapter XIX of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Thursday, May 15th at 9PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.orgCastle PanicMiddle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor Launch Trailer ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This week, love and tragedy in Chapter XIX of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Why is the tale of Beren and Lúthien such an important story? Are oaths always a bad thing? Why has no-one written a network TV sitcom about Thingol and Melian?To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!Next week, we conclude our discussion of Beren and Lúthien and chapter XIX of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Thursday, May 8th at 9PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.org ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This week, we see the fall of Fingolfin and a new war in Beleriand in Chapter XVIII of the Quenta Silmarillion in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. How do we understand Tolkien's perspective on race? How much direct intervention can we credit to Manwë? What is Maeglin's problem with Men?To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!Next week, we discuss the most important story in Tolkien's legendarium, Beren and Lúthien in chapter XIX of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Thursday, May 1st at 9PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.orgDr. Dimitra FimiJoseph Fink (@planetoffinks.bsky.social‬)J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment (Michael D.C. Drout)Off Book: The Improvised Musical Podcast ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This week, we establish Maeglin in Gondolin and the Men in the West as we move through the end of Chapter XVII of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Does the Maeglin apple fall far from the Eöl tree? Why are the connections and distinctions between languages so important? What did the elves learn from the Valar when it comes to welcoming new arrivals?To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!Next week, we reach the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin in chapter XVIII of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Wednesday, April 24th at 9PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.org ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This week, we get into the weeds as we attempt something ambitious, only to spend the whole episode in and around Nan Elmoth with the story of Maeglin in Chapter XVI of the Quenta Silmarillion. Why is the suppression of language so important? How does Tolkien's essentialism change the way we understand this book? How much dramatic irony are we supposed to detect in the wisdom of our heroes?  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This week, we fast forward four hundred years, then rewind to see what really happened as we try to make it to the end of Chapter XV of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. What does Glaurung have in common with the Balrogs? Why does Ulmo whisper instructions to Turgon and Finrod? Does this book really pass the Bechdel-Wallace test?To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!Next week, we continue our journey with everything to the end of Chapters XVI and XVII of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Wednesday, April 10th at 8PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.orgLOTRProject.comThe Bechdel-Wallace Test ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This week, we face battle and bloodshed in Beleriand in Chapters XIII and XIV of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Is Fëanor's fate inevitable? How do we understand the rescue of Maedhros in the context of the Doom of the Noldor? Why do we get so much geography?To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here!Next week, we continue our journey with everything to the end of Chapter XV of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Wednesday, April 2nd at 8PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.orgLOTRProject.comTo 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! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this bonus Q&A, we address the issue of inheritance among the immortal elves, the lost story of Lady of Lothlórien, the political infrastructure of The Shire, and the official power ranking of the Valar!On Thursday, we continue our journey with Chapters XIII and XIV of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Thursday, March 27th at 8PM Central.Footnotes:The SilmarillionStars And Swords on YouTubeThe Silmarillion Unit Production ScheduleStars And Swords on Bookshop.org ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This week, we continue our discussion of The Silmarillion with Chapters XI and XII, including the creation of the sun and the moon, the securing of Valinor, and the awakening of Men. How do we understand moral philosophy in a world of eucatastrophe? How do we judge the action (and inaction) of the Valar? To see the video broadcast of this episode, click here; to see the slides, click here! Next week, we continue our journey with Chapters XIII and XIV of the Quenta Silmarillion, live on YouTube on Thursday, March 27th at 8PM Central. Footnotes: The Silmarillion Stars And Swords on YouTube The Silmarillion Unit Production Schedule Stars And Swords on Bookshop.org Deontological Ethics Immanuel Kant John Stuart Mill 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. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This week, we continue our discussion of The Silmarillion with the end of Chapter IX and all of Chapter X, including the Doom of the Noldor, a quick recap of three thousand years of the elves back in Beleriand, and some cosmic renovation.

This week, we continue our discussion of The Silmarillion with the end of Chapter VIII and all of Chapter IX, including the the darkening of Valinor, the theft of the Silmarils, and the violence and tragedy which follows.

This week, we continue our discussion of The Silmarillion with the the forging of the Silmarils, domestic discord in the House of Finwë, and the secret origins of Tolkien's most terrifying creation.

This week, we continue our discussion of The Silmarillion with the logistics of crossing the Great Sea, our introduction to Fëanor and the family of Finwë, and the subtlety of Melkor.

In this bonus episode, we discuss the location of the Far Heaven, the nature of the Ainur, the absence of dwarves and a vision of medieval utopia.

This week, we continue our discussion of The Silmarillion with the secret origins of dwarves and ents, the battle against Melkor and the Sundering of the Elves across Middle-Earth.

This week, we continue our unit on The Silmarillion and discuss the Days Before Days, time and space (and calendars and maps), and the paradox of free will.

In this special bonus episode, test your knowledge of the Valar and the Maiar, the relationships between them, and a few other things besides!

This week, we continue our unit on The Silmarillion and discuss the Valaquenta, spheres of authority, intertexting already and The Diagram.

This week, we continue our unit on The Silmarillion and discuss the Ainulindalë, aesthetics and philosophy, the subcreative process and the Secret Origins of Melkor.

This week, we begin our unit on J.R.R. Tolkien's posthumous work of mythology and history, and discuss reading strategies, layers of narrative and the creative impulse.

This week, we overcome treachery to win the war in chapters ten to fifteen of C.S. Lewis' Prince Caspian and discuss the Narnian timeline, fear as an alienating force, and the worst of Susan.

This week, we assemble our forces and call for help in chapters five to ten of C.S. Lewis' Prince Caspian and discuss the medieval perspective on past and future, the oracular power of centaurs, and the difference between beasts.

This week, we return to Narnia with the first five chapters of C.S. Lewis' Prince Caspian and discuss politics and persecution, fairytale and fantasy, and Edmund's 2024 slang.

This week, we conclude our horror unit and our discussion of Bram Stoker's Dracula with logical fallacies and the limits of rationality, Dracula as a feminist text and Bram Stoker's Best Joke.

This week, we continue our unit on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula and discuss the overlooked Van Helsing, the second death of Lucy Westenra, and the compilation of the novel by the characters in the novel.

This week, we continue our unit on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula and discuss Dracula's character sheet, how much wolves are better than dogs, and the fate of Lucy Westenra. What will it take for Seward to connect the dots? What is the spectrum from the noble-man to the commoner? Who really poisons the sherry?

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?

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?

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 the queer reading of Dracula falter on the threshold of the gender binary?

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?

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?

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?

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?

This week, we conclude out 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?

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?

This week, we begin Nnedi Okorafor's Binti: The Complete Trilogy, and discuss the first novella.

This week, we begin Nnedi Okorafor's Binti: The Complete Trilogy, and discuss the first novella.

This week, we discuss the end of Great Expectations, and what it means to be good!

This week, we discuss chapters thirty-six to fifty of Great Expectations with twists! So many twists!

This week, we continue our discussion of Great Expectations by looking at different kinds of life in London, the death of Pip's sister, and the ease of making choices when you have no choice at all.

In this excerpt from the recent live Patreon Q&A, I discuss my thoughts on the upcoming movie The Hunt For Gollum!

This week, we begin our discussion of Great Expectations by discussing the gothic, coming of age, and the traumas of childhood.

This week, we begin our discussion of Great Expectations by discussing the gothic, coming of age, and the traumas of childhood.

A brief delay in our schedule; the podcast will return as planned on Sunday!

This week, a brief introduction to Dickens, the Victorian Era, what makes Great Expectations the perfect book for this series, and Dickens' most notorious peer.

This week, we conclude Katharine Kerr's first Deverry novel, Daggerspell!

In the second part of our adventure through Katharine Kerr's Daggerspell, we read to the middle of Chapter Five!

In our first real episode studying Katharine Kerr's Daggerspell, we cover the first two chapters!