In 1967, literary critic and semiotician Roland Barthes wrote an essay called “La mort de l’auteur” that is in many ways foundational for the field of literary studies. It describes the way that literary interpretation works — both why and how. Since we do a lot of that on this show, figured it would be…
Author: Christopher "Mav" Maverick
A shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist. Chris Maverick, drifter searching to tap into the hidden strengths that all humans have…
Call For Comments: Slashers and Final Girls
From Mav: Full disclosure. I watch a lot of movies, but I’m not much of a horror movie fan. I don’t hate them. I don’t get scared easily, so I’m not jumpy around them. I just don’t really care about them much at all one way or the other. The problem is usually that they just…
Technical Difficulties…
Due to a string of technical difficulties (we’re working on them!), we won’t have a new podcast this week. Sorry. In the meantime, please listen to our past episodes, comment on our newest Call for Comments on authorial intent and the death of the author, and leave us a review on the iTunes, Stitcher, Android…
Episode 26: The Secret Lives of Puppets
Last week David Reddish, a former writer for Sesame Street, announced that he’d always thought of Bert and Ernie as gay… and the internet exploded. Some people were happy… some people were sad… and some people just asked “why does anyone care?!?!?” Well, that’s what this show is for. Wayne and Mav are joined by Josie…
Episode 25: Sex and the Disney Princess
Just about any parent in American who has a five year old girl knows about the Disney Princesses. Between Frozen, Tangled, Moana, and the others, the “House of Mouse” has stumbled upon a multi-billion dollar industry from films and toy sales alone, and far more when adding in other merchandising sales. However, there may be…
Episode 24: Genre in General
At best, “genre fiction” often seems to be taken as synonymous with “popular” or “exciting”. At worse, it is often used a pejorative meaning “low brow” or “garbage”. But what is genre anyway? And why is the word used that way? Wayne and Mav are joined by a returning Hannah to sift through a discussion on…
Call For Comments: Sex and the Disney Princess
From Mav: There’s an article that appears in the textbook I use when teaching Freshman Composition 101 that I find quite fascinating. It’s called “Little girls or little women? The Disney princess effect” and was written by a woman named Stephanie Hanes in 2011 and is reprinted from the Christian Science Monitor. I use it to…
Call for Comments: Cat Ears and Lingerie?
October 19, 2018
From Mav: It’s October, and so we are continuing our string of Halloween themed, or at least Halloween adjacent shows. This week we want to explore something that I’ve actually used as a debate topic when I teach freshman comp. Sexiness and Halloween costumes. Or specifically, are Halloween costumes getting too sexy? Remember that part…