Everyone knows famous first lines from classic novels. Everyone has their favorite endings to a long-running series. But people don’t share their favorite “middle scenes” near as often. The middle can be messy. It can be slow or rushed or just plain confusing. That’s why hosts Timothy Deal and Nick Hayden decide to analyze what…
Read MoreThere’s a dead body in the isolated small-town bed and breakfast. All the weekend guests have been kept indoors because of the storm. Luckily, a famed detective is also a guest this weekend. It’s time to figure out whodunit! Everyone is familiar with some version of this setup. Mysteries are a well-loved and entertaining genre–but…
Read MoreOther possible titles for this episode: Food and Fiction. Scumptious Stories. Delectable Dramas. Mouth-watering Myths. Belly-satisfying Books. Yummy Yarns. You get the idea. We all eat. Most of us every day, even several times a day. It’s understandable, then, that food shows up in the stories we consume (pun intended). But what is the role…
Read MoreWe’ve all woken from some strange, disorienting dream and wondered, “What was that all about?” In stories, we also sometimes encounter strange dream sequences, and sometimes we still ask, “What was that all about?” In this episode, hosts Timothy Deal and Nick Hayden examine these strange interludes to determine when a dream sequence is beneficial…
Read MoreHosts Timothy Deal and Nick Hayden tackle the importance of a story’s historical and cultural context…and Internet quizzes about which story came first.
Read MoreEveryone has at least one–a piece of art that they keep meaning to experience someday. You know, things like War and Peace or The Rules of the Game or Der Ring des Nibelungen. But it’s long and maybe it’s boring and you don’t like weird foreign names and, I mean, you could just watch Friends…
Read MoreYou’ve heard the story before–a young man from a remote village is thrust into the larger world because he takes on the responsibilty of a great quest, where he’ll have great adventure and meet strange creatures. You know, Star Wars. I mean, The Lord of
Read MoreWe’ve all been there. We’re watching season 17 of our favorite show or book 26 of our favorite series and suddenly wonder–Wait, what? What just happened? Whether it’s something too insane or too dumb or too out-of-character or simply too much, “this isn’
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