web02.fireside.fm Sun, 14 Jun 2026 08:25:08 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) Weird Studies - Episodes Tagged with “Storytelling” https://www.weirdstudies.com/tags/storytelling Wed, 09 Oct 2024 10:30:00 -0400 Professor Phil Ford and writer J. F. Martel host a series of conversations on art and philosophy, dwelling on ideas that are hard to think and art that opens up rifts in what we are pleased to call "reality." en-us episodic Art and philosophy at the limits of the thinkable Phil Ford and J. F. Martel Professor Phil Ford and writer J. F. Martel host a series of conversations on art and philosophy, dwelling on ideas that are hard to think and art that opens up rifts in what we are pleased to call "reality." yes weird, art, philosophy Phil Ford and J. F. Martel admin@weirdstudies.com Episode 177: Riddles in the Dark: On Fairy Tales, Interpretation, and 'Rapunzel' https://www.weirdstudies.com/177 f653015c-59c0-455c-a059-7dcf440a8f66 Wed, 09 Oct 2024 10:30:00 -0400 Phil Ford and J. F. Martel 177 Riddles in the Dark: On Fairy Tales, Interpretation, and 'Rapunzel' full Phil Ford and J. F. Martel Phil and JF discuss the weirdness of fairy tales as objects infinitely interpretable, yet resolutely unexplainable. 1:27:13 yes <p>Fairy tales are among the most familiar cultural objects, so familiar that we let our kids play with them unsupervised. At the same time, they are also the most mysterious of artifacts, their <em>heimlich</em> giving way to <em>unheimlich</em> as soon as we give them a closer look and ask ourselves what they are really about. Indeed, these imaginal nomads, which seem to evade all cultural and historical capture, existing in various forms in every time and place, can become so strange as to make us wonder if they are <em>cultural</em> at all, and not some unexplained force of nature — the dreaming of the world. In this episode, JF and Phil use "Rapunzel" as a case study to explore the weirdness of fairy tales, illustrating how they demand interpretation without ever allowing themselves to be explained.</p> <p>Sign up for the upcoming course <a href="https://weirdosphere.mn.co/" rel="nofollow noopener">"Writing at the Wellspring"</a> October 22-December 1 with Dr. Matt Cardin on Weirdosphere.org</p> <p>Support us on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/weirdstudies" rel="nofollow noopener">Patreon</a>.<br> Buy the Weird Studies soundtrack, volumes <a href="https://pierre-yvesmartel.bandcamp.com/album/weird-studies-music-from-the-podcast-vol-1" rel="nofollow noopener">1</a> and <a href="https://pierre-yvesmartel.bandcamp.com/album/weird-studies-music-from-the-podcast-vol-2" rel="nofollow noopener">2</a>, on Pierre-Yves Martel's <a href="https://pierre-yvesmartel.bandcamp.com" rel="nofollow noopener">Bandcamp</a> page.<br> Listen to Meredith Michael and Gabriel Lubell's podcast, <em><a href="https://cosmophonia.podbean.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">Cosmophonia</a></em>.<br> Visit the Weird Studies <a href="https://bookshop.org/shop/weirdstudies" rel="nofollow noopener">Bookshop</a><br> Find us on <a href="https://discord.com/invite/Jw22CHfGwp" rel="nofollow noopener">Discord</a><br> Get the T-shirt design from <a href="https://cottonbureau.com/products/can-o-content#/13435958/tee-men-standard-tee-vintage-black-tri-blend-s" rel="nofollow noopener">Cotton Bureau</a>!</p> <p><strong>SHOW NOTES</strong></p> <p>Walter Benjamin, "The Storyteller" in <em>Illuminations</em> (Hannah Arendt, ed.; Harryn Zohn, trans.).<br> Novalis, <em>Philosophical Writings.</em> (Margaret Mahony Stoljar, trans.).<br> Cristina Campo, <em>The Unforgivable and Other Writings</em> (Alex Andriesse, trans.)<br> William Irwin Thompson, <em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Imaginary-Landscape-Making-Worlds-Science/dp/0312048084" rel="nofollow noopener">Imaginary Landscape</a></em> <br> Bruno Bettelheim, <em><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/18799/9780307739636" rel="nofollow noopener">The Uses of Enchantment</a></em> <br> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie-Louise_von_Franz" rel="nofollow noopener">Marie-Louise von Franz,</a>, Swiss Jungian psychologist <br> Sesame Street, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-fK8rYa45Q&amp;ab_channel=SesameStreet" rel="nofollow noopener">“Rapunzel Rescue”</a> <br> <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0398286/" rel="nofollow noopener">Disney’s Tangled</a> <br> <em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Annotated-Brothers-Grimm-Books/dp/0393058484" rel="nofollow noopener">The Annotated Brothers Grimm</a></em> <br> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aarne%E2%80%93Thompson%E2%80%93Uther_Index" rel="nofollow noopener">Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index</a> <br> Marina Warner, <em><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/18799/9780198779858" rel="nofollow noopener">Once Upon a Time</a></em> <br> W. A. Mozart, <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magic_Flute" rel="nofollow noopener">The Magic Flute</a></em> <br> Dante Alighieri, <em><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12867" rel="nofollow noopener">Il Convito</a></em> <br> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panspermia" rel="nofollow noopener">Panspermia hypothesis</a> <br> Gregory Bateson, <em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Nature-Necessary-Advances-Complexity/dp/1572734345" rel="nofollow noopener">Mind and Nature</a></em> <br> John Mitchell, <em><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/18799/9781620554159" rel="nofollow noopener">Confessions of a Radical Traditionalist</a></em> <br> Clint Eastwood (dir.) <em><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105695/" rel="nofollow noopener">The Unforgiven</a></em> </p> fairy tales, rapunzel, interpretation, meaning, William Irwin Thompson, cosmology, Grimes, weird, anthropology Fairy tales are among the most familiar cultural objects, so familiar that we let our kids play with them unsupervised. At the same time, they are also the most mysterious of artifacts, their heimlich giving way to unheimlich as soon as we give them a closer look and ask ourselves what they are really about. Indeed, these imaginal nomads, which seem to evade all cultural and historical capture, existing in various forms in every time and place, can become so strange as to make us wonder if they are cultural at all, and not some unexplained force of nature — the dreaming of the world. In this episode, JF and Phil use "Rapunzel" as a case study to explore the weirdness of fairy tales, illustrating how they demand interpretation without ever allowing themselves to be explained.

Sign up for the upcoming course "Writing at the Wellspring" October 22-December 1 with Dr. Matt Cardin on Weirdosphere.org

Support us on Patreon.
Buy the Weird Studies soundtrack, volumes 1 and 2, on Pierre-Yves Martel's Bandcamp page.
Listen to Meredith Michael and Gabriel Lubell's podcast, Cosmophonia.
Visit the Weird Studies Bookshop
Find us on Discord
Get the T-shirt design from Cotton Bureau!

SHOW NOTES

Walter Benjamin, "The Storyteller" in Illuminations (Hannah Arendt, ed.; Harryn Zohn, trans.).
Novalis, Philosophical Writings. (Margaret Mahony Stoljar, trans.).
Cristina Campo, The Unforgivable and Other Writings (Alex Andriesse, trans.)
William Irwin Thompson, Imaginary Landscape
Bruno Bettelheim, The Uses of Enchantment
Marie-Louise von Franz,, Swiss Jungian psychologist
Sesame Street, “Rapunzel Rescue”
Disney’s Tangled
The Annotated Brothers Grimm
Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index
Marina Warner, Once Upon a Time
W. A. Mozart, The Magic Flute
Dante Alighieri, Il Convito
Panspermia hypothesis
Gregory Bateson, Mind and Nature
John Mitchell, Confessions of a Radical Traditionalist
Clint Eastwood (dir.) The Unforgiven

]]> Fairy tales are among the most familiar cultural objects, so familiar that we let our kids play with them unsupervised. At the same time, they are also the most mysterious of artifacts, their heimlich giving way to unheimlich as soon as we give them a closer look and ask ourselves what they are really about. Indeed, these imaginal nomads, which seem to evade all cultural and historical capture, existing in various forms in every time and place, can become so strange as to make us wonder if they are cultural at all, and not some unexplained force of nature — the dreaming of the world. In this episode, JF and Phil use "Rapunzel" as a case study to explore the weirdness of fairy tales, illustrating how they demand interpretation without ever allowing themselves to be explained.

Sign up for the upcoming course "Writing at the Wellspring" October 22-December 1 with Dr. Matt Cardin on Weirdosphere.org

Support us on Patreon.
Buy the Weird Studies soundtrack, volumes 1 and 2, on Pierre-Yves Martel's Bandcamp page.
Listen to Meredith Michael and Gabriel Lubell's podcast, Cosmophonia.
Visit the Weird Studies Bookshop
Find us on Discord
Get the T-shirt design from Cotton Bureau!

SHOW NOTES

Walter Benjamin, "The Storyteller" in Illuminations (Hannah Arendt, ed.; Harryn Zohn, trans.).
Novalis, Philosophical Writings. (Margaret Mahony Stoljar, trans.).
Cristina Campo, The Unforgivable and Other Writings (Alex Andriesse, trans.)
William Irwin Thompson, Imaginary Landscape
Bruno Bettelheim, The Uses of Enchantment
Marie-Louise von Franz,, Swiss Jungian psychologist
Sesame Street, “Rapunzel Rescue”
Disney’s Tangled
The Annotated Brothers Grimm
Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index
Marina Warner, Once Upon a Time
W. A. Mozart, The Magic Flute
Dante Alighieri, Il Convito
Panspermia hypothesis
Gregory Bateson, Mind and Nature
John Mitchell, Confessions of a Radical Traditionalist
Clint Eastwood (dir.) The Unforgiven

]]> Off-Week Bonus: On Worlds and Stories, with a Special Announcement https://www.weirdstudies.com/131b 975f89b1-b894-447f-a2b1-15da38a3f83e Tue, 27 Sep 2022 15:00:00 -0400 Phil Ford and J. F. Martel full Phil Ford and J. F. Martel After announcing a new online course they will be teaching together, JF and Phil talk storytelling and worldbuilding. 57:16 yes <p>In this bonus episode, originally released for Listener's Tier Patreon supporters, a discussion of the books Phil and JF are reading leads to a debate about the place of plot, story, and worldbuilding in narrative art. The episode contains information on "Weirding," a new course that the hosts of Weird Studies will be teaching together at Nura Learning, starting in late October. Visit nuralearning.com for more information. </p> literature, structure, genre, setting, plot, fantasy, roleplaying games, weird studies courses In this bonus episode, originally released for Listener's Tier Patreon supporters, a discussion of the books Phil and JF are reading leads to a debate about the place of plot, story, and worldbuilding in narrative art. The episode contains information on "Weirding," a new course that the hosts of Weird Studies will be teaching together at Nura Learning, starting in late October. Visit nuralearning.com for more information.

]]> In this bonus episode, originally released for Listener's Tier Patreon supporters, a discussion of the books Phil and JF are reading leads to a debate about the place of plot, story, and worldbuilding in narrative art. The episode contains information on "Weirding," a new course that the hosts of Weird Studies will be teaching together at Nura Learning, starting in late October. Visit nuralearning.com for more information.

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