A Good Story is Hard to Find

Episode #30 - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Julie thought Jane was right in asking Rochester about whether or not he loves another, while Scott thinks Jane needed to be a little more concerned about the dark goings-on. Download or listen via this link: |Episode #030| Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner Or subscribe via iTunes by clicking: |HERE| More stuff: The audiobook, narrated by the remarkable Lucy Scott: On AudibleThe Hunger Games by Suzanne CollinsEon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman The Secret Country Trilogy by Pamela DeanRose's email on YA Lit and Heroines (included by request)6 Traits of a YA Dystopian/Fantasy Female Protagonist She is independent to the point that she spends little time with her family (whom she loves) and relies little on family or her one or friends for help. She and her one or two good friends very themselves as outsiders and while that may be true for her friends, she is most likely held in high regard by others, simply inapproachable. She had a lack of self-awareness of her good qualities, including but not limited to physical attractiveness, intelligence, leadership, etc, which she generally possesses in abundance. Because of this, she is prone to self-doubt.She has little to no interest in romance unless with a childhood friend whom she views as inaccessible. Because of this she is uninterested in her own beauty, never wearing makeup or a dress unless forced.She is averse to a leadership position, but excels when it is thrust upon her, generally because of a special ability she discovers she has.She is proficient (or aspiring to be) at a physical skill such as hunting, combat, survival, etc.She is surprisingly unobservant or uncritical of society until shown its flaws by someone else, typically her love interest. However, she is perceived as being highly intelligent because of her tendency to speak her mind, something she attributes to how bad she is at lying.These traits are obviously meant to define her as a Woman of Action, a strong, independent female protagonist who is worthy of admiration. However, the one trait relied on to make her strong is her physical skill and possibly leadership. An absence of these traits leads to a character who, like Bella in the Twilight series, is criticized as being weak and passive. While this simplistic view of strength is likely to appeal to the girls it is written for, these types of novels have a much wider audience and reflects the general rejection of the Domestic Goddess image that dominated literature for centuries. The Domestic Goddess is stereotypically a weak, passive woman who waits for a man to save her and while there are numerous examples of this, there are many noticeable exceptions. Penelope, the archetypal Domestic Goddess from The Odyssey, demonstrates amazing strength of will in her determination to avoid a second marriage and wait for her husband to return, putting herself in danger not just from one, but a whole gaggle of men, every night as she unravels her dress, a traditionally female craft. This internal, feminine strength extends to female protagonists throughout literature including Jane Eyre, Fanny Price from Mansfield Park, Dorothea from Middlemarch, and Hester Pryne from The Scarlett Letter. They display a strength, both emotional and mental, that surpasses the Dystopian Protagonist’s physical strength becomes it comes with more conviction and purpose. These women do not need the false modesty of the Dystopian Protagonist because they have a true self-knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses that gives them the strength and maturity to affect their society in a constructive way and serve as an example to others. So has the modern woman really lost her true strength to this pale imitation of masculine heroics? Are there any truly original, realistic women in YA Dystopian/Fantasy novels today or has the future really lost the wisdom of the past?

Julie and Scott are forced to spend the entire movie in #$%^ing Bruges. Not all is lost, though, because they're filming midgets! In Bruges, written and directed by Martin McDonagh. PS: It's in Belgium. Download or listen via this link: |Episode #029| Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner Or subscribe via iTunes by clicking: |HERE| More stuff: In Bruges on IMDB The official website of the fair city of Bruges. Hieronymous Bosch's very own website. The Triangulation podcast with Steve Martin that Scott mentioned near the end: HERE. (It has nothing to do with Bruges. Which is in Belgium.) Watching Theology's Christmas special

Episode #28, in which Scott finally admits to Julie that he's a digient. Julie knew it all along. The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang! Download or listen via this link: |Episode #028| Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner Or subscribe via iTunes by clicking: |HERE| More stuff: Clarification of a statistic that Scott mentioned about people living alone - it's not 50%. This NYT article states that 40-50% of households IN LARGER CITIES are occupied by a single person. Ted Chiang Interview - part of it was quoted in the podcast An interesting podcast from Jimmy Akin: 005 Artificial Intelligence; Hell; Aliens & Salvation

Julie bought a life-size Johnny Depp doll, and Scott got a little uncomfortable. Luckily, they had a movie called Lars and the Real Girl to talk about. Dr. Dagmar: Have there been any changes in the family in the last year or so? Gus: [while Karin simultaneously nods "Yes"] No, everything is pretty much exactly the same except Karin is pregnant and Lars is nuts. Download or listen via this link: |Episode #027| Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner Or subscribe via iTunes by clicking: |HERE| More stuff: Lars and the Real Girl on IMDB.A Man, His Doll, and Responsibility, a review of the movie by Julie on Happy Catholic

Episode #26 is the first of the year, and Julie and Scott talk about J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels. Julie marvels at the end of the series, and Scott can't believe he didn't mention Luna Lovegood. Download or listen via this link: |Episode #026| Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner Or subscribe via iTunes by clicking: |HERE| More stuff: Harry Potter Influences and Analogues Michael D. O'Brien on Harry Potter Pope Opposes Harry Potter Novels Harry Potter Charms the Pope

In Episode 25, Julie and Scott visit the Guild of Assassins, then try to explain the nuances of human belief to Death himself. Instead, it's Death that teaches them a thing or two about belief. Hogfather by Terry Pratchett is the book. HO. HO. HO. Download or listen via this link: |Episode #025| Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner Or subscribe via iTunes by clicking: |HERE| More stuff: Terry Pratchett - Reading Order

Julie and Scott got out of the convenience store just in time! After calling an ambulance, they talked about Tokyo Godfathers, a meaningful Christmas movie from an unlikely source. Download or listen via this link: |Episode #024| Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner Or subscribe via iTunes by clicking: |HERE| More stuff: The Hobbit - Behind the Scenes Production Video #4 - about 3D, with bonus comments from ScottJulia McCarthy on Japanese Attitudes Toward AbortionJapanese Christmas customsThe Right to Be WrongPatriotic Grace

Episode 23: Julie and Scott agree to make coffee for Ulysses in return for a cube of deceased vegetation. Also, they read Way Station by Clifford D. Simak. Download or listen via this link: |Episode #023| Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner Or subscribe via iTunes by clicking: |HERE| More stuff: A Clifford D. Simak fan page. A Review of The Better Angels by Steven Pinker James Patrick Kelly: jimkelly.net

Episode 22! Julie and Scott talk about The Social Network, a movie written by Aaron Sorkin, then decide to sue Mark Zuckerberg for wearing flip flops in the snow. You know, you really don't need a forensics team to get to the bottom of this. If you guys were the inventors of Facebook, you'd have invented Facebook. Download or listen via this link: |Episode #022| Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner Or subscribe via iTunes by clicking: |HERE| More stuff: General Glyphics, Inc.

Episode 21: Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. Also, Julie and Scott race to the barber pole, go trick or treating, and barely mention zombies. Download or listen via this link: |Episode #021| Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner Or subscribe via iTunes by clicking: |HERE| More stuff: RayBradbury.comAt Happy Catholic: Offering it upAt Happy Catholic: Cardinal Virtues!mmm... zombiesThe Halloween Tree - review and audio link Flicks That Church Forgot podcastOctober Dreams: A Celebration of Halloween, edited by Richard Chizmar and Robert Morrish

Episode 20, in which Julie sacrifices her record collection to ward off zombies, and Scott wishes she hadn't thrown the Batman soundtrack. Shaun of the Dead is the subject! Hilarious movie. With zombies. Download or listen via this link: |Episode #020| Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner Or subscribe via iTunes by clicking: |HERE| More stuff: Julie at Patheos: St. Martha: Truth and Practicality The Magic of Reality by Richard Dawkins, atheist The Tobolowsky Files by Stephen Tobolowsky

Episode 19. Here is a list: Philby. Espionage. Powers. Declare. While they await your coded response, Julie and Scott discuss Declare by Tim Powers, a fantasy/spy thriller they both enjoyed. Download or listen via this link: |Episode #019| Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner Or subscribe via iTunes by clicking: |HERE| More stuff: The blog of Jeff, aka The Curt Jester The Works of Tim Powers Kim Philby at Wikipedia Hour 25: Tim Powers interview from March 2, 2001

Episode 18, in which Julie watches a movie she does not like and Scott says, "Wha?" Contact, from a book by Carl Sagan, directed by Robert Zemeckis, and starring Jodie Foster and rarely shirtless Matthew McConaughey. Download or listen via this link: |Episode #018| Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner Or subscribe via iTunes by clicking: |HERE| More stuff: Lucy's Laugh Enlivens the Solar System by Robert Krulwich. From Morning Edition, 2008. Confessions of an Alien Hunter by Seth Shostak Rocks of Ages by Stephen Jay Gould. Two other great books by Gould: Wonderful Life and Dinosaur in a Haystack

Episode 17. Julie and Scott find themselves trapped on an island serving cold ham to eight seven extremely nervous guests. What could go wrong? And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Good book. Download or listen via this link: |Episode #017| Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner Or subscribe via iTunes by clicking: |HERE| More stuff: Luke Burrage's Science Fiction Book Review Podcast Agatha Christie on Forgotten Classics ... both nonfiction and "The Secret Adversary" The Mousetrap and Other Plays by Agatha Christie - contains both "Ten Little Indians" and "The Mousetrap" Some other favorite Agatha Christie books to try:Murder on the Orient Express Death Comes as the End The Murder of Roger Ackroyd The Mysterious Mr. Quin Why Didn't They Ask Evans? What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw! Julie's review of Now I Walk on Death Row. Maria Goretti and her attacker, Alessandro (his letter is very moving) Jacques Fesch (he is the murderer who experienced that moment of grace in his prison cell ... )

Episode 16. Or is it? Julie and Scott both remember how they got there, and are pretty darned sure they discussed Christopher Nolan's Inception, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Download or listen via this link: |Episode #016| Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner Or subscribe via iTunes by clicking: |HERE| More stuff: Pope Recommends Summer Reading by the Faithful The Prestige by Christopher Priest Christopher Nolan and his stuff Julie's excellent book: Happy Catholic Cowboy's tailgating guidelines - evidently there are so many restrictions that they advise using nearby private lots.