Mythmakers Oxford Centre for Fantasy

Horror is having a moment. Looking at recent cinema releases, you’ll see the genre is booming as a big box office draw. But where on the scale does a horror story become fantasy? Returning this week to Mythmakers, Darren Simpson discusses this with Julia Golding. They turn to the tradition of the doppelgänger story - the portrait in the attic, the ‘other’ or shadow self – and take a look at what it tells us about psychology. In Darren’s new children’s book, Lykewise, the doppelgänger is the Lykewise, released from a mirror. How do you write about this darker self and its hidden urges for this age group, and what does it tell us about our modern era? Julia and Darren end off their discussion by celebrating magic mirrors and deciding which one they would most like to encounter. Order your own copy of Lykewise, and explore Darren’s other works, at https://darrensimpsonwrites.co.uk/ 00:00 Introduction: Welcome to Mythmakers and Folk Horror with Darren Simpson 00:45 Is Horror Fantasy? Exploring the Genre Boundaries 06:01 The Doppelganger Tradition: Jekyll and Hyde to Dorian Gray 08:06 The Thing and Mirrors: Inspiration Behind Likewise 10:00 Mirrors and Identity: Who Are We When We Look at Ourselves? 11:35 Introducing Likewise: The Mirror Ritual and the Village of Haramir 17:24 Shame and Responsibility: When the Likewise Causes Harm 18:25 The Shadow Self: Psychology and Dark Desires 24:15 Modern Mirrors: Social Media, AI, and Digital Doppelgangers 30:04 The Fenlands: Creating an Atmospheric Liminal Landscape 35:04 Independence and Rebellion: The History of Fenland Communities 37:11 Bloody Mary and Modern Folklore: Mirrors in Youth Culture 38:32 What's Next: Strange Blooms and Future Folk Horror 40:56 Magic Mirrors in Fantasy: From Snow White to Alice For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit: Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.com/Instagram Facebook: https://centre4fantasy.com/Facebook TikTok: https://centre4fantasy.com/tiktok

We are going on an adventure! Love The Lord of the Rings? Why not read along with us as we consider the books from the writer's point of view! Taking it chapter by chapter, novelist Julia Golding will reveal new details that you might not have noticed and techniques that will only go to increase your pleasure in future re-readings of our favourite novel. Julia also brings her expert knowledge of life in Oxford and English culture to explain some points that might have passed you by.  00:00 Introduction: Welcome to Mythmakers and The Siege of Gondor 02:04 Breakfast and Maturity: Pippin's Character Development 05:41 Denethor the Spider: Webs of Wizardry and Schemes 09:12 Can You Sing? Pippin as Page and Denethor's Humanity 14:44 The Gathering Gloom: War's Oppressive Atmosphere 17:28 The Causeway and Battlefield Detail: Tolkien's Real World 19:28 One Day Felt Like a Year: The Weariness of War 22:01 The Fell Beasts and Pterodactyls: Tolkien's Prehistoric Mythology 24:54 Sports Commentary on War: Pippin and Beregond Narrate the Battle 26:53 Gandalf the White Star: Saving Faramir 29:37 The Twist of the Knife: Denethor Wishes Faramir Had Died 34:22 Why Not Send Faramir? Character Combinations and Story Choices 37:43 The Gaze Duel: Gandalf and Denethor Fence with Their Eyes 44:11 Faramir's Suicidal Mission: Raising the Stakes 53:22 The Heads Over the Wall: Horror and the Dishonoring of the Dead 54:54 The Sick Chamber: Intimacy Amid the Epic 57:41 Pippin Looks Denethor in the Eye: The Hobbit Becomes the Bigger Man 58:38 The Funereal Procession: Water Dripping from the Dead Tree 1:00:33 Illegal Orders: Pippin Tells Beregond to Choose 1:02:33 Grond: The Battering Ram and Spells of Ruin 1:04:53 You Cannot Enter Here: Gandalf Faces the Lord of the Nazgul 1:06:57 The Cock Crows and Horns Answer: Rohan Has Come at Last 1:08:40 War Writing Lessons: Contrasts, Scales, and Keeping Pages Turning For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit: Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.com/Instagram Facebook: https://centre4fantasy.com/Facebook TikTok: https://centre4fantasy.com/tiktok

Annaliese Avery, author of the Wycherley series, joins Julia Golding on the pod to talk about the conclusion to her trilogy. Annaliese and Julia explore the phenomenon of romantasy, the kind of rules necessary to make magic systems believable, and the appeal of the Regency period as a fantasy setting. Prepare yourself for a few shocking revelations about first drafts and dragons! To learn more about Annaliese and her writing visit https://www.annalieseavery.com 00:00 Introduction: Welcome to Mythmakers and Romantasy with Annaliese Avery 01:44 The Rise of Romantasy: From Trope to Genre 03:09 Fantasy as Cultural Mirror: From World Wars to COVID 06:36 Romantasy vs. The Hunger Games: Generational Appeal 08:52 Girls and Fantasy: The Romantasy Revolution 16:55 Introducing The Wycherleys: Magic, Curses, and the Season of the Witch 21:50 Magic Systems and Boundaries: The Power of Limitations 23:47 Regency Romance Meets Witchcraft: Rules and Longing 25:51 Building a Magical Regency: Historical Fantasy World-Building 27:20 The Draft Zero Method: Writing by Deleting 30:48 Visual Storytelling: Invitations, Wheels, and Black Pages 37:34 Rivals to Lovers: Aurelia and Jules's Journey 41:46 Multiple Forms of Love: Beyond Romance 44:35 Dragons and Wyverns: The Controversial Six-Limb Rule 46:15 What's Next: Knights, Jousting, and Cozy Crime 48:40 Fantasy Covens: Where Would You Join? For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit: Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.com/Instagram Facebook: https://centre4fantasy.com/Facebook TikTok: https://centre4fantasy.com/tiktok

When Great Ormond Street Hospital, home to the rights to Peter Pan, asks you to add to its beloved stories, you take on an awesome responsibility. In this episode of Mythmakers, authors Katie and Kevin Tsang join Julia Golding to share their journey into Neverland in support of this worthy cause, with profits benefiting the hospital’s charity. They made the bold decision to centre the story on Tom, a seriously ill patient at Great Ormond Street, bringing with it a particularly high level of responsibility in how they portray his experience. As you might expect, Tom finds adventure and friendship on a journey that takes him from the magical spaces of the hospital into the world of imagination. Katie and Kevin also spill the tea on what it’s really like to write as a partnership, before taking us into the world of their other stories, including the Dragon Realm series. Learn more about Katie and Kevin, and order your own copy of The Neverland Thieves, at https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/authors/Katie-Tsang/169163632 00:00 Introduction: Welcome to Mythmakers and The Neverland Thieves 01:31 Writing as a Couple: The Journey to 18 Books Together 05:15 The Creative Process: Brainstorming, Dividing, and Conquering 10:17 Introducing The Neverland Thieves: Tom, Felix, and Daisy's Adventure 13:50 Tom's Story: Writing a Seriously Ill Child as Adventure Hero 18:01 The Great Ormond Street Hospital Connection: Legacy and Charity 20:56 London as Magical Space: Flying Over the City 24:14 Inside Great Ormond Street Hospital: Research and Inspiration 26:57 Playing in the Peter Pan Legacy: Rules, Updates, and Respect 34:23 The Dragon Realm Series: Action-Packed Adventures 37:48 Choosing Your Neverland Tribe: Pirates, Mermaids, or Lost Children For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit: Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.com/Instagram Facebook: https://centre4fantasy.com/Facebook TikTok: https://centre4fantasy.com/tiktok

We are going on an adventure! Love The Lord of the Rings? Why not read along with us as we consider the books from the writer's point of view! Taking it chapter by chapter, novelist Julia Golding will reveal new details that you might not have noticed and techniques that will only go to increase your pleasure in future re-readings of our favourite novel. Julia also brings her expert knowledge of life in Oxford and English culture to explain some points that might have passed you by.  00:00 Introduction: Welcome to Mythmakers and The Muster of Rohan 01:37 Atmospheric World-Building: Twilight on the Waterfalls 04:34 Merry's Perspective: The Weight of Middle-earth 07:03 Theoden and Merry: A Father-Son Bond 08:49 Theoden's Heroic Speech: Spending My Last Strength 13:03 The Pukel-men and Layers of History 17:47 Paths of the Dead: Aragorn's Fate and Eowyn's Grief 21:59 The Arrow Arrives: Gondor's Call for Aid 23:41 The Day with No Sunrise: War Encroaches 25:45 Merry Left Behind: The Shame of Staying Home 26:08 Eowyn Arms Merry: A Secret Plot Begins 29:23 Dernhelm Appears: Where Will Wants Not, A Way Opens 30:18 Riding Toward Shadow: Hope Wanes in Every Heart For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit: Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.com/Instagram Facebook: https://centre4fantasy.com/Facebook TikTok: https://centre4fantasy.com/tiktok