Fiction Briefly

A study guide for short fiction and film. Explore Joseph Campbell's "hero's journey" and other methods authors and filmmakers use to tell a great story.

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Episodes

Sunday Mar 21, 2021

A fight over the throne of Wakanda represents two opposing ideas of justice. Revenge can be sweet but effective leadership requires more substance.

Sunday Feb 21, 2021

Clarice Starling doesn't have experience, but she has instinct and determination. She's going to need both to catch a killer even with help from a cannibal psychopath in this analysis of Silence of the Lambs.

The Disguised Hero - Django

Sunday Jan 31, 2021

Sunday Jan 31, 2021

Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained touches on the harsh realities of human nature and the difficulties of going undercover.

Sunday Jan 03, 2021

Sometimes taking one's "place" in society requires breaking with tradition. In this adaption of an ancient Chinese tale, Mulan carves a place for herself but sets her aims low. Still, she serves as an example of courage in the struggle to be one's self.

The Stubborn Hero - Antigonê

Saturday Dec 12, 2020

Saturday Dec 12, 2020

Can a woman in ancient Greece win an argument and remain living? Sophocles has us pondering the ambiguity of right and wrong as the gods remain silent over human disputes.

The Incompetent Hero: Psyche

Saturday Nov 14, 2020

Saturday Nov 14, 2020

Ancient Roman author, Apuleius, makes his heroine in Cupid and Psyche the butt of a joke, but is Psyche as pathetic as she seems?

The Subversive Hero: Joker

Sunday Oct 11, 2020

Sunday Oct 11, 2020

The hero's journey can be used for villains, too, and it may have you rooting for the bad guy.

Tuesday Sep 08, 2020

Creator Lin-Manuel Miranda makes strategic storytelling choices to keep viewers entertained as opposed to well-informed.

The Forgotten Hero: Theseus

Monday Aug 24, 2020

Monday Aug 24, 2020

Before George Washington and King Arthur, Theseus created a democracy and pulled a sword out a stone. He also made the Labyrinth famous.

The Killer Hero: Hercules

Monday Aug 03, 2020

Monday Aug 03, 2020

You think you know someone until you do a background check... A look at Hercules's punishment after killing his wife and young children using Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey.

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