Join us as we read aloud fascinating, meticulously researched essays penned by academics who are experts in their fields.
Rank #1: Essays On Air: Why grown-ups still need fairy tales.
Fairy tales are extremely moral in their demarcation between good and evil, right and wrong. Marcella Cheng/The Conversation NY-BD-CC, CC BY-SAOriginally for adults, many fairy tales can be brutal, violent, sexual and laden with taboo. When the earliest recorded versions were made by collectors such as the Brothers Grimm, the adult content was maintained. But as time progressed, the tales became diluted, child-friendly and more benign. Adults consciously and unconsciously continue to tell them today, despite advances in logic, science and technology. It’s as if there is something ingrained in us – something we cannot suppress – that compels us to interpret the world around us through the lens of such tales. That’s what we’re exploring on the latest episode of Essays On Air, the audio version of our Friday essay series. Today, Marguerite Johnson, Professor of Classics at the University of Newcastle, is reading her essay Why grown-ups still need fairy tales. Join us as we read to you here at Essays On Air, a podcast from The Conversation. Find us and subscribe in Apple Podcasts, in Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts. Additional audio Snow by David Szesztay Mourning Song by Kevin MacLeod Jack and the Beanstalk by UB Iwerks Cinderella (1950), produced by Walt Disney Candle in the Wind/Goodbye England’s Rose by Elton John P. I. Tchaikovsky: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, performed by Kevin MacLeod from Free Music Archive. This episode was recorded by Eddie O'Reilly and edited by Jenni Henderson. Illustration by Marcella Cheng.
Rank #2: Essays On Air: Joan of Arc, our one true superhero.
Why did this woman, so devoted to her political cause and to her vision of a united France, chose to be burnt at the stake at the age of 19 instead of acquiescing to her judges’ directives? shutterstock.comOne need not be a parent of a young child, as I am, to be conscious of the full-blown resurgence of the superhero in contemporary popular culture. But there is more to a hero than courage and strength. On today’s episode of Essays On Air, the audio version of The Conversation’s Friday essay series, I’m reading my essay on Joan of Arc, our one true superhero. She’s been depicted as a national heroine and a nationalist symbol (and also, to my and many a leftists’ dismay, a popular mascot by French ultra-nationalists), a rebellious heretic and a goodly saint. A feminist role model and a belligerent military leader, an innocent mystic and a tortured victim. However one may choose to view her, there can be no denying that she is, and will continue to be, one of the most singular and significant exemplars of our troubled species. Forget Wonder Woman and Batman – Jeanne d’Arc may be our one and only true superhero. Today’s episode was edited by Sybilla Gross. Find us and subscribe in Apple Podcasts, in Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts. Additional Audio Snow by David Szesztay Choral Music by dobroide Outdoor farming sounds by klankbeeld Superhero flash by oscaraudiogeek I am Batman! And you are Dust! - Warner Brothers Fantasy Orchestra by bigmanjoe Horse Battle Sounds by Joao_de_Dues Four Voices Whispering by geoneo0 Female battle cries by 11linda Book shop interior by mzui Pages turning by Zamazan Ofelia’s Dream by Bensound Battle Horn 1 by kirmm Victory Cry by chripei Rainy Day by Dee Yan-Key Piano Movement by Bensound Jeanne d’Arc by Gaumont Ali Alizadeh does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
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