Archetypes, Indie Fantasy, Conan, and More
- edgoodwyn
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
Greetings all Imaginarians! So, today I have some fun stuff to share with you--first up, on the academic side, I had a fascinating conversation with James Dowling of The Jung Project. James has been tracing through key essays by Carl Jung, line by line, and dissecting each and every one of them, drilling down to the exact meanings, including all the critical context, footnotes, and nuance. It's a brilliant thing, and while on the surface, it probably sounds quite dry, James has a way of delivering this information that is pure dynamite. Picture this: we're all in a pub, having a deep discussion into the wee hours of the night, talking about the meaning of life, what it means to be a human in todays world, and all the other mysteries of dreams, the mind, physics, energy, time, and everything else that Jung and his contemporaries dove into, on up to the cutting edge research of today--including the work of Yours Truly!
Check out this video where we discuss some of it right here:
Next up, I have not one but TWO conversations with other indie fantasy authors. The first one is with author Philip Chase, writer of the Edan Trilogy, and we discuss the role of mental health issues in modern fantasy fiction. Philip is a professor of English literature, and no stranger to the academic world, so the conversation gets very deep into all sorts of aspects of writing from those of us with an academic background:
Next up is another conversation with not only Philip but with another fantasy author, PL Stuart, author of the Drowned Kingdom Saga. In this discussion, the three of us talk about the state of Indie fantasy writing today, and all the problems that exist in the publishing world, and how to get your writing out there when everything in the trad publishing industry has been gobbled up by the Big Five:
And, last but definitely not least, author and EIC of the Arcanist, James Mills, not to be left out, discusses his publication company The Arcanist and fantasy writing--how psychology and myth are and always have been an integral part of fantasy as a genre:
That should keep all of you Mythographers of the Imagination busy for a hot minute! But if not, then consider one final bonus video! Recently I have been plunging into the incredible writing of Robert E. Howard's Conan the Cimmerian short stories, and boy do I have thoughts! First and foremost, the mysterious connection between Howard and J.R.R. Tolkien.
Check out my thoughts on The Phoenix on the Sword, Howard and Tolkien, right here:
And finally, more recently I read The Frost Giant's Daughter, and found a very interesting layer beneath the sword-and-sorcery, check this video out to discover it:
So anyway, that's what I've got for you this time, Imaginarians. I do hope to see you in the comments section, and be sure to check out my shorts on TikTok, Instagram, and Youtube to stay current on all things to do with the Imagination!
EG
Comments