Unreliable Narrators

In this episode, Raymond and Sophie discuss the single most influential work of literature ever written (at least to the two of them): C.S. Lewis's final novel, Till We Have Faces. Listen to find out who the god of the mountain really is, how loving and devouring are secretly the same thing, and why Psyche has always longed for death. Or, you know, you could listen to find out why Raymond and Sophie are the way that they are. We won't judge. Our next episode will be Part 2 of C.S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf

T.S. Eliot's famous post-war poem, "The Waste Land", revolutionized modern poetry and represented huge shifts in modern consciousness. And yet to this day, it is still one of the most difficult to understand. What is all this about "April is the cruelest month"? and "Fear death by water"? and "Who is the third who walks always beside you"? In this episode, Sophie and Raymond discuss the life of T.S. Eliot, modernism, Arthurian legend, images of baptism, and more. If you've been stumped by this poem in the past, never fear: your trusty Unreliable Narrators are here to help you out. Stay tuned for the grand finale to apocalypse season, a two-part series on Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf

In this episode, Raymond and Sophie end Anime Month with a discussion of the hit anime Mob Psycho 100. We'd like to say that we covered all our bases by discussing the nature of adolescence, Mob's solution to the problem of suffering, and the theological implications of a world where evil spirits run rampant...but we pretty much only talked about Reigen Arataka, the most lovable conman of all time. We regret nothing. Our next episode will be T.S. Eliot's poem The Wasteland. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf

In this episode, Raymond learns that Sophie really, really likes the death game genre—and both of them try to figure out why. What does it mean to win a game without losing your soul? Are there any Christological figures in a world of murder? And what does any of this have to do with The Brothers Karamazov? The unreliable podcasters are determined to find out! Our next episode will be the 2016-2022 anime Mob Psycho 100. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf

Is the human heart connected to the weather? The star-crossed lovers Hodaka in Hina in Mokoto Shinkai's Weathering with You discover this to be true in more ways than one. In this episode of anime month, Raymond and Sophie discuss the difference between archaic and Christian sacrifice, problems of utilitarian ethics, flood legends from Genesis and the Epic of Gilgamesh, and even...the secret of the world itself. Stay tuned for our next episode, Mob Psycho 100. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf

Almost twenty years after its glory days, Raymond and Sophie finally get with the times and discuss the cultural phenomenon Death Note. What is the nature of justice in this story? What makes L such a good detective? And what do you do in a world where it's kill or be killed? All this and more in our latest episode! Our next episode will be the 2019 anime Weathering With You. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf

Sophie and Raymond kick off Anime Month with a discussion of Studio Ghibli's 2001 film Spirited Away. How is Chihiro's journey a retelling of the Genesis story? What does it mean to remember your own name? Is the spirit No Face a metaphor for the artist? In their search for the answers, rest assured that both of your favorite unreliable podcasters come armed with many, many G.K. Chesterton quotes. Our next episode will be the 2006-2007 anime Death Note. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf

In this episode, Raymond reveals that we are in APOCALYPSE SEASON! In the art piece "Right?" artist Banu Cennetoğlu asks the question of how human rights can thrive in a world where the beliefs and narratives which once united us are breaking down. We discuss how René Girard and his theory of how human sacrifice evolves into ritual and ritual into the institution of law, and how this is illustrated in the Greek tragedy Oresteia. The art piece "Right?" gives the Unreliable Narrators an opportunity to discuss the entire history of the human race, the development of human rights, the breakdown of the institution of war, and...possibly nuclear apocalypse? Stay tuned for a special ANIME MONTH coming up next July! In our next episode, we'll be discussing Hayao Miyazaki's classic Spirited Away! Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf

Elijah Wood (aka Trinity Klomparens) joins Sophie and Raymond to discuss the Cartoon Network TV series Over the Garden Wall. How do the characters (Wert and Greg) wind up in a mysterious wood that seems to resemble Hell? What sins did they commit that got them there? Sophie and Raymond think this show has lots of profound parallels to Pilgrim's Progress and Dante's Inferno. Trinity is convinced there are pumpkin people in her neighborhood. Our next episode will be the art piece "Right?" by Banu Cennetoğlu (apologies, Raymond announced the wrong episode last time--classic Raymond)**** Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf

We are FINALLY back again (so sorry) after 4 months of nail-biting, painstaking silence (we know you missed us) to talk about William Golding's harrowing novel, Lord of the Flies. In Lord of the Flies, a group of English schoolboys survive a plane crash on a desert island. As they struggle to establish political order and cooperate, they are forced to discover the dark side of their own nature. What's going on with pigs in Golding's novel? And what are these constant references to "The Beast"? And are Christians actually all anarchists? Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf

One Christmas night, in the little town of Bedford Falls, a man named George Bailey contemplates throwing away God's greatest gift...but through the prayers of those who love him dearest, George learns that he truly lived a wonderful life. In the meantime, the angel Clarence earns a pair of wings. This Christmas, Sophie and Raymond discuss one of the most beloved Christmas classics of all time, Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life. What makes George Bailey's life wonderful? How do we convince those who are despondent (including ourselves) that life is truly worth living? How is It's a Wonderful Life like the book of Job? Is the idea of angels "earning wings" in Heaven theologically accurate? The answers the Unreliable Narrators come up with may not be what you were expecting, but who said we were reliable? Stay tuned for our next episode, where we talk about William Golding's 1954 novel Lord of the Flies. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf

In this episode, Sophie and Raymond discuss Taylor Swift's Anti-Hero LIVE at WhySpeak Speech Camp 2024. As Sophie tries to convince Raymond to become a Swiftie, our two favorite unreliable narrators also discuss Flannery O'Connor's moments of grace, the nature of confession, and...you guessed it...Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. All this and more in our latest episode! Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf

Dive into the waters and the wild of fairies, selkies, and spirits in our pilot episode for Season 4, The Song of the Sea. Why have the fairies departed from the human world? Why is preserving these Celtic legends and myths so important? How is director Tom Moore using his art to remind us of the world of the child? Also, why does hair represent the oral tradition? In our next episode, we'll be sharing with a special podcast recorded LIVE AT WHYSPEAK SPEECH CAMP, where we discuss Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero." Stay tuned for some more earth-shaking episodes this season... Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf

In this episode, Sophie and Raymond discuss themes of suffering, loss, and death in Lulu Wang's 2019 film The Farewell. What are the differences between the western and eastern perspectives on death? What does it mean for the collective to carry the burden of suffering for the individual? And how much longer can Sophie keep coming up with excuses to talk about Fyodor Dostoevsky?? All this and more in the SEASON 3 FINALE. Register for camp! https://form.jotform.com/241565531242047 Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablepodcasters@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2024-2025 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2024-2025.pdf

In Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner", the mariner shoots an albatross...and must spend the rest of his life paying penance for his sin. What on earth does this albatross represent? Civilization? Tradition? Christendom? Or is it, as Coleridge would probably insist, just an albatross? In this episode, Sophie and Raymond discuss the Romantic poets' role in the history of art, thought, society, and Christian culture, as well as their special influence C.S. Lewis. We haven't totally come to a consensus on this, but we're pretty sure that Coleridge doesn't want us to kill albatrosses. In our next episode, we’ll be discussing the Lulu Wang's 2019 The Farewell, a comedy-drama about and young Chinese-American woman who struggles with the ethical dilemma of whether she should tell her grandmother about her terminal cancer diagnosis. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablenarratorsstoa@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2022-2023 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2022-2023-1.pdf

Sophie and Raymond are rejoined by special guest Anna Mason as they tackle the topic of surrealism through the lens of Salvador Dali's famous painting "The Persistence of Memory." Was Dali actually a surrealist? Why do all the clerks and navvies in the railway trains look so sad and tired? And is not being sick really the most poetical thing in the world? All this and more in this episode! Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablenarratorsstoa@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2023-2024 Stoa Mars Hill list here:https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Mars-Hill-Topics-2023-2024-1.pdf

In H.G. Wells' classic short story, a father and his son Gip wander into an antique shop run by a curious man who claims to be a magician. But the father feels something is not right. This magician seems he can make anything disappear...even Gip! In this episode, Sophie and Raymond discuss science, magic, hypnotism, and what it means to have childlike (or childish) faith. Along the way, we compare Wells' short story with Christopher Nolan's film The Prestige, as well as a few notable events in the Bible that could be considered magic as well... In our next episode, we'll be discussing the art piece "The Persistence of Memory" by Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali. Stay tuned.**** Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablenarratorsstoa@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2022-2023 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2022-2023-1.pdf

Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about? Sophie and Raymond do! In this VERY BELATED Christmas episode (listen, nobody ever said we were reliable), your hosts discuss the 1965 short film, A Charlie Brown Christmas. What makes Charlie Brown a hero for the masses? What is the difference between a real tree and a poor tree? Can Sophie ever be trusted to edit an episode on time? All this and more in the first episode of 2024! Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablenarratorsstoa@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2023-2024 Stoa Mars Hill list here:https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Mars-Hill-Topics-2023-2024-1.pdf

Raymond may be doubtful about the reality of love at first sight, but it's nonetheless a story that has captured the imagination of people for generations. In this episode, Sophie and Raymond dive into a diverse discussion about the roots of rivalry, racism, and romance in Steven Sondheim's retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablenarratorsstoa@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2022-2023 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2022-2023-1.pdf

The wind is rising!...We must try to live! In this episode, Sophie and Raymond discuss the 2014 Studio Ghibli film The Wind Rises. Are artists and engineers really the same? Does the beauty of art justify the horrors of war? And most importantly, would you rather live in a world with pyramids or a world without them? All this and more in our latest episode! Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/UnreliableNarratorsPodcast Questions? Comments? E-mail us at unreliablenarratorsstoa@gmail.com, visit our website at unreliablenarratorspodcast.wordpress.com, or say hi on Instagram @unreliablenarratorspodcast. Theme music is "New Moon" by Caleb Klomparens. Check out his music athttps://soundcloud.com/kappamuse Access the 2022-2023 Stoa Mars Hill list here: https://stoausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Mars-Hill-Topics-2022-2023-1.pdf