How to Analyse Stories: With Philip Chase Ep.06 Symbols and Symbolism

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Of use to readers, reviewers, and authors, this video introduces a series of discussions where the Nemesis, Dr. Philip Chase, (‪@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy‬ ) and I share what we’ve learned about analyzing stories over the years. During the series, we will cover various topics, including story versus plot, narrative perspective, characters, setting and world building, symbols, tone and style, and themes. It is our hope that the tools and techniques we discuss will add enjoyment to people’s storytelling journeys and help advance critical reading skills.
This episode delves a little deeper into symbols, symbolism, and how we interpret and discuss them.
If you would like to buy me a coffee or a book, Support me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/criticaldragon
Intro and Music by Professor Trip.
Analysing Stories Series:
01. Introduction: • How to Analyze Stories...
02. Narrative, Story, and Plot: • How to Analyse Stories...
03. Narrators and Narrative Point of View: • How to Analyze Stories...
04. Characters: • How to Analyse Stories...
05. Setting and World Building: • How to Analyze Stories...
06. Symbols and Symbolism • How to Analyse Stories...
07. Style, Tone, Irony, Genre, Audience • How to Analyze Stories...
08. Theme • How to Analyse Stories...
09. Q&A Part One • Philip and A.P. Answer...
10. Q&A Part Two • Philip and A.P. Answer...
11. Q&A Part Three • Finale: Philip and AP ...

Опубликовано:

6 июн 2024

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Комментарии : 33

@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Месяц назад

The dragon is, of course, a well known symbol for evil, greed, nefariousness, and naughtiness -- none more so than the Draconus Criticus!

@ACriticalDragon Месяц назад

That seems a remarkably narrow interpretation of the symbolic meaning ... hmm more nefarious plots, methinks. 😂😂

@Paul_van_Doleweerd Месяц назад

So, what does your cape represent Philip? 😅

@ACriticalDragon Месяц назад

@@Paul_van_Doleweerd I believe it might signify concealment, duplicity, and nefarious intent... 😂

@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Месяц назад

@@Paul_van_Doleweerd Obviously, a cape represents heroism. Superman? Batman? Cape = hero.

@Paul_van_Doleweerd Месяц назад

No single meaning indeed, in fact, mutually exclusive meanings!

@RikusonOne 26 дней назад

I need a dual stream with these two guys and Ricard and Austin over at To2Ramble.

@EricMcLuen 26 дней назад

Thank you for using numerical symbolism in the title of your videos for tracking purposes... Consudering the Lottery was written in 1948, there are also several other interpretations in relation to WWII.

@ACriticalDragon 26 дней назад

Yup. But some of those aspects are a little dark and distressing for a short video on symbolism in general.

@SamPegg90 27 дней назад

What a great discussion! This is definitely something I’ve thought about before but not been able to express as eloquently as you two gentlemen. However you’ve also made me realise just how much of our everyday life and language is steeped in symbolism! It’s rather fascinating to think about and I’ll be on the lookout for more from now on. Also, top notch thumbnail!

@ACriticalDragon 27 дней назад

I am glad that you enjoyed the thumbnail, but gladder still that you are enjoying the videos. Thanks for watching.

@storytoob Месяц назад

With that intro, I'd hoped you'd call yourself Dr. Fantasy 😏😜 Really enjoying this series!

@ACriticalDragon 29 дней назад

I am glad that you are enjoying it... even if I know you are secretly an acolyte of the nefarious Nemesis. Betrayed by my own kin. Oh the humanity.

@Rayreadsfantasy Месяц назад

Another amazing video in this series! I just finished reading Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer and boy was it chocked full of symbolism 🤩 this discussion gives me a lot of food for thought! Keep it up professors!

@ACriticalDragon 29 дней назад

I am very glad that you enjoyed it. Vandermeer is a great author, and it is so apparent that he intentionally builds deeper levels into his writing.

@e.matthews Месяц назад

Wonderful conversation, and I laughed out loud several times! "I know how to spell it!" 🤣🤣

@ACriticalDragon 29 дней назад

More proof that Philip is indeed the villainiest villain to ever villain. 🤣🤣

@josephd5879 Месяц назад

This one might be the most interesting in the series. Every time that I thing of symbols from literature it is almost always of the glasses from Lord of the Flies. Technology and power comes to mind along with the pig's head for religion although the latter is maybe more in a subtle way. I'm sure there are more but it has been many years since I last read it. Looking forward to more of these videos.

@Paul_van_Doleweerd Месяц назад

And the same symbol could have different meanings to different people depending on their circumstances. For example, AP's background could symbolize Education or Knowledge to some and the inability to assemble the dreaded Billy bookcases from Ikea to others. 😆

@ACriticalDragon 29 дней назад

Thanks for watching. Some of the topics may be more interesting than others, but we are trying to cover all the fundamentals. So I am glad that you enjoyed this one at least.

@ericF-17 24 дня назад

This is a bit random, but another example I see brought up often that's related to the discussion of the ring and direct allegory are the White Walkers in ASOIAF. The fact that they aren't written to directly represent Climate Change doesn't mean the connection is invalid, it's just that the entire meaning is broader than that. GRRM wasn't consciously creating a one-to-one equivalency between the two things, but climate change might be an example of the broader group of things that White Walkers could be said to represent.

@ACriticalDragon 23 дня назад

I would struggle to see 'climate change' as the reading/meaning of the White Walkers... their element being ice, cold, death, so it would lean more into Ice Age, Death, Supernatural threat representing the power of nature/otherworldly aspect outside of the control of men and in contrast to the focus on the importance that characters place on the mundane, political expressions of power. So their existence underlines the impermanence and triviality of the struggle for the iron throne, and how it is unimportant in the grand scheme of things. But existential threat more important than political point scoring and manoeuvring, sure, climate change fits with that. I just don't think it is a neat fit.

@ericF-17 23 дня назад

@@ACriticalDragon I think you're probably right.

@merleharris7485 27 дней назад

C.S. Lewis commented that fantasy creatures like ogres, elves, etc. "wear their souls on the outside." Such characters can be fully developed fictional personalities and convey a particular quality while not being reduced to a Bunyan like symbol. Re: the orcs. Their redemption is an especially intriguing question since they were elves whom Morgoth corrupted. Tolkien's view, the view of scripture, was that nothing begins evil; good is original and itself; evil is derivative, corrupted goodness. So, there should have been redemption available for orcs in middle earth. Whether they would refuse it or not is another question. I also remember reading that the redemptive Christ figure is divided in Tolkien between Frodo and Aragorn. So, two characters together might be required to provide one symbolic whole if the author's really good.

@ACriticalDragon 27 дней назад

Lewis' comment has unfortunate shades of Physiognomy, and a continuation of that position that morality was physically manifest. While not particularly harmful in and of itself in fiction, it unfortunately propagated in the real world... andvthat led to (and still leads to) a whole host of problems. Tolkien never did solve the orc problem, and it remains one of the fascinating things about the exploration of morality in LotR.

@EricMcLuen 26 дней назад

Harkening back to a prior video about reader interpretations... Did Tolkein see this as a problem, or is sometimes an orc just an orc?

@merleharris7485 26 дней назад

@@EricMcLuen Tolkien was keen on secondary world integrity, and wrote his trilogy from a definite Christian-Catholic worldview, so one would expect him to intend his metaphysics/spiritual dimensions to Middle Earth, even if more implicit than explicit, to be consistent. The origin of the Orcs themselves reflects this Christian worldview. Evil - Morgoth in this case - cannot create; it can only corrupt, or parody. So Morgoth took Eru Iluvatar's good creation of elves and warped them for his purpose. Tolkien's elves themselves can be considered unfallen humanity: mortal (elves can be killed and Genesis in Hebrew stresses Adam and Eve's bodies are mortal in constitution) yet, under the proper conditions, undying (again like Adam and Eve). So, these elves were apparently victimized to become orcs and thus seem to be candidates for redemption as much as anyone else in Middle Earth, even moreso. I've never read that the elves who became orcs were complicit in their fate or that it befell them due to a moral failing in their characters (unlike those who took Sauron's rings). If it's there, I really want to know. I want to understand this better myself.

@ACriticalDragon 26 дней назад

I wouldn't quite state it as Tolkien being keen on 'secondary world integrity', especially as his intent was a mythic version of our world, not a secondary world. But he certainly liked the idea of cohesive mythological approaches. He unfortunately passed before he finished and had ironed out all the kinks. The creation story of the orcs changed from being evil creations of Morgoth fashioned from slime and mud, to being elves captured, tortured and corrupted by Morgoth, to beasts given form and twisted by Morgoth... and he never had the chance to finalise his vision because it is the problem of inherent evil in a Catholic derived cosmology. He believed that evil cannot create, so he couldn't go with slime origins. Corrupted elves means that as Elves are immortal, once 'killed' in orc form their immortal souls could be re-awoken, or they could be redeemed while orcs which is problematic for their narrative purpose and use in the stories, and also for how the heroes (including elves) celebrate killing them... and if they are beasts, they are clearly sapient, sentient, and possessing a consciousness and free will, therefore should be able to be redeemed... He never solved this to his satisfaction. He was still working on it.

@merleharris7485 25 дней назад

@@ACriticalDragon Thanx for the informative response. I learned a lot about Tokien and his orcs! Even though Tolkien's Middle Earth is our earth in the distant past with a shared subsequent history (as his uncompleted time travel story makes clear), as a fictional world in which fantasy elements exist alongside mundane ones, Middle Earth is aesthetically a "secondary world" for him. What he lays out in literary theory on secondary world creation in his essay "On Fairy Stories" he follows creatively in LOTR. His fantasy criteria for secondary world creation is on display in LOTR.