Interwoven

Episode 5 - Woven and Rewoven: Creative Criticism and the Medieval World (A Conversation with Ella O'Shea, Issi Marklew and Libby Histed)

What does a napkin have to do with the modern-day reception of medieval literature? How is it that Rosalia's album 'Lux' invites new interpretative possibilities for the study of female mystics? And how does Shrek fit into all of this? In this episode, I am joined by Libby, Ella and Issi (the genius behind my intro and outro music) as we unpack the powerful ways that creative criticism can challenge and extend our understanding of medieval literature. We talk about how creative criticism destabilises our understanding of an 'original' or 'unified' text as the past is reconfigured when it comes into conversation with the present. We discuss the inherently iterative nature of medieval literature, as it weaves and reweaves itself, undoing itself and then reviving. Inspired by the work of Dr. Laura Varnum and Carolyn Dinshaw, we talk about the role of shared affect and body sensation in allowing us to effectively hold hands with the past. But we also ask what's at stake in our relationship with the medieval, as we remain wary of the danger that comes with romanticising the past. We see creative criticism as a way of departing from the right-wing, extremist use of medieval literature that tends to advance views of an ethnically 'pure' past. Through artistic adaptations, traditionally marginalised voices are brought into the limelight.  At its core, this episode is a light-hearted conversation between four deeply enthusiastic students of medieval literature who have been influenced by the medieval in seemingly unexpected ways. Grounded in our personal responses to medieval literature, our discussion gets to the heart of why it is that the medieval world matters in today's world.  Join us to discover how scarves, napkins, pocket shrines, musicals and even Shrek reconceptualise our relationship with the medieval past.  Note: I, unfortunately, was unable to find a way to upload an image of Ella's pocket shrine :( You can find images of it on her Instagram page where she uploads all of her fantastic creative critical responses: @modcearig.crafts.  If you enjoyed this episode and want to stick around for the next one, do hit follow and review the show! Music credits go to Isobel (Issi) Marklew.

Episode 4 - Beyond the Western Canon: A Conversation with Faisal Javid and Eliza Kaminska-Benadat

How is it that lines from Omar Khayyam's poetry wind up in the pockets of World War I soldiers? And how far can literary and historical theories help us explain this extraordinary moment of cross-cultural contact?  In this episode, I am joined by Faisal Javid (an Ertegun Scholar studying a Masters in Comparative Literature at the University of Oxford) and Eliza Kaminska-Benadat (a second-year History undergraduate at Oxford) to unravel the nuances of such questions. We consider the ways in which literary and historical frameworks can both invite new interpretations of narratives and risk simplifying stories to fit theoretical categories. Our various interests in comparative literature, medieval literature and Middle Eastern history brings an interdisciplinary approach towards studying non-Western narratives. We explore the value of comparative, global perspectives of historical and literary study as we pose the question of how far categories like 'postcolonial' actually work to decentre colonial pasts. As the very definition of literature constantly changes in today's digital age, even Bad Bunny's music offers an interesting insight into how we can reshape the boundaries created by such terminology.  A range of writers and historical figures are placed into dialogue as we discuss Tayeb Salih's response to Joseph Conrad, Zora Neale Hurston's rejection of DuBois' theory of double consciousness and Fadhma Amrouche's memoir. Our exploration segues into an examination of how literature is taught and framed in education systems more broadly. We ultimately turn to the problematic stigmatisation of studying the humanities in many educational and cultural settings, including South Asian contexts.  If you enjoyed this episode and want to stick around for the next one, do hit follow and review the show!  No prior knowledge of any of the topics we discuss is needed! All texts and theories are explained throughout our conversation in an accessible manner.  Content warning: Brief reference to self-harm in relation to the content of the book, 'Heart Lamp.'  Music credits go to Isobel (Issi) Marklew.

Episode 3 - Literature and Leadership: A Conversation with the Oxford Future Leaders Programme Team

This week's episode is inspired by my experience as a participant in the University of Oxford's Future Leaders Programme where I have taken part in various character-based training sessions and cultivated my leadership skills.  I am joined by the facilitators of the Programme: Angela Unsworth (the Director of Accommodation, Conferences and Catering at Jesus College), Neil Unsworth (Head of Resilience at Oxford), Anjali Sarkar (Senior Manager at the Oxford Character Project) and Edward Brookes (Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations). Together, we explore how literature and leadership intersect in many ways as one can often redefine, shape or even challenge the other.  Our conversation explores the way that literature, including children's literature, can embody the key virtues that constitute good leadership and that we aim to emulate as readers. This leads us to consider how literature can equally complicate the image of a 'good leader' by presenting psychological complexity in ways that textbooks or guides on leadership cannot do. Inspired by The Arts of Leading: Perspectives from the Humanities and the Liberal Arts, we conceptualise the roles of writers and readers as one of leaders and followers. Building upon the concept of toxic charismatic leadership, as described in the book, literature reveals the complex behaviour of followers, too, when readers find themselves supporting Machiavellian leaders. Our discussion segues into an exploration of storytelling as a tool for leadership, uncovering the narratives that leaders tell themselves and their followers in pursuit of a shared goal.  As stories continue to shape who we are and how we lead, this episode turns to literature in order to understand the very meaning of effective leadership.  If you enjoyed this episode and want to stick around for the next one, do hit follow and review the show!  Music credits go to Isobel (Issi) Marklew.

Episode 2 - Seeing the World Through a Child's Eyes: A Conversation with Emma Boor

Inspired by the TORCH event, 'Reading Choices in Young and SEND Children: A Conversation,' this episode explores how accessible forms of theatre, puppetry and performance can spark children’s interest in reading and storytelling.  I’m joined by Emma Boor, Creative Director of Wild Boor Ideas, to discuss the visceral responses that theatre often invites. We explore how interactive, sensory-based approaches can make theatre more accessible and enjoyable for SEND audiences. The immediacy of responses to children’s theatre opens performance up to something that lies beyond the written page as it refuses containment within scripts or rehearsed acts. We consider how this real-time unfolding of children’s theatre turns the stage into a kind of playground where the imagination runs free, as the mind transforms even the most mundane objects into entire worlds that spark wonder. The very act of storytelling becomes a gift, one that can be packaged and repackaged, opened and repurposed. We draw unexpected connections between Old English kennings and the sort of wordplay found in theatre and in children’s language, before turning to the problem of the impact of AI on literacy as we slowly edge towards a ‘postliterate’ age. At its heart, this episode is propelled forward by the spirit of play, brought to life by Emma’s infectious enthusiasm!     For more information about Emma Boor and Wild Boor Ideas, please visit this website: https://www.wildboor.com/.  If you enjoyed this episode and want to stick around for the next one, do hit follow and review the show!  Music credits go to Isobel (Issi) Marklew.

Episode 1 - The Craft of Comics: A Conversation with Sam Hart and Anvita Kopparthi

What can comic books achieve that no other storytelling medium can?    In this episode, I’m joined by comic book artist and writer, Sam Hart, and Oxford English undergraduate, Anvita Kopparthi (the most avid reader of comics I know!), to unpick the intricacies that underpin graphic novels. Sam is based in London and has worked on a broad range of comics, varying from Joan of Arc to The Coldest City, which was turned into the movie, Atomic Blonde. He is currently working on the series, 10 Lost Days and you can find him on Instagram: @samrahart.    Drawing on over 30 years of experience, Sam shares his perspectives on the particular affordances of comic books: their ability to play with time, evoke emotion through colour and create meaning from the interplay between words and images. We consider how narrative coherence emerges from the interaction between negative and positive spaces, between what is said and what remains unsaid. We examine the political and social undercurrents that shape the narratives we often find in the pages of a graphic novel, connecting literary theories about comics with the historical contexts in which comics are produced. The question of what makes a graphic novel distinct from a painting leads us to consider the creation of pace and motion within the pages of a comic. The seemingly modernist approach to piecing together fragments of time and emotion segues into a conversation about experiments within comic books such as Nightwing.    Grounded in our personal experiences of reading comics, we dive into the complexities of a genre (whether comics are a genre is a debate in itself…) that is often understudied despite being one of the most dynamic modes of storytelling today.  If you enjoyed this episode and want to stick around for the next one, do hit follow and review the show!  Music credits go to Isobel (Issi) Marklew.