Alicia and Sarah go back to a childhood favorite, Matilda, as they discuss the Netflix adaptation of the Broadway musical. They discuss archetypes as they appear in Roald Dahl’s original story, plus the good, bad, and ugly of using them to generalize groups of people. At the end of this week’s discussion, they talk about the things they've been reading, watching, and analyzing outside of the classroom.
Literary terms of the week: archetype, child archetype, giant archetype
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Music by Craig Harmann
Cover art by Matt Holman
Show Notes:
30-second summary
Original Matilda movie was 1996
Original Matilda book was 1988
Newest version can be found on Netflix
Literary terms of the week:
Archetypes - repeated images or character types in literature that help us better understand story structures throughout time
David & Goliath
Child archetype = innocence, conscience, renewal
Giant archetype = primordial, raw emotion, corrupt parent
These also apply to height and weight and our implicit biases toward the ideal human body.
“When I grow up / I will be strong enough to carry all / The heavy things you have to haul around with you / When you're a grown-up / And when I grow up / I will be brave enough to fight the creatures / That you have to fight beneath the bed / Each night to be a grown-up”
Theme Development:
Children - miracles or maggots?
Miracle: “My mummy says I'm a miracle / One look at my face, and it's plain to see / Ever since the day doc chopped the umbilical cord / It's been clear there's no peer for a miracle like me!”
Maggot: “Once we've exercised these demons / They shall be too pooped for dreaming! / Some double-time discipline / Should stop the rot from setting in!”
Agency in story
“The endings are often a little bit gory / I wonder why they didn't just change their story / We're told we have to do as we're told, but surely / Sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty”
“Just because you find that life's not fair, it / Doesn't mean that you just have to grin and bear it / If you always take it on the chin and wear it / Nothing will change”
What are we enjoying right now?
Alicia: Emily in Paris (TV on Netflix), Legends & Lattes (Travis Baldree)
Sarah: The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah (book), Avatar: The Way of Water (movie)
Related Episodes
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Chapter 3.10 - Little Words, Giant Dreams