We’ve read over 70 fairytales together on River Reads, since debuting in spring 2023! This week (January 10th, 2024) on River Reads, Episode 18 - 70 and Counting, we are excited to share this milestone with our audience. In this special episode, we delve into thought-provoking topics such as misogyny, patriarchy, and the constraints of traditional gender norms in storytelling. We discuss how these norms limit everyone’s curiosity and exploration, such as within the realm of heroes, which historically have predominantly been male protagonists. We highlight the value of gender neutral protagonists, that allow anyone to envision themselves as dragon slayers, free from gender norms. To illustrate our point, we have chosen particular stories that exhibit problematic portrayals of women from well-known literary works including Grimms' Fairy Tales, specifically The Salad and The Goose Girl, as well as Toads and Diamonds from The Blue Fairy Book.
River Reads is not a kids show but not not a kids show. Listener discretion advised.
River Reads is the recipient of a national award, winning the 2023 Broadcast Dialogue’s Canadian Radio Awards: Best Podcast in the Small Market category. River Reads is a program where those of all ages can escape into fairy tales; both new and old, but mostly old and at times macabre, or silly, or even perhaps a little confusing as written in old english, and then there’s those stories whose premises have perhaps not aged as well over the years. Let’s face it you can’t be too picky when you’re dependent upon material available to you through creative commons. Enjoy a strange tale or two.
This week's Fairytales:
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The Salad. Grimm’s Fairy Tales By Brothers Grimm. Kingsport Press, Inc. Kingsport, Tennessee. 1976 Printing.
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The Goose Girl. Grimm’s Fairy Tales By Brothers Grimm. Kingsport Press, Inc. Kingsport, Tennessee. 1976 Printing.
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Toads and Diamonds. The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang. Longmans, Green and Co. 1889. This edition, printed in Great Britain by Cambridge University Press. 2003 Printing.
Tune in for River Reads every week on Saturdays at 10AM and Sundays at 9AM.