Today we are thrilled to welcome the one and only Jonathan Stroud to the podcast!
You said you wanted more literary analysis, so grab a cup of tea and settle in to hear us talk about about Lockwood and Co. with some expert (!!!) insight!
And with that, this is the last episode of this season of Haunting the Narrative!! Don't fret - we'll be back to talk about a vast variety of topics after we take a break! (Let us know if there's anything you'd like us to address.)
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Bored? Wanna talk meta? Wanna yell at us? You can find us on tumblr, bluesky, twitter, insta, our website, or email us!
At last, the moment you've all been waiting for — no, not Skullyle, you animals. It's time to talk Quill Kipps!
Join Mai, Meg and Natasha for an in-depth and only slightly unhinged discussion of everyone's favourite pint-sized, pug-nosed, carrot-topped inadequate, as we cover the really important questions in life: is Kipps secretly Irish? Why is he catnip to 30-something-year-old women who should know better? Would the story have been better if he'd died in the end? And why is it so freaking hard to say his name out loud?
And, if you're enjoying the podcast and you simply have to tell the world about it, consider voting for us in the British Podcast Awards. Just click the link, search for "Haunting the Narrative" and give them a name and an email address. It's for a good cause (our egos).
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Bored? Wanna talk meta? Wanna yell at us? You can find us on tumblr, bluesky, twitter, insta, our website, or email us!
In which Meg and Lizzie engage in wildly fun speculative questions: what careers would the gang have as adults? What kind of music do they like? What was it like at 35 Portland Row in between books? Who has the biggest post-canon mental breakdown and why is it Lucy?
Join us for the fun and if you have other ideas or opinion please, please share! Everything we've said here just an opinion or thought one of us scrounged up from behind the sofa, and we would love to hear more!
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Join Meg and Natasha for Part 2 of Haunting the Narrative as they discuss the ways Lucy's former team and her family members haunt the narrative of her story!.
During this episode, we address a topic Natasha has been dying to discuss from the very beginning of the podcast -- who is more reckless: Lucy or Lockwood? (This is Nat's Roman Empire and she has receipts.)
We also explore Lucy's relationship with femininity, self-image, and her friendships with other girls.
We'll be back in three weeks with another episode for you!
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Bored? Wanna talk meta? Wanna yell at us? You can find us on tumblr, bluesky, twitter, insta, our website, or email us!
It is finally time to discuss haunting the narrative! No, not the name of our podcast - the literary technique!
Join Meg and Natasha as they discuss all the ways in which the Lockwood family members haunt the narrative of Lockwood & Co.
Note: there are some spoilers for a few famous works of literature in this episode, but all of them are well over a decade old, so hopefully they aren't surprising to you!
...and it turned out that we had so much to talk about this topic that we split this episode in two, and will be back on July 16th to talk about the ghosts of Lucy's past!
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Bored? Wanna talk meta? Wanna yell at us? You can find us on tumblr, bluesky, twitter, insta, our website, or email us!
Join Lizzie and Mairead as they tackle the oft asked question: "is Lucy an unreliable narrator?" and the even more oft asked question: "what the heck does unreliable narrator really even mean?"
Just a warning, we do discuss some examples of unreliable narratorship, which in many cases is a spoiler in and of itself. However since none of these is less than 10 years old, hopefully you've already experience most of these for yourself (that or tumblr has certainly spoiled you already).
Also since we were wearing our literary analyst hats, we may have gotten a bit highfalutin with out vocab, so at the request of Nat who helped edit this ep, "elegiac" means characteristic of an elegy and "diegetic" refers to anything that exists or happens within the world of a story, and that the characters within that story are aware of or can perceive. Hope that's helpful!
Today we are taking another turn towards the deadly serious: the top ten moments Lockwood shows how in love with Lucy he is (which in our planning document was simply “Simpwood”).
(Also, we can't count.)
Join Natasha, Máiréad and Meg (and Meg's allergies) as they walk us through their collective top ten moments of Anthony Lockwood going all marshmallow gooey over Lucy Carlyle (violating several DEPRAC HR statutes and surely driving his other employees to drink in the process).
ps. anyone who wants to let us know if you think Lockwood is actually a simp, a cinnamon roll, or any other confectionary, we’ve put up a poll. :)
Episode 17 is coming on June 11 and the topic is a surprise 😘
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Bored? Wanna talk meta? Wanna yell at us? You can find us on tumblr, bluesky, twitter, insta, our website, or email us!
Maybe we should have saved the in-depth ghost talk for Halloween but around here it’s always spooky season! And by here I do mean inside Lizzie and Qiqi’s brains.
Join us for some seriously nerdy talk about the mechanics of ghosts, hauntings, and the mysterious and mystifying Other Side as we dissect the scientific knowledge contained in this entirely fictional book series with the tenacity of theoretical physicists attempting to solve quantum gravity.
Our next episode is out 28th May and is titled I Love Lucy. Make of that what you will.
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Bored? Wanna talk meta? Wanna yell at us? You can find us on tumblr, bluesky, twitter, insta, our website, or email us!
Join Meg and Mairead for a discussion of fashion and style in Lockwood & Co. (both the books and the show)! Topics covered include Stroud's use of jewelry throughout the series (so many necklaces!), what we learn about the characters through their signature items of clothing, some of our favorite costuming choices in the show, our predictions for Lockwood's post-canon career as a model, and as always, discussion of how this all relates to the broader ~themes~. There's also a lot of discussion of jewelry symbolism and a bit of fashion history because Meg couldn't help herself.
HTN will be back in two weeks on May 14 with a discussion of ghost mechanics from Natasha and Lizzie!
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Bored? Wanna talk meta? Wanna yell at us? Are you also now a knit tie enthusiast? You can find us on tumblr, bluesky, twitter, insta, our website, or email us!
CLICK HERE FOR A TRANSCRIPT ~ CLICK HERE FOR BOOK DRIVE
Thirteen episodes in and it's finally time to talk about the show!
Nobody wanted to miss this one, so you've got all four of us discussing concepts such as explicitation, translational choices, fidelity, and why the theme music is really blimming cool. (Also: Best things about the show, characterisation, changes we liked and didn't like, etc.)
(Things we banned Natasha and Lizzie from discussing: timeline talk and Season 2 plot speculation. (They're saving it for a rainy day.))
Our next episode should be out 30th March and will be Meg and Mairead discussion fashion in Lockwood and Co for approximately six hours. Required reading: The Devil Wears Prada
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Bored? Wanna talk meta? Wanna yell at us? You can find us on tumblr, bluesky, twitter, insta, our website, or email us!
(Audio now fixed!)
To celebrate the recent release of the American edition of Jonathan Stroud's latest book, The Legendary Scarlett & Browne, we have a special (spoiler FULL) episode of Haunting the Narrative for you today! Join Máiréad and Natasha as they discuss the intrepid Scarlett McCain and special little meow meow Albert Browne and try not to tangent too hard on things like The Jungle Book and whether or not Locklyle should have kissed. (Yes, we simply can't stop talking Lockwood & Co. no matter how much we try!)
Have you read Scarlett & Browne yet? Do you have as many thoughts as Mai and Qiqi? Let us know! We love hearing from you! You can get in touch with us at hauntingthenarrative.wixsite.com/podcast, email us at hauntingthenarrativepod@gmail.com or reach out to us on social media.
For this week’s episode of Haunting the Narrative, Meg and Natasha are here to answer your questions! Join us for a “kit bag” episode where we discuss the following miscellaneous questions and topics:
What genre is Lockwood and Co.?
Is smell a Talent?
What’s the deal with Sykes?
What do we think about popular fanon tropes/theories, such as ADHD Lockwood, autistic George, and shipping Kipps/Jessica?
Do we think the Problem would impact teen pregnancy?
What happens to the monarchy during the Problem?
What about Irish unification?
How do we think the government would react if the Problem happened in current society? What similarities or differences to Lockwood & Co would occur?
Thanks to everyone who sent us questions! Do you have more topics you’re dying to discuss? Email us at hauntingthenarrativepod@gmail.com or reach out to us on social media! You can also find get in touch with us at hauntingthenarrative.wixsite.com/podcast.
We’ll be back In two weeks to discuss - drumroll - the Netflix Lockwood & Co. adaptation!
CLICK HERE FOR A TRANSCRIPT ~ CLICK HERE FOR BOOK DRIVE
Haunting the Narrative is ten episodes old today!! (We’re so proud)
For the big Double Digit Celebration Meg, Mai and Tash have decided to talk…(drum roll please) George! That end-of-winter exhaustion may be hitting us hard but we still managed to have a good time nattering on about George 1, George 2, and the many, many loves of his life (and we also answer the important question: Does George Lift?)
Our next episode is out 19th March when Megan and Natasha will be presenting a delightful smörgåsbord of lightweight topics to introduce a dash of variety to your day.
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Bored? Wanna talk meta? Wanna yell at us? You can find us on tumblr, bluesky, twitter, insta, our website, or email us!
Welcome back for another special bonus episode of Haunting the Narrative!
Today Meg and Lizzie discuss Jonathan Stroud’s most recent series, Scarlett & Browne in this short, SPOILER FREE episode. Join us as we go through the top five reasons why we think everyone should read this fantastic series.
(And yes, we are warming you up for a deep dive S&B episode that’s in the works. Keep your ears peeled.)
All four of us will be back next week to discuss Lockwood & Co. with an episode about everyone’s favorite researcher: the one and only George! You know you want to be there.
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Bored? Wanna talk meta? Wanna yell at us? You can find us on tumblr, bluesky, twitter, insta, our website, or email us!
CLICK HERE FOR A TRANSCRIPT | CLICK HERE FOR THE BOOK DRIVE
We’re back for this week’s episode of Haunting the Narrative to discuss one of the most controversial topics in the fandom, The Hollow Boy: whose fault was it and why is it Lucy? Okay, okay, maybe it wasn’t Lucy’s fault, but this is a topic worthy of a debate if we’ve ever heard one.
Join the four of us as we try to answer the question “whose fault is it really?” through spirited debate and a limited amount of physical violence while Lizzie attempts to herd her three exhausted co-host cats.
(Also: Minor Correction - At the end Meg says that ‘nobody’s emailed us yet’. This was correct at the time of recording, but a lovely lady has in fact emailed us since! And it was delightful!)
Haunting the Narrative will be back soon with a special BONUS, short, spoiler-free episode about Scarlett & Browne! And then we’ll be back to our usual schedule with an episode about the one and only George!
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Bored? Wanna talk meta? Wanna yell at us? You can find us on tumblr, bluesky, twitter, insta, our website, or email us!
The day is finally here: it's time to talk about Locklyle, babes! Join us as we attempt to unpack exactly what makes this ship so compelling. We trace the development of Lucy & Lockwood's relationship, and we also discuss which romance tropes they fit - and which ones they subvert.
A few housekeeping items:
Unfortunately, we could not find the link to the fic included the bandaged version of The Walk. (Do you know it? Please send us the link! We want to reread!!!)
The quote that Lizzie reads was said by David Hall: “We did not spend our days gazing into each other’s eyes…most of the time our gazes met and entwined as they looked at a third thing.”
Here are the links to the two YouTube interviews with Jonathan Stroud that we mention: one and two.
Thank you so much to our beloved editor Misty for the applause at the end and to the wonderful tb. for such amazing episode covers!
New episodes of Haunting the Narrative are released every two weeks. We'll be back on February 19th to talk The Hollow Boy!
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Bored? Wanna talk Locklyle? Wanna yell at us? You can find us on tumblr, twitter, insta, our website, or email us!
Today we’re talking about one of the most intriguing characters in Lockwood & Co., and that is Ezekiel! (Or is that his real name? Let’s discuss!)
Join Mai, Lizzie, and Natasha as we recap what is known about Ezekiel from the text, and they each present a theory about who Ezekiel really is, as well as his possible motivation and goals. Then vote for your favourite theory, so that the winner may lord it over the other two for all eternity as a wise, all-knowing being.
Our next episode for Lockwood & Co. will be out on 5th February and we will be discussing - drumroll - Locklyle! Be sure to tune in then. (Depending how quickly we read it, a special ep on the new Scarlett & Browne book may be up before then...but we'll have to wait and see!)
A new episode is released every two weeks, and you can check our socials for a schedule of upcoming episodes.
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Bored? Wanna talk meta? Wanna yell at us? You can find us on tumblr, twitter, insta, our website, or email us!
Let’s talk money! By the end of this thrilling episode of Haunting the Narrative, you will know the answers to a range of questions such as: Why is everyone in Problem Britain so poor? How much is £60,000 in real money? Did Margaret Thatcher get ghost-touched? Is the Problem international?
And, frankly: does it really need to make sense to be fun?
Our next episode will be out 22nd Jan, and will feature a poll where you can vote on your favourite Ezekiel theory! A new episode is released every two weeks, and you can check our socials for a schedule of upcoming episodes.
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Bored? Wanna talk meta? Wanna yell at us? You can find us on tumblr, twitter, insta, our website, or email us!
We were going to enjoy our Christmas holidays, and then Jonathan Stroud uploaded a short story about five-year-old Lockwood.
In the mad rush for our mics (because our therapists don't want to hear about this nonsense), we may have dropped a tiny bit of the professionalism. We also mentioned a few fics in passing -- here's the link for Mai's fic, and here's the link for the ballet au by themetaphorgirl that's mentioned too. Both are great reads. (Mai doesn't want it mentioned but she never writes the blurbs, so hah.)
We also mention YAS Black Winter Fics -- this was a trend on discord last year. Qiqi thought it meant 'YASSSSSSSSS! Black Winter Fic!' but it *actually* stands for 'Yet Another Sad Black Winter Fic'.
Our next episode will be out 8th Jan: Ghost Economics 101! Keep your eyes peeled for an episode schedule that we'll be posting on the 1st Jan (and we rattle off the list at the end of this episode too).
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We’d love to hear from you! Did you read The Apple Tree? Did it also emotionally devastate you? Come chat with us on tumblr, twitter, insta, our website, or email us!
For our third episode of Haunting the Narrative, it was inevitable that we would discuss the beloved namesake of our series, the one and only Anthony J. Lockwood, Esq.!
a.k.a. The one where we figure out this podcast episode design thing but forget everything we know about recording quality
We’re going to be digging into the reasons why Lockwood is the way he is. We’ll talk about his dark backstory and how that links to the core traits and motivations we see him display. We'll discuss his ambition, his relationship to his family, and his own search for meaning throughout the books.
Join us on January 8 for our next episode on the Problem Economy!
We'd love to hear from you! Come chat with us on tumblr, twitter, insta, our website, or email us!