Author Topic: PC322: Saving Bacon  (Read 13559 times)

Talia

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on: July 30, 2014, 12:31:09 PM
PodCastle 322: Saving Bacon

by Ann Leckie

Read by Alasdair Stuart (of Pseudopod, Escape Pod, and Many Other – Possibly All – Good Things)

A PodCastle Original!

The continuation of the race is of course the first and highest priority of those privileged to be born into the ancient family of Vachash-Troer, and I, Slale Vachash-Troer, am so privileged. As a male, I am unable to perpetuate the family name, but one still likes to promote connections to other families of similarly distinguished ancestry, connections that, so I’m told, increase the wealth and influence of our noble line.

Still, I had a distinct lack of enthusiasm for it when Aunt Eone tried to marry me off.


Rated PG. Contains pigs and marriages (or at least, attempts at marriages)

Listen to this week’s PodCastle!

Update from Dave: There were some technical issues with the file we originally posted. I've pulled the file down, and we'll work on it and try and repost tonight. Sorry for the inconvenience, and thank you for your patience!

Update #2: I posted the new file last night, and everything's good to go. Enjoy your Bacon!
« Last Edit: August 21, 2014, 12:20:55 PM by Talia »



SpareInch

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Reply #1 on: July 30, 2014, 02:06:07 PM
That was fun!

The language, the setting, The characters and Alistair's dodgy posh accent gave it a Woodhouse kind of feel, while at the same time, the actual story was infinitely better than Woodhouse.

Mind you, I consider that a pretty low bar, so I say again - It was FUN!

I loved the way the god was a sort of Wide-Boy character, trading favours for a leg up in the world. Just like Slale's family were trying to boost their own social station in the time honoured manner of Aristocrats everywhere.

Thanks guys for that rarest of rare things, a really good story about an upper class twit.

Fresh slush - Shot this morning in the Vale of COW


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Reply #2 on: July 30, 2014, 02:23:51 PM
Just a general FYI: There were some technical issues with the file we originally posted. I've pulled the file down, and we'll work on it and try and repost tonight. Sorry for the inconvenience, and thank you for your patience!

(I updated the original post to reflect this as well.)

That said, glad it didn't give you any trouble while listening, SpareInch!


SpareInch

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Reply #3 on: July 30, 2014, 05:36:08 PM
Naa... I noticed that some of the editing on the audio file hadn't been done, but I coped with it. You guys are generally pretty hot on that sort of thing, but some retakes are bound to slip through. You're all only human

Aren't you?

Fresh slush - Shot this morning in the Vale of COW


Talia

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Reply #4 on: July 30, 2014, 07:25:40 PM
Mostly.

*hides a tentacle*



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Reply #5 on: July 31, 2014, 01:40:11 PM
I found the story cute and amusing, and the Pratchett-ian flavor to the gods (they die without belief/prayer) plus the twist that they can't lie was nice.

However, I felt like the story might have been trying to do too much by so clearly lampshading* the "men rule the world in fantasy literature" trope. It seemed as though the references to things that women "usually" do in fantasy fiction being done by men grew more obvious and heavy-handed as the story went on. That's where it lost its humor and charm for me.

Alasdair was a wonderful choice to read this, and I loved his delivery. It made me stick with the story longer than I probably would have done.

* I may be misusing the term "lampshading" here. I probably meant "subverting", although I didn't use it because I don't think there's a word that means "subverting the trope and then lampshading one's subversion".

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Reply #6 on: July 31, 2014, 02:44:00 PM
Just wanted to note - I did post a corrected file last night :)

Enjoy!


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Reply #7 on: July 31, 2014, 06:57:59 PM
I like the idea of the role-reversal of gender norms in this society, and I would have actually liked to have seen more about that. I was also really into the idea that the gods can't lie and that they only have the power given to them by their worshippers. I faintly remember liking the other stories in this universe run by Podcastle, but it's been so long since I listened that I honestly don't remember much about them.
I remained cautiously optimistic that "Saving Bacon" would mean that the pig would survive the tale, although I know Anna pretty much negated this hope with her intro. The pig was the only character in the story that I actually liked other than the woman tinkering with ballooning, but I assume the negative portraits of the other characters was an intentional jab at the aristocracy.
I am a little tired of the whole "Bacon is awesome! LOL! Killing animals is hilarious!" mentality that is so pervasive. I'm not surprised Podcastle and Leckie went there since it is so popular, but it did detract from my enjoyment of this episode. Other than that, I thought it was a pretty decent story.



SpareInch

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Reply #8 on: August 01, 2014, 09:20:01 AM
I like the idea of the role-reversal of gender norms in this society, and I would have actually liked to have seen more about that. I was also really into the idea that the gods can't lie and that they only have the power given to them by their worshippers. I faintly remember liking the other stories in this universe run by Podcastle, but it's been so long since I listened that I honestly don't remember much about them.
I remained cautiously optimistic that "Saving Bacon" would mean that the pig would survive the tale, although I know Anna pretty much negated this hope with her intro. The pig was the only character in the story that I actually liked other than the woman tinkering with ballooning, but I assume the negative portraits of the other characters was an intentional jab at the aristocracy.
I am a little tired of the whole "Bacon is awesome! LOL! Killing animals is hilarious!" mentality that is so pervasive. I'm not surprised Podcastle and Leckie went there since it is so popular, but it did detract from my enjoyment of this episode. Other than that, I thought it was a pretty decent story.

I liked the role reversal too, but didn't actually think of it much. I suppose it really just provided a nice way to introduce suitably Woodhouse-style overbearing aunts. It was done right though, and I was never left thinking that the female characters were male or vice versa, the women were simply in charge. And that was that.

I think the story was non the worse for the spoiler in the intro though. It was fairly clear that only one Bacon was going to get saved, and that was Slale's Bacon.

From the perspective of Messrs Wooster and Jeeves, it is, alas, the lot of The Porcine Race to end their days as breakfast.

Fresh slush - Shot this morning in the Vale of COW


bounceswoosh

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Reply #9 on: August 01, 2014, 11:39:08 AM
I guess I forgot about the intro. I was bummed that the happy ending included slaughtering the cute little piggy. I may be biased because I have a friend who has a pet pig - not pot belly. I'm talking a 400 pound beast. That she kept in a guest room. Long story. It doesn't keep me from eating bacon, but seeing a loyal companion who follows at its owner's heels get slaughtered ... No.



Devoted135

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Reply #10 on: August 08, 2014, 03:14:41 AM
Loved. This. This worked so well as a send up of Jeeves and Wooster! Also, Alasdair nailed that reading. :D

What seemed initially to be a straight role-reversal between the sexes was slowly and gloriously revealed to be a fairly exact porting over of one story line and many of the main characters, including Gussie Fink-Nottle. Right down to his fish-faced expressions! (Yes, I am a Wodehouse fan, why do you ask?) Imperious aunts and horrid cousins galore, and the inane games down at the club! Though I will say that Slale didn't make out quite as well on the god's plan as Bertie generally makes out using Jeeves' plans. :P

I really enjoyed both of the previous stories in this universe, but found it really difficult to recognize that universe in this story. I can't quite put my finger on the reason it felt different though.



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Reply #11 on: August 11, 2014, 02:43:34 PM
I didn't really get into the story.  I generally like universes involving the Pratchett kind of God where worship is sustenance, so I thought I would.  But I just found all of the characters generally annoying.  The main character's largest tribulation in life is that he doesn't feel like working.  Oh noes, the horrors, you might have to life your hand and do something...  I appreciated that in the end he got tricked into actually getting a job, but too little too late.

I love Alasdair, and I love Alasdair's voice acting in general, but this time I found it distracting.  I found the pronunciation of "Vachash-Troer" hilarious, but hilarious enough that I didn't hear anything for the next 15 seconds after each time the name was spoken.  Was it supposed to be hilarious?  Was it supposed to be distracting?  I don't know.  His little girl voice was also quite distracting, especially when the kid yells "Bacon!" without any forewarning, put me in mind of Monty Python's female characters, which again was kind of hilarious but extremely distracting and left me unable to pay attention to the story for a while.




InfiniteMonkey

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Reply #12 on: August 12, 2014, 06:33:05 AM
I found it enjoyable as far as it went, but it does point out that Wooster is only so much fun withOUT Jeeves, and god or not, a smartass sparrow just isn't the same.

Also, I, too, found Al's Aunt Eone to be just a bit too reminiscent of Terry Jones' screeching Pepper Pots from Monty Python. Not that it wasn't amusing …. just distracting.
« Last Edit: August 18, 2014, 06:13:22 AM by InfiniteMonkey »



Varda

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Reply #13 on: August 12, 2014, 01:04:15 PM
His little girl voice was also quite distracting, especially when the kid yells "Bacon!" without any forewarning, put me in mind of Monty Python's female characters, which again was kind of hilarious but extremely distracting and left me unable to pay attention to the story for a while.

I guess this is just one of those "one listener's annoyance is another's pure delight" things, because Al yelling "BACON!!" absolutely cracked me up to the point of hysterical tears. :D The whole episode was amazing and hilarious. I've been holding off on commenting until I could re-listen, but someone's gotta defend the honor of "BACON!!" :P

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Reply #14 on: August 12, 2014, 03:11:17 PM
His little girl voice was also quite distracting, especially when the kid yells "Bacon!" without any forewarning, put me in mind of Monty Python's female characters, which again was kind of hilarious but extremely distracting and left me unable to pay attention to the story for a while.

I guess this is just one of those "one listener's annoyance is another's pure delight" things, because Al yelling "BACON!!" absolutely cracked me up to the point of hysterical tears. :D The whole episode was amazing and hilarious. I've been holding off on commenting until I could re-listen, but someone's gotta defend the honor of "BACON!!" :P

Like I said, I found it funny too, but also extremely distracting--the whole story disappeared as I pictured Al on stage with Monty Python during their Spam skit.
"Spam, spam, spam, eggs, and spam."
"Bacon!"



Varda

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Reply #15 on: August 12, 2014, 03:21:04 PM
Like I said, I found it funny too, but also extremely distracting--the whole story disappeared as I pictured Al on stage with Monty Python during their Spam skit.
"Spam, spam, spam, eggs, and spam."
"Bacon!"


AHAHAHA! Oh, that skit's positively golden. Okay, everyone, let's relive it together!

Spammity spaaaam, wonderful spaaaaam!

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danooli

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Reply #16 on: August 17, 2014, 11:47:26 AM
I have been so so busy and have really neglected this forum (it's not that I don't love you all!) but I had to take a minute to praise this story and the reading.  It was truly a LOT of fun!



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Reply #17 on: August 17, 2014, 10:56:43 PM
Absolutely brilliant. In don't know why Wodehouse doesn't get the treatment more often. Literary podcasts are choked with homages to Lovecraft, and he barely had half the talent.




InfiniteMonkey

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Reply #18 on: August 18, 2014, 06:14:30 AM
Absolutely brilliant. In don't know why Wodehouse doesn't get the treatment more often. Literary podcasts are choked with homages to Lovecraft, and he barely had half the talent.



Because Lovecraft's a lot easier to imitate.  :)



albionmoonlight

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Reply #19 on: August 20, 2014, 12:51:07 PM
One of the best gifts my college roommate gave me was introducing me to Wodehouse.  Love this story.  A worthy homage.

Also, Alasdair's reading gave me a great idea for a story EA needs to run--a comedy of manners set at Pesudopod towers.



aliceofwands

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Reply #20 on: August 26, 2014, 04:45:28 AM
Really bummed that PodCastle made light of killing animals. I could accept you guys running the story, but the flippant commentary around it was too much. I'm surprised you didn't realize how much that would alienate your animal-friendly listeners.



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Reply #21 on: August 26, 2014, 03:33:35 PM
Really bummed that PodCastle made light of killing animals. I could accept you guys running the story, but the flippant commentary around it was too much. I'm surprised you didn't realize how much that would alienate your animal-friendly listeners.

It's been a little while since I listened to the episode, would you mind elaborating on what the flippant commentary was that bothered you?



Myrealana

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Reply #22 on: August 26, 2014, 06:56:44 PM
Alasdair was the perfect choice for narrator for this story, well done.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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Gary

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Reply #23 on: September 08, 2014, 06:31:41 PM
Heh!
This was fun. Made extra crispy with the "Python-esque" voice work.
Sometimes silly is just the thing one needs!  :D



gutguzzler

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Reply #24 on: September 12, 2014, 05:44:27 PM
I loved the premise for this one and the whole idea of the god's living on belief and having to spend their power to make their lies a truth, which ties in with the whole belief thing. I thought that was very clever and very cool.

The whole role reversal thing was poorly handled though. The author may aswell have gone the whole hog and given her male characters child bearing hips and vaginas. And she may aswell have given the women folk the penises they so clearly long for. The males didn't seem male in any way apart from their role in reproduction. Maybe that was the point?

I get that the author was putting man in woman's position, but  if that was the case wouldn't he have been excited to start working? Most female leads in these kind of stories always pine for a life of excitement and adventure and are often envious of their male counter-parts, but here the men were happy to be...er... women. So thought that was a bit lame.

Otherwise great narration and interesting world building.
« Last Edit: September 12, 2014, 05:50:17 PM by gutguzzler »



SpareInch

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Reply #25 on: September 12, 2014, 06:06:18 PM
The whole role reversal thing was poorly handled though. The author may aswell have gone the whole hog and given her male characters child bearing hips and vaginas. And she may aswell have given the women folk the penises they so clearly long for. The males didn't seem male in any way apart from their role in reproduction. Maybe that was the point?

I get that the author was putting man in woman's position, but  if that was the case wouldn't he have been excited to start working? Most female leads in these kind of stories always pine for a life of excitement and adventure and are often envious of their male counter-parts, but here the men were happy to be...er... women. So thought that was a bit lame.

Otherwise great narration and interesting world building.

There seems to be some confusion here re your opinion of the proper role of women in society. On the one hand you seem to be saying that women who take a lead in affairs, pursue a career or rise to positions of authority are rejecting their gender and, as you so nicely put it, want to have penises, and on the other you applaud female leads for wanting those things.

Make your mind up!

The men seem to me to be in the inferior position in this story BECAUSE most of them can't be bothered with making a living. In which case it might seem quite reasonable that the female leads you so applaud become the dominant gender. As I pointed out earlier, at no point did I feel that any of the male characters were female or vice versa.

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gutguzzler

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Reply #26 on: September 12, 2014, 06:35:20 PM
Yeah the men in this story don't seem to have a single redeemable trait, it's actually a pretty sexist story when you think about it. But I guess that's why they run it. A kind of a 'how do you like it' story. More politics and what have you.

I don't quite understand what you mean about the penises. I don't think I had any opinion about the 'proper' role of women in society.



Varda

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Reply #27 on: September 12, 2014, 06:46:56 PM
Yeah the men in this story don't seem to have a single redeemable trait, it's actually a pretty sexist story when you think about it. But I guess that's why they run it. A kind of a 'how do you like it' story. More politics and what have you.

I don't quite understand what you mean about the penises. I don't think I had any opinion about the 'proper' role of women in society.

Only if you think it's insulting or demeaning to be associated with things traditionally coded as feminine. Which I don't. I also don't think women taking active, practical roles in society means "they long for" penises, or that men with nurturing traits are somehow lesser because of it.

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gutguzzler

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Reply #28 on: September 12, 2014, 07:03:02 PM
The men had nurturing traits? The MC cringed at the idea of looking after the little ones. I thought they were portrayed as being apathetic airheads myself, at least the MC was. But I guess sexism only works one way around here. And if the authors opinion of a woman's (now a man's in backwards land) role is to look after the children and work in garden and sing and be pretty, then that's a pretty sexist view too. It would have worked better if the author kept the role reversal, but focused equally on the positives aspects a women's role as well as the negatives. Same goes for the men's (now womens) role. But here it was pretty black and white, the men (who were women) had lots of obvious failings. And the women (who had the male role) had no obvious failings.

But I think it was done like that on purpose. Like I said, a kind of a how do you like it scenario.

Fair enough about the penises. It was just my crass way of saying the females appeared to be male in all but genitalia.
« Last Edit: September 12, 2014, 07:15:37 PM by gutguzzler »



InfiniteMonkey

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Reply #29 on: September 13, 2014, 01:53:19 AM

The men seem to me to be in the inferior position in this story BECAUSE most of them can't be bothered with making a living.

Let's recall that the men in this story are modeled after the feckless upper-class twits that populate the Jeeves and Wooster stories, and they couldn't be bothered (and didn't need ) to make a living either.

And one of the features of Bertie Wooster is he's always dodging women who might ask him to marry him because he thinks it's very bad manners to say no in such a circumstance.



SpareInch

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Reply #30 on: September 13, 2014, 05:40:42 AM
Fair enough about the penises. It was just my crass way of saying the females appeared to be male in all but genitalia.

Well OK... It was just one of those comments I couldn't let past.

I think you might have missed the point that InfiniteMonkey just made though. (Not when he made it, but in the story.) The characters all came pretty much straight from PG Woodhouse Central Casting, but then The Author has applied a little thought to how the world would work if all the men were Berties and all the women were Bertie's female relatives.

I fail to see how the female characters in the story were masculinised, except that they were in the breadwinning and Paterfamilias role. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that Woodhouse was Victorian. The neurotic, perpetually fainting stereotype of the Victorian Lady does not belong to his era. Woodhouse wrote of Post Suffragette Britain, and I think the overbearing nature of Bertie's Aunts etc, and Bertie's apparent fear of women (Aint read much Woodhouse, but it's the impression I always got.) perhaps reflect that.

Just to place Woodhouse in time, remember that he was interned by The Nazis during WW2.

If you are going to use Woodhouse style characters, don't expect weak. simpering women. Expect women like the ones in Saving Bacon.

Fresh slush - Shot this morning in the Vale of COW


SpareInch

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Reply #31 on: September 13, 2014, 05:51:42 AM
Just thought.

Yes, of course the older female characters would have been born in Victorian times, or the analogue thereof, but perhaps not everyone is familiar with the stock British female character of The Memsahib, (Not sure if that's the right spelling actually.) or 'Boss Lady.'

These women were the formidable matrons who presided over society and propriety in British Ex-Pat communities with fists of iron in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The aunt in Saving Bacon is, without a shadow of a doubt, a prime example of The Memsahib.

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Varda

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Reply #32 on: September 13, 2014, 01:32:25 PM
But I guess sexism only works one way around here.

I know, right? It really aggravates me when anyone has the temerity to publish fiction that doesn't automatically assume men are the default setting of Human. Women definitely don't deserve to have a little bit of a laugh at historical sexism in literature from time to time, and gender-flipping definitely doesn't expose just how insulting it's always been to women to be treated like this by male authors. Thanks for pointing this out.

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Reply #33 on: September 13, 2014, 03:26:05 PM
But I guess that's why they run it. A kind of a 'how do you like it' story. More politics and what have you.

I genuinely don't have the words for exactly how wrong this is, but what the Hell, let's give it a shot eh?

Stories run on every single EA cast for one reason; they've made it through the slush process and at every single level people have been entertained by them. As a result, it's a pretty safe bet that at least some listeners will be.

In each case, this takes at least 3, sometimes 4 people. All of those people are from different places in the US, sometimes over seas, different backgrounds and different politics. They all sign off on the stories. Not because they have Political Agenda bingo cards to fill, but because the story entertained them. All of them. Regardless of political affiliation.

I'm in every editorial meeting and there are two words that have never once been spoken in any of those meetings.

Those two words are 'political' and 'agenda'.

The story ran because it was fun. Because it made lots of us smile. ANY agenda beyond that? You're bringing to the piece, not us.



gutguzzler

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Reply #34 on: September 13, 2014, 04:27:38 PM
But I guess sexism only works one way around here.

I know, right? It really aggravates me when anyone has the temerity to publish fiction that doesn't automatically assume men are the default setting of Human. Women definitely don't deserve to have a little bit of a laugh at historical sexism in literature from time to time, and gender-flipping definitely doesn't expose just how insulting it's always been to women to be treated like this by male authors. Thanks for pointing this out.


Yeah sure it's insulting for any sex to be treated like that, and yes gender reversal does highlight that, but it's 2014 why is anyone insulting anyone anymore?


[/quote]

In each case, this takes at least 3, sometimes 4 people. All of those people are from different places in the US, sometimes over seas, different backgrounds and different politics. They all sign off on the stories. Not because they have Political Agenda bingo cards to fill, but because the story entertained them. All of them. Regardless of political affiliation.

[/quote]

I'm sure your slushers had nothing to do with this story. This is an Ann Leckie story, Ann Leckie of all the awards fame. I'd imagine this would have been published regardless of content.  And I'm surprised nobody found it in the least bit political. I mean Really? Well whatever, it must just be my flighty man imagination.



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Reply #35 on: September 13, 2014, 04:31:10 PM
And I'm surprised nobody found it in the least bit political. I mean Really? Well whatever, it must just be my flighty man imagination.

All stories are political.

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Reply #36 on: September 13, 2014, 07:18:53 PM
Gutguzzler, I find your suggestion about this story being published regardless of content a bit, well, rude. Both to the author and the editors (of which I'm one). If you have any questions about why this, please PM me, and we can discuss it there.

Let's stop with the Poor Men are so Abused by Reverse Sexism thought-line. This is the second time you've brought that train of thought in a PodCastle thread, and it's not appreciated. If you want to PM me about that too - feel free. But do not bring it up again in this thread. In fact, I'd strongly caution you to not bring it up in any other thread.

Any questions? Let me know via PM?


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Reply #37 on: September 14, 2014, 02:18:34 AM
As a further moderator note - if you are told not to continue a discussion in a particular thread, please don't post just to let everyone know you are not continuing the discussion.



gutguzzler

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Reply #38 on: September 14, 2014, 12:07:22 PM
Okay



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Reply #39 on: September 14, 2014, 01:31:20 PM
I thought this story was delightful, and I have absolutely no familiarity with Wodehouse.  The role reversal was entertaining because it seemed to me like a very thoughtful rearrangement of social roles that typically are still applied to men and women, but with different attitudes applied to them.  The fact that the men are a bunch of feckless losers who can't be bothered to do real work sounds like the attitude that many men hold in regard to the manual labor that's socially necessary but unglorious; in parallel, the fact that the women run their households and manage all the important affairs mirrors how we have a societal inclination to make women do all the nitty gritty logistics of day to day living.  The fact that in this world the women get appropriate status for doing really important work while men get treated like vacuous bonbon eaters for avoiding doing work (which points towards the problematic dichotomy of putting women on pedestals for being useless while actually requiring them to do much of the most useful societal work) seemed like a very well considered bit of world-building, even before the Wodehouse allusions are applied.

I really enjoyed Al's reading on this one (his cries of "Bacon!" did remind me of Terry Jones's female Python characters), but I admit I did have some difficulty following along at points, simply because I was listening in my car and the audio quality's just not the same there.  I thought the niece was delightfully terrible, and felt no remorse over the pig eating it at the end, simply because it was clear from the start that Bacon could have no other fate with such an unctuous owner.

Jason Jones
http://jkjones21blog.wordpress.com

I'm a Cage, he's a Cage, she's a Cage, 'cause we're all Cage!


Fenrix

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Reply #40 on: September 18, 2014, 04:00:01 PM

One of the best gifts my college roommate gave me was introducing me to Wodehouse.  Love this story.  A worthy homage.

Also, Alasdair's reading gave me a great idea for a story EA needs to run--a comedy of manners set at Pesudopod towers.


Great stuff. Loved the oleaginous ending to the pig. Once I got my bearings, I knew I was in for a delightful White Street Society styled reading from Alasdair, and I was not disappointed. I think it's worth noting that not only was there mention in the opening, but the pig's name points quite strongly to its ultimate fate. It's akin to crying "spoiler" if you have a character named Hiro Protagonist.
« Last Edit: September 18, 2014, 06:07:00 PM by Fenrix »

All cat stories start with this statement: “My mother, who was the first cat, told me this...”


Myrealana

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Reply #41 on: September 22, 2014, 05:33:51 PM
While growing up in a rural agricultural area, one of my mother's friends lived on a farm and kept a series of appropriately-named pigs: Bacon, Breakfast, Sir Loin of Pork, etc. I loved watching the pigs grow almost as much as I loved eating them later, so I was immediately turned on to this story by the pig named Bacon, and was quite satisfied with the idea that the "Bacon" saved as in the title was not the one implied in the beginning.

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EveryZig

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Reply #42 on: September 30, 2014, 02:06:16 AM
Part of what I found interesting about the setting was how they didn't do a simple "male things are female and female things are male" reversal but rather pits existing stereotypes against each other.
To explain, stereotypical masculinity in western society is not a single thing but composed of multiple, sometimes contradictory traits. On one hand men are stereotyped as rambunctious ("boys will be boys") and prone to outbursts of violence ("a real man is a fighter"), but at the same time men are also stereotyped the calm and rational ones (''logical male vs emotive female"). While people in real life tend to just ignore the contradiction, the story's society believes very much in the former stereotype (see the curtain in the bar) then takes it to its logical conclusion of overturning the latter.

As a side note, someone earlier in the comments mentioned a lack of the gender-swapped counterpart to the heroic woman who can do the things a man does while being derided by her more backwards peers as being too man-like. Such a character was present, but as a minor character (the protagonist's fiancee's studious brother), with the protagonist being among those criticizing him as too serious and womanly.