PODCAST · society
The Left Page
by Frank and Leon
A Podcast Where A Historian and a Social Scientist Explore Phenomenon in Media and ArtFind more of our work and projects at https://linktr.ee/leftpagehbm
Episodes
-
Let's Prattle #6 - What Makes a Genre Punk
Itinerary: 00:00:00 - 00:35:42 Intro+Games we're playing 00:35:42 - 1:21:31 Cyberpunk, Solarpunk, -punk 01:21:31 - END The Left Page Book Club™ For the Book Club we read chapters 1-13 of Gene Wolfe's Shadow of the Torturer. Next time we'll pick back up with chapters 14-26, join us then!
-
The Actual Fifa 2026 World Cup
We talk about some of our experiences and familiarity with football, while understanding not only its role in culture, but how it can become a positive source of connection. Even under capitalism and vile organizations like fifa, the sport and the practices surrounding it can indeed be…
more -
Let's Prattle #5 - Attacks on Utopia
Itinerary: 00:00:00 - 00:46:34 Intro+Anti-AI+Questionaire 00:46:34 - 01:29:00 Anti-Utopianism 01:29:00 - END The Left Page Book Club™ Join us next Lets Prattle where we will continue the book club with the Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe, where we will discuss chapter 1 to 13! Frank's…
more -
The Zone
We talk about The Zone in fiction. Inspired by our Patreon Series on Pacific Drive we expand our understanding of Zones by also bringing in: The novel Roadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers The film Stalker by Andrei Tarkovsky The Metro series of books by Dmitry Glukhovsky and its games And a...
-
Mean Green Hermeneutic Machine w/ Jay
We take a dive into Arthuriana, adaptation, and more, as we talk about The Green Knight wit our good friend Jay! Considering how not only the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight connects with the Dev Patel film, but also exploring the themes involved and how they can be treated by a contemporary...
-
Let's Prattle #4 - The Poetics of Villainy
itinerary: 00:00:00 - 00:34:30 - Intro 00:34:30 - 01:44:40 - Villains! 01:44:40 - END - Book Club (Cat VII - Cat VIII) Given we're pretty close, we'll be going from the next chapter, Tyrion VII, all the way to the end!
-
What's Next for Sci-Fi and it's Empires? w/ RevLeftRadio
We're back into Science Fiction, and with a great friend and comrade! As Breht from RevLeftRadio fame joins us to talk about the relationship of this genre and Empires. Talking the roots of imperial representation, how we can critique them, and how a lot goes back into colonialism, fascist…
more -
Lets Prattle # 3 - Help! I am Being Pathologized!
This time we go into how we think about Pathology in media and videogames, while still talking about gaming news and the Left Page Book Club, enjoy! itinerary: 00:00:00-01:03:21 - Intro + Summer Games Fest + Minute AI rambling 01:03:21-01:55:05: - The Broader Pathology of Media 01:55:05-END - The...
-
Let's Prattle #2 - Fantasies of Power
We continue our travails this time with disecting the discourses around power fantasies and an interesting track through one of videogames largest franchises. Itinerary: 00:00:00 - 00:15:52 Intro (What are we up to) 00:15:52 - 01:03:28 Power Fantasies 01:03:28 - 01:40:00 AI in Music 01:40:00 -...
-
"Concerning" Men: The Patriarchy & Weaponized Media Illiteracy
We're talking about men this time. Using different media like Star Wars, American Psycho, and Blade Runner 2049, we develop some theory on this idea of "media illiteracy", on masculinity and its toxicity. Fundamentally considering what we mean when we talk about Patriarchy, how it exists and is...
-
Let's Prattle #1 - AI in Video Games
A new kind of episode! Lighter and more current, as we talk about what we've been playing, some things we've been thinking about, and the new Left Page Book Club! Time stamps 00:00:00 - 00:40:40 Intro + What are we watching, reading, playing 00:40:40 - 01:27:45 AI In Video Games 01:27:45 - 02:...
-
What Escapism Has Sown
We deploy Critical Harvest Theory in this episode, when we ask: What happens when we don't look critically at escapist fantasies? We then try to answer this question by looking at two video games: Stardew Valley (2015) and Citizen Sleeper (2022 & 2025) Going into the ways of how these games…
more -
Wolfenstein: How to Kill Fascism? W/ TheLitCritGuy
Wolfenstein is a fascinating series of games, so let's talk about the recent Machine Games' iterations. Asking the fundamental question of how to properly kill fascism and how this game is presenting it, or not. Enjoy! Check out Jon's stuff: Horror Vanguard & The Haunt Blog Morris Rosenfeld's…
more -
The Left Page - Oddysscourse. The Tragedy of MAGA-memnom
Hello everyone!! Today we're starting off with our new kinds of episodes, as we discuss a more broad element... the discourse on the new Oddyssey film! We've often talked about historical representation, mythology, and what "historical accuracy" can mean, but not as directly as of yet. So this…
more -
The Left Page 7 Year Anniversary!
Good lord! It's sure been a while, huh? Celebrating 7 years of running this podcast, Frank and Leon go over some of the changes, some of the achievements, how they see the pod, how they think of it moving forwards, and a couple of interesting things to come! Thank you all so so much for being…
more -
The Left Page - Episode 100 - Don Quixote: Jousting with Fiction
To celebrate the centennial Left Page we go to the start, the originator of the modern novel: Don Quixote de la Mancha! We go over the fantasies of Don Quixote, the way the two books deal with reality, fantasy, and primarily books and reading! All the while not forgetting the deep materiality...
-
The Left Page - Episode 99 - The First Law Standalones Pt. 2: The Heroes Journey
Hello everyone!! We continue with the First Law Standalone novels, now going into Heroes and Red Country! We talk about how these characters continue to be engagin, how the materiality of war and conflict continues, and how change, propelled by capital, can be such a dangerous thing the world…
more -
The Left Page - Episode 99 - The First Law Standalones Pt. 1: Back With a Revengeance
Hello everyone!! We continue with Joe Abercrombie's First Law series, now talking about the 3 standalone novels: Best Served Cold, Heroes, and Red Country! Because these books are great and there is a lot to talk about, we split these episodes in 2 parts, both already available for Patrons! First...
-
Here Be Media - Episode 64 - Hades II: The Pitfalls of Chronic Therapy
Hello everyone!! We visit the sequel of our very first Here be Media episode, coming alongside a very special announcement in the first 10 minutes about the future of this podcast. We set out to explore the pitfalls of exclusively centreing psychology in your familial narrative, that is therefore...
-
Here Be Media - Episode 63 - Superman: Fortress of Imperialism w/ André
Hello everyone!! We're wrapping up the year in serious fashion, diving once back into Imperialism everywhere, with the 2025 Superman, and bringing our superhero liasion along, André! This was a film really well talked about for being positive, and progressive and... things which it isn't. It's...
-
The Left Page - Episode 98 - The Hobbit: Hobbitual Fantasy
Hello everyone!! We're finally tackling Tolkien! And so here we are, at the beggining... In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit. We go into Tolkien's role in fantasy, how The Hobbit still holds up as both a monument of fantasy and still an excellent book, and the resonance that this work…
more -
The Left Page - Episode 97 - Golden Harvest: Abolish the Present State
Hello everyone!! We're back talking about Brazilian Literature, with a long overdue request! It's "Golden Harvest" or "São Jorge dos Ilhéus", by Jorge Amado! The horrors of capitalism are everywhere, and none less here, where the forces of empire and capital seek to make Brazilian cocoa…
more -
Here Be Media - Episode 62 - Arrival (2016): Posadist Aliens Show Us the End of History
Hello everyone!! We're talking about a great Sci-fi film, going into language, history and time. As we discuss some of Ted Chiang's short story "Story of Your Life", but primarily, the Denis Villeneuve film "Arrival"! Why are aliens here? How can our understanding of reality changing help us...
-
Conversation #0004: Star Trek, The Original Series - Continuities of Empire
In our latest Conversation, Frank has something special for us! Following attempts at bringing together all their academic work, Frank goes into Star Trek proper for the first time in the podcast, surprisingly. In an attempt to articulate how the original 1966-1969 run articulated a certain…
more -
Here Be Media - Episode 61 - Titane: Liberté, égalité, Peugeot Coupe w/Jay
Happy closing of the spooky season Listeners Jay and I are talking about Titane, and subsequently Queer relations and cars. Enjoy! Find more of us at: https://www.patreon.com/leftpage Find Jay at: www.librarypunk.gay https://bsky.app/profile/wildeatheart.bsky.social Intro Music: I Would Never…
more -
The Left Page - Episode 96 - Berserk (Golden Age): Revitalizing Your Resolve w/ Horror Vanguard
Hello everyone!! We're finally talking about one of the big ones for our special Halloween collab with Horror Vanguard, it's Berserk! Focusing on the Golden Age Arc, we talk about how this manga so effectively depicts despair and hope, how it can have ultraviolence and still have one emotional...
-
Here Be Media - Episode 60 - El Paso: Elsewhere: Facing All That's Abyssal
Hello everyone!! We're back talking about vampires and abuse, but with a twist! It's far more elaborate and engaging this time, as we discuss the indie game El Paso: Elsewhere! How do we deal with the holes of violence? With the abyss of abuse that seems to swallow and destroy us whole? In this…
more -
Here Be Media - Episode 59 - Ghost in the Shell (1995): This whole thing smacks of gender
Hello everyone!! We're talking about another classic today, but for sci-fi, it's the 1995 anime film of Ghost in the Shell! Time to talk about one of the most iconic cyberpunk objects there are, and for good reason. Quite a lot to go over when thinking of bodily relations and representation,...
-
The Left Page - Episode 95 - The Expanse 7-9: Ideals for the Dreamless
Hello everyone!! We finalize another series! James S. A. Corey's The Expanse! Returning for the last three novels, Persepolis Rising, Tiamat's Wrath, and Leviathan Falls. Discussing how these books represent fascism and cannot conceive of any other kind of enemy, we also reexamine the series as a...
-
Here Be Media - Episode 58 - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33: Ontological Crash Out w/ André
Hello everyone!! We're talking about one of 2025's biggest and best releases so far, and with our good friend André! It's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33! It's French, but we have to talk about it. Both how it creates a mechanically elaborate and successful game, and how it manages to incur in...
-
The Left Page - Episode 94 - Moby Dick: The White Whale is Everything w/ Jon
Hello everyone!! Joined by good friend Jon, of Horror Vanguard, as we talk about one of the books of all time, Moby Dick, or The Whale, by Herman Melville! Come along as we discover why this book is everything, how it fits into the larger body of American Literature, and how the threats and...
-
Here Be Media - Episode 57 - Sinners: Sinnin' till you Saint it
Hello everyone!! Time for us to talk about one of the bigger and better releases of the year, and a kind of horror movie, no less, it's Sinners! Come along as we go into how the film represents music and culture, how it frames the ideas of religion and "sinning", and, obviously, the institutional...
-
The Left Page - Episode 93 - Witcher Saga pt. 2: Pathologizing the Path
Hello everyone!! Time to wrap up the Witcher Saga proper!! As we go over this series in things we hadn't yet covered last time! We dive into the sense of History and Myth established, some other relationships and the fellowship functions themselves, and some of our general thoughts on the Witcher...
-
Here Be Media - Episode 56 - Andor (S2): Building a Rebellion on (a New) Hope
Hello everyone!! We are back with some more Star Wars, and of the best kind, with the second season of Andor! There's been a lot of talk on Andor lately, and having done an episode for the first season, we were not going to let it pass us by. So join us, as we dive into what makes this such a...
-
Conversation #0002 - You Forgot Yourselves
We found something else. Frank talks about the videogame SEASON: A Letter to the Future. It has problems when it talks about History. It's worth talking about. Thank you. For more, keep an eye out on: https://www.patreon.com/leftpage Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
The Left Page - Episode 92 - The Witcher Saga pt.1 : The Witchering Hour
Hello everyone!! The time has come!! Now that both of us have read the Witcher Saga books, it's time to finally return to this universe and talk about them! However, it being a rather involved story and universe, alongside comprising 5 books, we decided to make two episodes but discussing the…
more -
The Left Page - Episode 91 - The Historical Torment Nexus w/ Justin
Hello everyone. The time has come to face our enemy once more. Yuval Noah Harari wrote another book, so we dive into how it is, indeed, a torment of pain and horror. We try to fathom how Harari misunderstands History, historical practice, information, institutions, religion, power, science…
more -
Here Be Media - Episode 55 - The Wire: The Arborescent Function of the Police w/ Oli Mould
Hello everyone!! We have a special episode with a great guest! In order to talk about the magnificent show The Wire (2002-2008) we bring along Oli Mould, professor of Human Geography at Royal Holloway, University of London! In this episode we dive into this destructive institution that is the...
-
The Left Page & Here Be Media Intro
Welcome one and all to the Left Page & Here Be Media Podcast! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
Here Be Media - Episode 54 - Dragon Age The Veilguard: A Journey from Reign to Ruin w/ Holly
Hello everyone!! The time has come. We finish our first long-term game series! Dragon Age has come to an end as we understand it. Let's talk about The Veilguard, with good friend Holly! It is a sad time, as we go over some of the many failings of The Veilguard, its faults in production, writing,...
-
The Left Page - Episode 90 - Meditations: How to Hide Inside Your Empire
Hello everyone!! For our late Left Page this month, we dive into an odd choice, but a fruitful one! Emperor Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, from 161 A.D.! In what we find to be one of the original inspirations for self-help books, we... certainly suffer through this one! Talking about how an…
more -
Here Be Media - Episode 53 - Concept: RPGs Pt. 1
Hello everyone!! It's been a little while, but we're back with another Concept episode! This time trying to thing about what makes an RPG! In this new series we intend to understand a few of the several messy questions that surround this genre, including trying to define what is an RPG. In this...
-
Conversation #0001 - History is Written by the Historians
We found something. Leon brings up crucial ways to talk about History, and doing so responsibly. Video Referenced: https://youtu.be/AnySV4SZdqg Thank you. For more, keep an eye out on: https://www.patreon.com/leftpage Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
Here Be Media - Episode 52 - Don Giovanni: Ways Opera deals with Societal Strife w/ Jay
Hello everyone!! In another collab with our good friend Jay, we finally decided to talk about Opera, in particular, Don Giovani!! Come along with us as we dissect this odd portrayal of the "Don Juan" image, his terrible deeds and punishment, and continually this articulation of sound, story and...
-
Here Be Media - Episode 51 - Conclave: The Obscene Dynamics of Doubt
Hello everyone!! Kicking off March, we're talking about religion, and the Catholic Church! With the Oscar-winning Conclave! As we finally dive deeper into how we engage with spirituality, organised religion, and the dreadful dynamics of power of the Catholic Church, we find an interesting film!...
-
The Left Page - Episode 89 - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: The Animation of Science Fiction
Hello everyone!! As our episode celebration of 6 years of The Left Page we go back to the 19th century with our very first Jules Verne: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea! For this very fun episode we not only reminisce a bit about the show and we feel about it after all this time, but also think over...
-
Here Be Media - Episode 50 - Arcane: Alienation Through Political Complacency w/ André
Hello everyone! As we make our way through February we bring yet another collab with our friend André, and on another very liberal piece of media, the League of Legends based show: Arcane! There was potential (some) to this show, as we elaborate on it, and yet, a rushed production, a terrible...
-
The Left Page - Episode 88 - The Quick and the Dead: A Traversal of Finding One's Place w/ Emma Hinds
Hello everyone!! We start February in style, with Emma's return as she's got a new book out! The excellent The Quick and the Dead! Alchemy, romance, power, religion, and more! As such we talk a bit about how these elements constitute historical representation, how to depict them and queerness in...
-
The Left Page - Episode 87 - The First Law 1-3: Master Making Fantasy Worlds
Hello everyone!! Kicking off 2025 with the Left Page we bring a very special series of books, the First Law trilogy, by Joe Abercrombie! A series dear to Leon and, now to the pod itself. We dive into how these books actually achieve goals of engaging the psychological, the social and the…
more -
Here Be Media - Episode 49 - Ace Combat 7: Mach 3 Speed Propaganda w/ Sid
Hello everyone!! For our first HBM of 2025 we offer something quite strange, at first glance something all about military propaganda and nothing quite our podcast range, Ace Combat 7! But, as we are joined by our friend Sid of, among other things, The Bad Game Hall of Fame, we dive deeper! And...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Left Page have?
The Left Page currently has 200 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Left Page about?
A Podcast Where A Historian and a Social Scientist Explore Phenomenon in Media and ArtFind more of our work and projects at https://linktr.ee/leftpagehbm
How often does The Left Page release new episodes?
The Left Page publishes regularly with 200 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Left Page?
You can listen to The Left Page on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Left Page?
The Left Page is created and hosted by Frank and Leon.
URL copied to clipboard!