First, a glossary of terms/an apologia:

Metacognition [metacognitive narrative]: The awareness of characters that they are in a piece of fictional media. Also read: metafiction.

Directly metacognitive [directly metafictional]: An integral element of the narrative--a main character is most effective--explicitly recognizes there in a way that matters to the plot.

Obliquely/indirectly metacognitive [obliquely/indirectly metafictional]: Most manifestations of metafiction occur as humorous asides or even more unaffecting gestures, often to the complete ignorance of many or all of the main characters.

Verisimilitude of engagement: The idea that, even if the fictional, simulated world a user is engaging with doesn’t look realistic, if the user can function in that simulated realm in all the ways one can function in the real world, that might just be good enough.

I’m aware that ‘leaped’ should be ‘leapt’. Fixed in the transcript, at the Dispatches homepage, listed below.

I’m also aware that the volume dips between, roughly, 3:00 and 6:00. Headphones help. Sorry about that. Instead of Unresearched, maybe I should’ve called this podcast Unrehearsed. ;) 

To enjoy Dr. Joe’s other media rantings--as well as a transcript of this podcast episode--check out Dispatches from the Adventure: https://profanderson79.wordpress.com/

Dr. Joe has also made a few ill-advised forays into visual media! Check them out on YouTube!: https://tinyurl.com/DrJoesYTChannel

In this second venture into madness, Dr. Joe makes the bed as he reconsiders verisimilitude. Sure, it's where it's at, but total verisimilitude is tough, and there can be a lot of light shining around the edges. So, come play shadow puppets with that renegade light as Dr. Joe tries to sort his pillowcases!

To enjoy Dr. Joe’s other media rantings--as well as a transcript of this podcast episode--check out Dispatches from the Adventure: https://profanderson79.wordpress.com/

Dr. Joe has also made a few ill-advised forays into visual media! Check them out on YouTube!: https://tinyurl.com/DrJoesYTChannel

1988, the final scene of the final episode of St. Elsewhere--to that point, a fairly standard medical drama--upended the entire premise of the six seasons that had preceded it, leaving fans deeply divided.  But showrunner Tom Fontana couldn’t know that, in creating such a controversial scene, he would lay the foundation for a perceptual shift in how some fans view narratives and their landscapes.  A shift that might have been an early contributor to the proliferation of mass, crossover-bound franchises that we enjoy today?

In this first episode of the recorded rantings of Dr. Joe Anderson, come along as we navigate a moderately-trafficked street and consider how Tommy Westphall may have changed the very ways we see narratives!  Or, at least, how he probably changed something...

To enjoy Dr. Joe’s other media rantings--as well as a transcript of this podcast episode--check out Dispatches from the Adventure: https://profanderson79.wordpress.com/

Dr. Joe has also made a few ill-advised forays into visual media!  Check them out on YouTube!: https://tinyurl.com/DrJoesYTChannel

For an introduction to Tommy’s World, check out Wikipedia!: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Westphall

And, for the most user-friendly map of the Westphall territory: https://tinyurl.com/WestphallMap