The Caffeinated Symposium

Named for the coffee-shop discussions I enjoyed during my undergraduate and grad school days, this is an opinion-piece blog centered on my interests -- history and historiography, the classics, literature, comic books, Japanese language and popular culture, video/computer games, role-playing games, the pulps, television and film, and science-fiction/fantasy.

Pages

  • Home
  • Book Reviews
  • Philosophy
  • Politics
  • History
  • Role-Playing
  • SF/Fantasy/Etc.

SF/Fantasy/Etc.

Appendix N, Nostalgia, and Contemporary Fantasy
On Terry Brooks' The Sword of Shannara
On the Devolution of the Star Wars Franchise
"Realism" and Nihilism in Contemporary Fantasy
Retrospective:  Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn
Robert Jordan and Brain Damage
Transforming Robots, Space-War, and Love: The Importance of 超時空要塞マクロス as a Science-Fiction Epic
アキラ (Akira) Volume 1
ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版 aka Rebuild of Evangelion

Retrospective: 超時空要塞マクロス(Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
Introduction
Part One
Part Two

The Mass Effect Debacle: My 2¢
Part One
Part Two
Part Three

A Brief History of Epic Fantasy in the Late 20th/Early 21st Centuries
Part One:  The State of Fantasy in 1977
Part Two:  Fantasy: 1977-1989
Part Three:  Fantasy: 1990-2000.  The Age of Doorstops and Gimmicks.
Part Four:  Fantasy: 1999-2011.  Disillusionment and Nihilism
Part Five: Fantasy:  1977-2011.  Wrapping it All Up

Genshiken Nidaime: Victims, Villains, and Gender Relations among Japanese Otaku
Introduction
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Home
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Essays You Really Should Read

  • Genshiken Nidaime: Victims, Villains and Gender Dynamics among Japanese Otaku -- Introduction
  • Part One
  • Part Two
  • Part Three
  • Part Four
  • Retrospective: 超時空要塞マクロス (Super Dimension Fortress MACROSS). Introduction.
  • Part One
  • Part Two
  • What's Wrong With 4th Edition D&D Part 1
  • A Brief History of Epic Fantasy1977--Now: Part One
  • Part Two
  • Part Three
  • Part Four
  • Conclusion
  • "Realism" and Nihilism in Contemporary Fantasy
  • On Terry Brooks' THE SWORD OF SHANNARA
  • On the Devolution of the STAR WARS Franchise
  • Robert Jordan and Brain Damage
  • The Right (and Wrong) Way to Write a Movie or Book Review
  • Transforming Robots, Space-War, and Love: The Importance of 超時空要塞マクロス as a Science-Fiction Epic

About Me

My photo
Dave Cesarano
An MA in history and Multicultural Education, with many and varied interests. I currently teach ancient Greek and Roman history, Western Civilization, and U.S. History to college students in exchange for peanuts.
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What I'm Reading Now

What I'm Reading Now
THE CRITICAL TRADITION

Blog Archive

  • ▼  2018 (1)
    • ▼  January (1)
      • What I'm Running
  • ►  2016 (2)
    • ►  April (2)
  • ►  2015 (2)
    • ►  August (2)
  • ►  2014 (14)
    • ►  August (3)
    • ►  July (3)
    • ►  June (1)
    • ►  May (3)
    • ►  April (2)
    • ►  March (2)
  • ►  2013 (4)
    • ►  August (2)
    • ►  July (1)
    • ►  April (1)
  • ►  2012 (20)
    • ►  October (1)
    • ►  September (1)
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    • ►  June (3)
    • ►  May (1)
    • ►  April (5)
    • ►  March (1)
    • ►  February (2)
    • ►  January (4)
  • ►  2011 (45)
    • ►  December (12)
    • ►  October (4)
    • ►  September (1)
    • ►  July (8)
    • ►  June (1)
    • ►  May (1)
    • ►  April (3)
    • ►  March (4)
    • ►  February (7)
    • ►  January (4)
  • ►  2010 (59)
    • ►  December (3)
    • ►  November (5)
    • ►  October (7)
    • ►  September (7)
    • ►  August (11)
    • ►  July (19)
    • ►  June (7)

Blogs I Follow

  • Black Gate
    A to Z Review: “Iron Monk,” by Melissa Yuan-Innes
    23 hours ago
  • Blood of Prokopius
    Gamer ADD: Suleiman Subsector Gazetteer Part 2
    2 months ago
  • Boston 1775
    “My Daughter, which she really is, tho’ but an adopted one”
    3 years ago
  • Coffee's Gone Already?
    First blog post
    8 years ago
  • DigiLife
    Wow
    12 years ago
  • FILM CRIT HULK! HULK BLOG!
    Hulk’s Favorite Movies of 2017
    6 years ago
  • HEARTS OF FURIOUS FANCIES
    Upwind from Yoshiwara
    5 years ago
  • I Love Coffee
    My coffee book in Japanese is coming out today!
    7 years ago
  • In Places Deep
    The Reynardine
    2 weeks ago
  • Military History Blog
    Sabres and Smoke: The War of 1812-Kickstarter campaign live
    7 years ago
  • OGIUE MANIAX
    “Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky” Is More Politically Relevant than Ever
    17 hours ago
  • One Last Sketch
    Three for January
    4 years ago
  • PUNKADIDDLE
    What Became of Punkadiddle?
    10 years ago
  • Scribblings of the Metropolitician
    Lost in Translation
    9 years ago
  • Stares at the World
    Was the Electric Car a Bait-and-Switch?They were never viable; so why were they pushed?
    1 year ago
  • The Alexandrian
    Random D&D Tip: Acrobatics vs. Athletics
    1 day ago
  • The Cimmerian
    Stephen King’s Threshold
    8 years ago
  • The Cydonian Signal
    Your Tolerance is Self-Serving – The Orlando Shooting
    8 years ago
  • The Law of the Tagia
    Political Apathy and Politics as Entertainment
    11 years ago
  • The Silver Key
    Silmarillion re-read, link to part 1 and letter to Milton Waldman
    1 day ago
  • The Tao of D&D
    This is an Important Game Mechanic
    2 years ago
  • The Wertzone
    S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
    2 days ago
  • Three Pound Brain
    Lollipop World
    4 years ago
  • Underground Research Initiative
    Character Interaction Beat Breakdown of Star Trek TOS Episode S2E10 "Journey to Babel"
    10 years ago
  • Unreported Heritage News
    2,000 year-old Monolith in Northern Peru scanned in 3D
    4 years ago

Links of Interest

  • Academic Earth
  • Bondwine
  • Common-Place: A Common Place, an Uncommon Voice
  • De Re Militari: The Society for Medieval Military History
  • Red Letter Media
  • The Society for Military History
  • Underground Research Initiative
  • Wikipedia
  • Zero Punctuation

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