Ep. 81 — Chapter 5 from "Time of Contempt"

Breakfast in Beauclair

Cyprian from Berlin and Štěpán from the Czech Republic join Alyssa for our discussion of Andrzej Sapkowski’s Time of Contempt, Chapter 5. Very important bits include: new insight into the Czech translation of the Witcher, parallels between the second Nilfgaardian war and our modern military history, Geralt’s evolving perspective on neutrality, vignettes from the front, and someone throws down the gauntlet over the second best Witcher game.

• [0:00] Cold Open
• [3:16] Introduction
• [4:55] Guest Introduction
• [10:18] Chapter 5 Recap
• [12:22] Overall Thoughts
• [19:55] Translations
• [26:15] Guest Historical Backgrounds
• [27:39] Historical Parallels in The Witcher
• [41:48] The Authorial Voice
• [50:27] Geralt’s Changing Neutrality
• [1:02:25] Margarita Laux Antille & Rayla
• [1:06:05] Contrasting Themes
• [1:10:48] Wrap-up
• [1:16:46] Outro
• [1:17:31] End Credits

The full episode transcript, show notes, merchandise store, and access to our social platforms are available at breakfastinbeauclair.com.