Ted Chiang Uses Science to Illuminate the Human Condition
I think science and religion could more peacefully coexist if we could agree that they are trying to answer different questions; science is investigating the question, “how does the universe…
George Orwell Reveals the Role & Responsibility of the Writer “In an Age of State Control”
Well, then what? Do we have to conclude that it is the duty of every writer to “keep out of politics”? Certainly not! In any case, as I have said…
A Meditation on Forests, Life, and Art: Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Fir Tree”
“The Fir Tree” was originally published in New Fairy Tales, Second Collection (1844) next to another winter tale, The Snow Queen. It was swiftly overshadowed by that other story and…
Abduction As Romance
Abduction as Romance is a media trope where a man kidnaps or imprisons a woman and she eventually falls in love with him. Abduction as Romance is one of a…
Ray Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451 Misinterpreted
Bradbury says Fahrenheit 451, is, in fact, a story about how television destroys interest in reading literature.
Ghostbusters is a Surprising Antidote to Lovecraft’s Dismal Worldview
Ghostbusters is a perfectly structured film. Desire lines are clear scene by scene. Act breaks are sharp and propulsive. Every payoff is set up early in the film, including Mr. Stay-Puft. The…
This Future Looks Familiar: Watching Blade Runner in 2017
I would not call the world of Blade Runner strange, because it’s the opposite of strange. It’s familiar. If you subtract the flying cars and the jets of flame shooting…
Grandma Turned Me into a Ghost
Who were the very first people who helped solidify your identity? The people who really influenced the way you see yourself and how you interact with the world? For most of us,…
The Fall of The Simpsons: How it Happened
The Bizarre Modern Reality of The Simpsons
The Adorkable Misogyny of The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory provides a perfect lens through which to deconstruct a popular media trope I like to call the Adorkable Misogynist. Adorkable Misogynists are male characters whose geeky…