Taken as a Genre
Pierre Morel’s Taken (2008) turned Liam Neeson from a serious dramatic actor into America’s favourite murder-dad. Here I examine one of the film's legacies, and argue that Taken can be understood as a genre unto itself.
‘Is it Fate or Chance? I can never decide.’
Dark Humour & Insipid Morality
The Suicide Squad goes beyond just having a moral core; it has a moralistic one. Here we discuss the how the film revels in gory death and yet pleads for us (Helen Lovejoy-style) to 'think of the children'.
Bioware & Voluntary Slavery
A recurring theme in Bioware’s Mass Effect and Dragon Age series is that slavery – while bad – can be justified if it’s chosen. Here we consider whether volunteering to be a slave makes a moral difference.
Okja and the Limits of Shame
Here we consider the power of shame and embarrassment as seen through the lens of Okja. This involves showing what can be accomplished through shame, but also what can’t.
Gilderoy Lockhart: Attempted Murderer
Prolific author, repeated winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award, and inept teacher. Handsome but harmless? Quite the contrary!
Trope Alert: Moral Warping
Sometimes, constructing the moral world doesn’t go smoothly. Maybe the hero doesn’t seem to stand for anything good, and so there’s no reason to accept them as the hero. Or perhaps the villain isn’t especially villainous; a sympathetic villain is common enough but something about this character makes it seem like they’re just straightforwardly in the right. There are a few ways a film can deal with this problem. I call one way ‘moral warping’.
Fight or Flyte? The Poetic Tradition in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
Ever wanted to tell a colleague exactly what you think of them and not have it become a HR issue? Here we delve into a brief history of flyting – the poetic exchange of invectives – as found in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
Why Care if They Made it Up? Historical Accuracy in The Trial of the Chicago 7
At the climax of The Trial of the Chicago 7, Tom Hayden uses his closing remarks to read out the names of Americans killed in the Vietnam War. One by one the defendants stand and raise their fists in solidarity. Music swells as the gallery stands. Eventually Richard Schultz, the prosecutor, sheds a tear and rises as well. “What are you doing?” asks his co-prosecutor, to which Schultz answers “paying respects.” It’s a powerful, well-constructed scene with a very significant problem: it never happened.
2001: A Space Stoic
Stoicism is the beloved philosophy of emperors, slaves, and financial advisors. Here we consider one idea from stoic metaphysics – that the universe begins and ends in cycles, with us living our lives over and over – and its representation in the 2001 film K-Pax.
Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter. Herein are links to more information and what we can do in support as well as an overview of some of our favourite books by BAME authors.
Gender-Inverted Trope: Philosopher Queens
In art, as in life, the trope of the philosopher usually depicts a male character, sage-like, with a tendency to impart useful information. In this short but sweet piece of pop(culture)corn, we highlight gender-inverted instances of the Philosopher and Philosopher King.
Picard, Time Travel & Moral Motivation
We love that Jean-Luc Picard is back on TV. However, does this have weird implications for time travel in the Star Trek universe?
Mass Effect & the Problem of Other Minds
Given that I only have access to my own mind, is it rational to attribute minds and mental states to others? What if the others in question are drastically different to us – such as the aliens in Mass Effect? Here we introduce the problem of other minds and the argument from analogy.
Trope Alert: The Prison Level
In this short and tasty piece of Pop(Culture)Corn we introduce the Prison Level trope, with some of our favourite video game examples. Final Fantasy, Dragon Age, Elder Scrolls and more!
Peppa Pig & the Ontological Argument
Peppa Pig is not merely a morally questionable piece of entertainment for children; it’s ripe with unplucked philosophical fruit. In this article we consider the light it can shed on Anselm’s Ontological Argument for the existence of God.
The Turing Test (Part 1)
The Turing Test is a popular device in fiction, becoming an umbrella term for language-based tests to determine whether computers or other synthetic beings have minds. Here we explore the origins of the Turing Test and some examples of fictional machines that would pass it.
Rainbow Rowell, Carry On: The Rise and Fall of Simon Snow
The highest compliment The Master can pay Carry On, his George Cross or Légion d'honneur, is that his childhood (a somewhat more distant realm than he's currently prepared to recognise) would have been immeasurably improved by its presence.
On Persistence & Memory
What makes you the same person from one day to the next? How can your favourite character survive a brain swap, teleportation, or shape-shifting? This article explores the Persistence Question, as it arises in your favourite fiction. But it isn't just a matter for philosophers or fiction: problems of personal identity have ramifications for your everyday life...
Trope Alert: The Supernatural Detective
Launching Pop(Culture)Corn: short and tasty morsels for your reading pleasure. In this instalment, we introduce the Supernatural Detective trope - not to be confused with the Occult Detective, the narrower Vampire Detective Series, or broader Exotic Detective - with some of our favourite examples.
Prescriptivism v Descriptivism: A Very English Affair
In this piece, the Master clarifies this most contentious of binaries, prescriptivism and descriptivism, and in the process of doing so, exposes the illogicality of the former and reveals the delicious sense of superiority so craved by self-anointed ‘Grammar Nazis’ that attends the latter.
Catherine Sangster, On Dictionaries, Pronunciation, and Geekery (Part 3)
Catherine Sangster - Head of Pronunciation at Oxford Dictionaries - joins The Doctor for a three-part chat on lexicography, pronunciation, tropes, and all things geeky. In this final instalment, we discuss how dictionaries can be subversive, the connection between academia and fandom, and texts that do interesting things with language.
Catherine Sangster, On Dictionaries, Pronunciation, and Geekery (Part 2)
Catherine Sangster - Head of Pronunciation at Oxford Dictionaries - joins The Doctor for a three-part chat on lexicography, pronunciation, tropes, and all things geeky. In Part 2 we discuss some of the technical details regarding pronunciation, dictionaries, and descriptivism v prescriptivism.
Catherine Sangster, On Dictionaries, Pronunciation, and Geekery (Part 1)
Catherine Sangster - Head of Pronunciation at Oxford Dictionaries - joins The Doctor for a three-part chat on lexicography, pronunciation, tropes, and all things geeky. In Part 1 we discuss how words from geekdom find their way into dictionaries, pronunciation, and the significance of accents.
Sherlocked in Samarra
Sherlock's back and so are we, discussing fate, death, and a very important appointment in Samarra.
Royal Shakespeare Company, Cymbeline
The Doctor doesn't write reviews, or read non-fiction. Neither of these is strictly true. Thus, Cymbeline (a not-review).
Schrödinger’s Hippogriff (Part 2)
This series looks at three famous paradoxes from the philosophy of time travel, as exemplified in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Part 2 introduces the Grandfather Paradox, and more generally, the problem of changing the past.
Adrian Tchaikovsky, On Tropes, Writing, & Children of Time
Adrian Tchaikovsky - acclaimed British fantasy and sci-fi author - chats with The Doctor about tropes, genre, and the nitty gritty of his Arthur C. Clarke-winning Children of Time. Insightful and informative for both fans and newcomers alike.
Halloween Art Contest: Dress Up Tetra!
The Epicurean Cure is hosting its first annual Dress-Up-Tetra Art Contest! Show off your artistic talent by depicting - in whichever medium you choose, from the digital to your childhood crayons - the EC's octopus mascot in a tropey outfit for Halloween.
“A ferlie he spied wi’ his e’e”: Examining the Apologetic Apostrophe
A brief summary of the apologetic apostrophe and its evolution from marketing tool to characterisation device.
Game for Graduates
In this short and sweet piece, game studies expert Matthew Barr outlines his research on the benefits of video games for learning. Never fear, the justification for hours of gaming is here!
Kazuo Ishiguro, The Buried Giant
Another thought-provoking review from Rob Maslen, exploring myths, language, memory, and fantasy. Guaranteed to enrich your reading of Ishiguro.
Winning Entry: Universal Non-Translation
And now, the winning entry: Pen Tynan's 'Universal Non-Translation'.
Editors' Pick: The Mini Darth of Firetop Mountain
Our final editors' pick: Mini Darth's 'Mini Darth of Firetop Mountain'.
Editors' Pick: Working Beauty
Our second editors' pick: Tired & Tireder's 'Working Beauty'.
Editors' Pick: The Consumptive Heroine
Our first editors' pick: Luca Saitta's 'The Consumptive Heroine'.
Transcending Tropes: And the winner is...
Announcing the winner of our Transcending Tropes Microfiction Contest, and three special mentions from the editors.
Nine Worlds Wrap-Up
A retrospective of our time at Nine Worlds, with a hint of what's coming soon.
Nor Have I Yet Outrun the Sun (Part 1)
This series looks at three famous paradoxes from the philosophy of time travel, as exemplified in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Part 1 serves as an introduction to the puzzles and the plot that brought them to life.
Microfiction Contest: Transcending Tropes
The Epicurean Cure team will be at Nine Worlds GeekFest, with The Doctor running sessions on Dragon Age, Jessica Jones, time travel films, and lessons for academia from video games. In celebration, we're hosting a microfiction contest. From scribbles on a beer coaster to your magnum opus: if it's 300 words or less and on-theme, we want to see it!
Ori and the Blind Forest
This spoiler-filled review explores ecocriticism, anthropomorphism, and the author's burgeoning enthusiasm for platformers. The conclusion: Ori is baws-to-the wall awesome.
Language Evolution and Gaming
Evolutionary linguist Sean Roberts outlines three ways his research is influenced by video games – including our understanding of the brain, language evolution, and linguistic diversity. Features Minecraft!
Hermione Granger & the Glottal of Fire (Part 2)
This article explores the evolution of T-glottaling in Hermione's dialect between the first and penultimate films of the Harry Potter franchise.
Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
What do Ankh Morpork, Blade Runner, and Casablanca have in common? They all feature in Rob Maslen's review of Terry Pratchett's "Guards! Guards!". A warning: Here Be Dragons.
Introducing the 'F' Word (Part 1)
If someone knows our future, can we still be free? This first instalment concentrates on the difference between it being true that you will perform a given action, and it being necessary, drawing on examples from the Matrix and Harry Potter.
It's glo/t/al stop, not glo/ʔ/al stop! (Part 1)
This article introduces T-Glottaling and considers its specific role in the wider trope, 'Accent Denotes Class'.
Greetings, lovelies!
Welcome to the Epicurean Cure! Here we celebrate thinking – rigorously, critically, and enthusiastically – about and through the texts we love: from literature to video games, films, comics, poetry, television, and everything in between. Our goal here is to bring together academics and the creators and consumers of pop culture, to engage in dialogue […]