To kick off our special series of articles on Austen, panto, and their presence in Britain today, our Artistic Director David Bullen takes a look at how Austen’s work has become increasingly mythic… So, two centuries have passed with Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in the world. This landmark year has, therefore, made the novel’s presence in British culture more visible than ever, and what strikes me – as I, along with the rest Read more
By Jove! contributor Wendy Haines takes on the issues of intersectionality in feminism, starting with what it means… If you are viewing this article on a mobile, some web-links may not appear. Feminism is complicated. A few months ago, the term ‘intersectionality’ started being thrown around in various feminist forums I visit, often accompanied by ‘If you’re not intersectional then you’re just full of shit’. As some who claims to be knowledgeable about feminism, Read more
Hello, Woody again. You know the drill: scholarly hats, comfortable seat, time for more on myth. This post is another one which is weird for me. It’s not enough for me to be writing on work written by men not wearing bedsheets, or to be reading a primary source written in my native tongue; no, for this post – for the first time in this series – I had to read something for the first Read more
Rob Wallis examines the current situation in Syria and the possibility of British and UN intervention. We’re no strangers at By Jove! to taking on grand and pressing social issues in a well-intentioned and hopefully not too ham-fisted way. In recent weeks, we’ve explored such topical conundrums as militant atheism (offensive or honest?) and the portraying women in contemporary fiction (all it takes is a smidge of empathy). Given the events that have been Read more
This week, By Jove artistic director David Bullen considers the recently raised notion of ‘militant atheism’ in the British media… In the past few weeks, Britain’s most outspoken atheist Richard Dawkins came under fire for a series of tweets perceived as inciting hatred against Muslims. News publications from across the political spectrum turned the wrath of their mighty pens (well, keyboards) on Dawkins and denounced his actions as no better than Read more
This week Rob Wallis tackles the predominance of superhero films in modern popular culture and the decline towards which the genre is inexorably rolling… What was the last film you went to see in the cinema? Dramedy? Rom-com? Sci-fi musical thriller? Well, statistically speaking, it was probably a superhero film: of the 10 top grossing films of last year, three of them – indeed two of the top three – were superhero films – The Avengers, The Read more
Hello. It’s Woody here again, so put on your most scholarly hats and get ready as we enjoy another installment of this series on historic uses of myth. I’ll be honest with you, I’m a little bit nervous about this post. I have quelled some of these nerves with a stiff gin, but I fear that has simply led to a different set of problems. Therefore I would like to ask for your forgiveness if Read more
By Jove! contributor Robert Wallis attempts to address a controversial religious issue. This article has the potential to cause offense, though it’s intended, as every article on this blog is, in the manner of enlightened debate. This is dangerous ground, we know, but some things just can’t be talked about on a sure footing. Before I begin in earnest, let me qualify the following by saying that I do not believe that all Catholic priests Read more
Wars of words are tearing up what should be a united liberal front. By Jovian Wendy Haines gives a brief but impassioned argument as to why she thinks this needs to stop… Since becoming more engaged with the online socialist/feminist community, I have become increasingly aware of ‘lefty in-fighting’. By this I mean the tendency for left-wing liberals to fight amongst themselves, rather than tackle the real issues facing them. The reason for this Read more
By Jove artistic associate Wendy Haines discusses the stigmas attached to feminism and asks how easy it is to define a production as feminist. The words ‘feminist theatre’ can provoke both interesting and repulsive responses from people. Most commonly, or so it seems, a person will assume a ‘feminist’ performance must involve a host of female characters championing women’s rights and discussing obviously feminist issues: social inequality, sexual assault bias, old fashioned bigotry etc. Alternatively, Read more