On losing oneself in the geography of fantasy worlds, from Middle Earth to Westeros.
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The Fantasy of an Enemy
“It’s still raining in Houston, and Game of Thrones is not a show about climate change, not really, because it’s possible to win The Game of Thrones.”
Let’s Talk About Sex Scenes
Countless women have been mistreated ever since sex became common on our screens. Hollywood’s newfound awareness of intimacy choreography can help change things.
The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Pearls
Born from irritation and intrusion, luminous and complex, surprisingly durable: pearls are rich with symbolism and saturated with pain.
Queens of Infamy: Mariamne I
In the ancient hot mess known as Judea, a young queen had to navigate a self-destructive royal dynasty and one of history’s worst husbands.
Breastfeeding On TV Peaked in 1976 and Went Downhill from There
Where was breastfeeding first depicted on TV? If you guessed Buffy Saint-Marie on Sesame Street, you’d be right.
The Neanderthal
Jen Gilman Porat seeks a genetic excuse for her husband’s barbaric table manners.
The Rising Seas Are Coming From Inside the House
On Game of Thrones and climate change: “Every city in the world is built on wildfire.”
Queens of Infamy: Njinga
The Portuguese colonizers of West Central Africa learned it the hard way: you mess with the Queen of Ndongo and Matamba at your own peril.
The Martha Stewarting of Powerful Women
How society disproportionately demonizes women after they’ve bent the same rules that men have always broken.
