French post-structuralist Roland Barthes’ essay, The Death of the Author, emphasises the importance of the reader — at the expense of the author and critic. I went down something of a post-structuralist rabbit hole this week, and it led me to this fascinating piece of writing. The Death of the Author, as the title might…
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Six quotes from Six Feet Under
HBO’s Six Feet Under was a show that helped redefine television drama in the early 2000s. Set in a funeral home, it was an unlikely hit. Its honesty about death, its meaningful portrayal of gay relationships and its dark satire — including how it poked fun at the Hollywood culture that intersected with its characters’…
‘I didn’t know I was enrolled in that subject’: a recurring dream
I have a recurring dream that it’s the end of the university semester and it dawns on me that I’m enrolled in a subject I didn’t know about. Its sudden presence on my subject list sends me into mild hysterics. I’ve never attended a tutorial for this subject. Or done any of the course material.…
Joystick Y or N
It’s 1987. I’m in Grade 1 at primary school and being introduced to my first home computer. Without warning, Dad has arrived home with this unfamiliar beast, which consists of a keyboard (similar to ones I’ve seen at school) and a long, flat tape player, the likes of which I’ve never seen. My knowledge of…