Author: Rupert Tottman

Confession: I just finished reading Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow, and I have no idea what I just read. If that doesn’t sound ‘meta’ enough of a lead to entice further reading, I’ll add in an extra pinch of shamefaced nihilism for good measure: I don’t know why I read it in the first place. In […]

St Anne’s Lucy Fielding and Liviana Sordo-de-Cock St Anne’s Ball 2014 (10th May, Saturday of 2nd week) is the only college ball to be held outside of Oxford this year at Kingston Bagpuize House and Gardens, an 18th century home and its surrounding parkland, which is entirely at the disposal of ball-goers for one night. […]

Having spent our first year at Oxford familiarising ourselves with the Cheese Floor and Wahoo, we decided to broaden our night time horizons out and experience some of Oxford’s less busy nights out. If you’re considering something a bit different to your standard trip to Park End or Bridge, we’ve reported back on our findings […]

‘Grats, comrades of the scholarly pursuit, for making it to 3rd week. Michaelmas has come and gone, and here hails Hilary; although to anyone well-versed in the seasonal implications of Oxford terms, the word “hails” is likely to be so jarringly out of context as to sound like an ironic clang, or the first note […]

When I first set out writing an article on Oxford drop-outs and what they were up to now, I thought I would be talking to buzzing young people bored by university life and on their way to creating the next Facebook. But instead of a nest of tech start-ups, what I found was a whole […]

Well, not actually abroad. But as far as many of us living in Yorkshire are concerned the South may as well be a different country; once you cross the border people stop putting gravy on everything and Greggs become scarily infrequent. After having moved to Oxford on a semi-permanent basis, I’ve come to realise some […]

This is not a man-bashing article written by a militant feminist. I could easily write about how misogyny is worryingly apparent at Oxford, despite the fact that it supposedly harbours some of the brightest young minds in the country. I could bitterly complain about the fact that, “you really need to get laid”, is still […]

One look at ELLE magazine’s four different covers for its recent ‘Women in TV’ edition, and you can play a quick game of ‘Spot the Difference’. Each version features a prominent female TV star – Zooey Deschanel, Amy Poehler, Allison Williams or Mindy Kaling – but while Deschanel’s, Poehler’s, and Williams’ covers are in glossy […]

Last term I considered several different ideas for articles, developed them in my mind then hastily struck them down. Weeks passed and I still remained reluctant to put my pitch forward. I was certainly busy at times but on reflection I must admit that fear was the ultimate barrier preventing me from stepping up: Would […]

Being a feminist is hot right now. Here’s a quick guide to the biggest, baddest craze of 2k14. 1) Get a pair of dungarees; they’re a fashion must. Or don’t if you don’t fancy it. They can be from a thrift shop if you’re keen on the Dworkin aestetic, but they don’t have to be. […]

Whilst everyone entertains the idea of making a resolution, it’s only the haughty who’ll bother with the self-gratifying circle-jerk of discussing their labours. Both lanky and lardarse flaunt unapparent brawn: “Yeah, gyms are really hard to get into nowadays.  All that moving, remembering to breathe, it’s so strenuous- I got carpal tunnel pulling my finger […]