Oxford's biggest student newspaper, produced by and for members of the University of Oxford, since 1991.
Image Description: a headshot of Amelia Fletcher against the backdrop of a drawing of Oxford’s skyline and the text ‘Amelia Fletcher: Alumni Series’ This week’s alumni has had a double career of sorts. In one world, she is a respected economist: former chief economist at the Office of Fair Trading and now Deputy Director at […]
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Image Description: Screenshot of the opening to Hollow Knight The release of big-budget open-world games like Grand Theft Auto V garners as much media attention as blockbuster cinema nowadays. Massive price tags get sweeping headline coverage: whether it be for the billion-dollar Avatar sequels or Cyberpunk 2077’s comparably modest $135,000,000, eye-watering expenditure is enough to let the […]
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Image description: An illustration of Abelard and Heloise kissing while Heloise writes a letter by artist Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale In the past, Abelard and Heloise were names ranked alongside Romeo and Juliet, or Dante and Beatrice, as an everlasting tale of passionate romance and forbidden love. I can imagine most students reading this article, however, are […]
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Image description: Nirvana’s album cover for Nevermind, a baby in a swimming pool reaching for a dollar bill on a hook In 1991, one of the best selling albums of all time was released into the world. Through Nevermind, the follow up to their debut album Bleach, Nirvana both commercialised their sound and brought grunge […]
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Image Description: Nupur Patel’s DPhil Diaries It’s 6th week and my lunchtimes have been particularly busy lately. This term, midday has been the optimal time to get out for some fresh air. Especially this week, the sun has appeared quite often and the warmer weather has meant that I’ve stared out of my window more […]
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Image Description: (Left) Rita Mae Brown, (Right) Cover of Rubyfruit Jungle There are always lots of recommendations floating around of what to read, watch, and listen to in LGBT history month. However, finding older books and films that clearly foreground queer characters can prove difficult: the lengthy backlog of historical classics that emphasise heterosexual relationships […]
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Image Description: a close-up photo of a condenser microphone against a purple background Picture this: it’s 2008. Britney Spears has just shaved her head! It’s in all the magazines and game show Family Fortunes US runs a round on it. “What has Britney Spears lost this year?” “Her husband! Her hair! Her sanity!” cry the […]
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Image Description: Nupur Patel’s DPhil Diaries 5th week started off with a bang with the arrival of Valentine’s Day. Admittedly, on a normal year my boyfriend and I aren’t usually the grandest celebrators of the day. That’s not to say that we’re the cynical type, complaining about how ‘commercialised’ it all is (which is probably […]
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Image Description: Street view of Topshop’s Oxford Circus store The world of online retail has claimed yet another victim on the British high street. Unable to keep up with fast fashion and the immediate satisfaction that low-cost brands such as Boohoo and PrettyLittleThing can provide, Topshop will not be reopening its doors after the current […]
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Image description: Large oval pot with pasta shells covered in a roasted cauliflower and melted cheese Cauliflower and cheese is a classic combination, but I prefer the pasta and cheese to be the star. This cauliflower crust provides a super flavourful contrast to the silky sauce. The extra vegetables are optional! This recipe serves two […]
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Image Description: Geralt fights a griffin in-game Released in 2015, The Witcher 3 is the latest instalment in The Witcher franchise from CD Projekt Red. Many consider this game to be the definitive RPG experience, and it will almost always make the top five in any ‘Best Games of the Last Generation’ list, if not […]
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Image Description: Lorde on stage wearing a flower crown on a dark blue background Usually, around Valentine’s Day we start to see a lot of those “50 Best Breakup Songs of All Time” and “Perfect Songs to Cry To” lists pop up, and don’t get me wrong, I love those. But this year is different. […]
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Image Description: Nupur Patel’s DPhil Diaries The last time I noted down my thoughts here, I was in a bit of a miserable place with my DPhil. In all honesty, I was bored, fed up and anxious about the thought of getting stuck into corrections and preparing for a second draft. Being so close to […]
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Image description: Martin Scorsese pictured at a film festival In late 2019, acclaimed director Martin Scorsese remarked, in an interview with Empire magazine, that the MCU films “weren’t cinema”. Unsurprisingly, this kicked up an enormous argument as to whether his position was snobbery, valid criticism, or the outdated position of a past-it director who couldn’t […]
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Image description: “Direwolves” – an acrylic painting by Marietta Kosma Game of Thrones premiered in 2011, ten years ago, yet it remains one of the most popular shows in the cultural imaginary. Even though it portrays fantasy worlds of the medieval era, it conveys realism through the employment of violence, graphic sex and its unconventional ending. […]
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Image description: Ralph Fiennes playing archaeologist Basil Brown in The Dig The excavation of Sutton Hoo may seem like an odd choice for Netflix’s new movie; archaeology doesn’t really fill people with excitement unless it is Indiana Jones. However, The Dig (2021), directed by Simon Stone, manages to make an exceedingly compelling dramatisation of real-life […]
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Image Description: Nupur Patel’s DPhil Diaries This week, I’ve been trying to enjoy a few of the sunny days that February has already gifted us with. When I’ve seen the sunrays hitting my window in the morning, I’ve instantly felt better and eager to get outside for a bit of fresh air. With the floods […]
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Image Description: View from inside the Pitt Rivers Museum I confess, in full acceptance that I am playing into the History Student Stereotype, to feeling absolutely at home in a museum. Many times over this year of lockdowns I have found myself craving the familiar comfort of their echoey rooms. Last term especially, weaving out […]
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Image Description: the characters Lola and Narcisse shooting a bow and arrow in the show Reign. While the end of Bridgerton may have left you dealing with withdrawal from period dresses, feminist overtones and rampant corset sex, fear not, because Laurie McCarthy and Stephanie Sengupta’s 2013-2017 series Reign can fill this gap in your soul. […]
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