Although previous research has investigated consumer mythopoesis (consumers’ identity work using marketplace myths), little is known about its enactment involving ambiguous myths. Here, we investigate the myth of witch (predominantly depicted by dominant mythmakers as a villain but recently repositioned more positively) and describe how consumers reclaim empowering heroic aspects myth. Based on...

80 Days and South of the Circle feature storylines in which polar expeditions are not represented as places for unfolding heroized journeys; instead, their protagonists confronted with limits agency. In contrast to common pop cultural representations that turn exploration into a tale individual white European men emerging triumphant over harsh nature, both video games question emphasize importa...

The biblical story of Samson may be understood at various levels and from different perspectives. Since the story of Samson in the Bible is sketchily drawn, the interpretations of the narrative are numerous. One version, according to David Grossman, a contemporary writer and liberal Israeli political activist, regards Samson critically, viewing him as a tormented individual who opts to end his ...

This article examines vasectomy as a gendered practice of (non)reproductive masculinity. Reporting on interview-based data, in which a number of New Zealand men made sense of the operation, this article used critical thematic analysis to extract themes from semi-structured interviews with participants who had vasectomies in ‘typical’ circumstances. Primary themes of ‘taking responsibility’ and ...

To ENUCLEATE an eye as a prophylactic measure against sympathetic ophthalmitis always requires an act of courage. To have initiated such treatment originally must have been heroic, especially as it was known that the second eye might eventually be the more seriously affected. Yet the development of this form of treatment in the nineteenth century was a slow and highly responsible process, based...

It is more than forty years since the first wireframe images of the Boeing Man revealed a stylized human pilot in a simulated pilot's cabin. Since then, it has almost become standard to include scenes in Hollywood movies which incorporate virtual human actors. A trait particularly recognizable in the games industry world-wide is the eagerness to render athletic muscular young men, and young wom...

The author summarizes his experience creating a story-based simulation from raw documentary footage taken in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The use of Propp’s typology to create a heroic framework within which to organize the material is explained. The author introduces the concept of Negotiation Clouds to improve a fold-back story structure and create meaningful agency for the ...