Why are testicles (=balls) used as a metaphor for courage? It would hardly create a useful chain of dialogue if you said to a guy “Hey, you got balls!” (“Yeah, I know. So what? Do you need one?”); you can only say this to a girl or a woman if you want to make it sound...

Did James Bond ever really love any woman? In Casino Royale he was deeply and sincerely in love with Vesper Lynd – both in the most recent film (2006) and in the original novel (1953). Casino Royale was Bond's debut – and right from the start he is confronted with the issue...

Why is it that whenever a good character turns bad in fiction, he/she suddenly seems stronger? Simply because he releases or even loses his inner handbrake. A “good” character is usually caught in an inner struggle: there is something that has to be done (like achieving a goal,...