‘You’re a kite dancing in a hurricane, Mr Bond’: The Elemental Encounters of James Bond

Abstract

What would it mean to describe James Bond as a man in his element? As an expression in English, being "in one's element" usually refers to someone or something well suited to what they are doing. The term often conveys, when a human actor is involved, a sense of comfort, enjoyment, and even pleasure. Conversely, when we note that someone or something is "out of their element", we highlight other emotions and sensations such as discomfort, dislocation, and distress.More often than not, this phrase is used to describe social and professional circumstances like embarking on a new job and/or socialising with people outside of our usual sphere. But we can also mobilise this phrase to draw attention to a relationship with something more elemental, describing human and non-human interactions with water, air, earth, and fire. While being in your element is usually seen as a good thing, we use elemental expressions like "out of your depth" and "feel the atmosphere" to suggest that social and physical pressures and forces may have got the better of us.As a hero, James Bond is defined by his actions, masculinity, and libidinal conquests that are framed in a particular geopolitical context shaped by Cold War, post-Cold War, and, in the Daniel Craig era, War on Terror coordinates.Bond's missions have seen him travel the earth and beyond in his quest to foil the evil designs of adversaries, ranging from crooked Soviet and Chinese operat-