Travelling on a student budget
The weather has been horrific in England for the past few weeks, so I’m sure we are all mentally planning some sort of summer escape. Last year I had the privilege to go interrailing with my friend Harriet, and although it ended up being quite expensive, we got a lot of bang for our buck […]
Summer reading finale
For me, the summer holidays are always associated with several things: ‘quality’ family time which from time to time may get a little strained, getting sun burnt despite emptying the contents of factor 50+ sun cream on to my body before leaving the house (oh the perils of being ginger), and going on holiday and […]
The Simple Things in Life Part II
As I prepared to face a lonely Easter in a house oppressed with silence (and an imagination inclined towards the dramatic), I received a message from a friend inviting me to join her family in an excursion through the most notable attractions in Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. I consider myself very lucky to have made a […]
Thomas Lovell Beddoes: Paranormal Activity
One of the hermetic joys about English Literature is that if you procrastinate inside the subject, you can still regard it as studying. An author may not be directly relevant to your exam or your essay, but now you know that they were alive and what they were writing and you’re able to re-shuffle your entire […]
A Pilgrimage to the Shrine of William Blake
In 2009, I traveled to the Tate Gallery in London expressly to see their collection of the work of William Blake only to be sorely disappointed by the news that his work had been temporarily removed to showcase a growing collection of the works of J. W. Turner. Turner is, of course, an excellent artist […]
Easter Exploits: Night of the Lepus
I always post the workload I’m dealing with on here in the holiday weeks. I like to think it balances out the fact that most of my regular posts seem to obfuscate rather than explicate the day-to-day life of my English degree. See, I couldn’t even write that sentence without sounding like a poorly-written scientist […]
Each Day is Valentine’s Day
Today is Valentine’s Day, a day that will divide the country into factions of smiling (some would say smug) couples and cynical singles who eye the fourteenth of February with suspicion and resentment. Personally, I have little reason to celebrate this day as it has always found me unattached and most of my memories associated […]
Adventures with Flat Stanley
As an additional treat to my Christmas holiday, I received a new guest named Flat Stanley in the mail. For those who may not be familiar with the whimsical paper character, Flat Stanley originated in 1964 in a series of books written by Jeff Brown and illustrated by Tomi Ungerer. It chronicles the adventures of […]
A Merry Winter with Shakespeare
For this entry, in honor of the holiday season, we will momentarily leave the world of 19th century studies to pay a visit to the Renaissance and spend a delightful Christmas with Shakespeare. If you require more thoughts on Victorian literature to complete your enjoyment of the season (a need I completely understand), I highly […]
North to Manchester: Gothic Architecture and Pre-Raphaelite Art
Last Saturday, I traveled to Manchester to meet with the members of my Victorian Society module for a walking tour of the northern city historically renowned as one of the leading industrial magnets during the 19th century. I was, of course, excited by the prospect of increasing my knowledge through an exploration of the north […]
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