Future Careers: Edge of Tomorrow
I’m naming this one after Tom Cruise’s new film, since it’s apparently pretty good. Not doing so well at the box office though, competing with such classics as Mrs. Brown’s Boys D’Movie and Transformers: Age of More Transformers. Anyway, it seemed appropriate to talk about where people go with an English degree. You see the […]
I Pledge Myself to Thee, Sheridan Le Fanu
Throughout this wonderful year, every second thought has drifted towards the inevitable gauntlet through which every prospective academic must run before they can claim the ultimate prize of a Master’s Degree: The Dissertation. I have made no secret of the fact that I hold a special sympathy for all things Gothic and have done since […]
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
In December of last year, I briefly visited the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery after a wonderful day viewing the city’s remarkable Christmas Market. I was so impressed by the exhibitions on display that it immediately came to mind when I was searching for the subject of my presentation on the manner in which the […]
The Invisible Woman at the Phoenix
Yesterday after a particularly enjoyable discussion on the poetry of Christina Rossetti, our instructor mentioned that Ralph Fiennes’ The Invisible Woman was playing at the Phoenix Cinema Art Cafe Bar later that same evening. This is a film I have long been anticipating due to its relevance to my collection and study of 19th century […]
Edgar Allan Poe and The Tell-Tale Heart
Last week I had the pleasure of attending SPELL’s Short Story Reading Group which featured Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.” It was a wonderful experience revisiting “The Tell-Tale Heart” as I had not read it in many years. It is odd to realize that this masterpiece of horror fiction is quite simple in execution; […]
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 […]
Walking in the Shadow of the Brontës
A cold day and a clouded sky form the ideal climate for a journey into the past and further into the imagination. On such a day in November, I traveled to Haworth to visit the Brontë Parsonage Museum; to visit the home of that extraordinary family and to walk in the footsteps of genius. I […]
Dracula and The Dream
Hello and welcome to the ramblings of a lunatic. To be more specific, I am an American studying for my MA in Victorian Literature at the University of Leicester and although it is true that I have a deep admiration for the moon, I can assure you that I have not yet developed lycanthropic tendencies. […]
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