One of the most eye-catching details about Andrew Marvell was his lack of friends. On the one hand, who could blame all those who knew him? He was (or became) a private, suspicious man, angry and fractious at times. On the other hand, who could blame him? A few concerned observations on what media revolutions in the 1640s and 2000s mean for ‘friendship’. Continue reading »
To speak in one way and act in another is something almost all of us do. We would be hypocrites ourselves to deny it. Often, it is a tool of diplomacy, of fitting in, even of subjugating oneself. A look at royalism, privacy and hypocrisy in the seventeenth century. Continue reading »
If I am following the destiny of Andrew Marvell so well, chances are that, thanks to biographical hints from John Aubrey, I will have to develop a taste for the grapevine. Continue reading »
