Writing Privacy

Acknowledgements, as they read in my submitted doctoral dissertation.

Spanning two countries and three universities, the road to completing this thesis has been far from straightforward, and I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to many people. I must begin with Lukas Erne, without whom the project could never have begun. Though my tenure at the University of Geneva as a graduate teaching assistant came to a premature end, the opportunity afforded to me was a magnificent one, and the experience has undoubtedly helped to shape the trajectory of this thesis. Lukas’s assistance and encouragements have continued long after my departure, and for this I am truly thankful.

Since my return to the UK in 2009, I have been privileged to work with Martin Dzelzainis, one of the world’s leading authorities on Marvell. Martin’s formidable knowledge and meticulous standards have been invaluable in helping me to reach new heights in accuracy and coherence. He has allowed me the freedom to pursue this dissertation in my own way, and I am glad to repay that trust.

For the impetus to undertake postgraduate research, I owe a huge debt to Stephen Cheeke, whose inspirational teaching during my first and last semesters as a Bristol undergraduate will never be forgotten. It is always the memory of Stephen’s resounding encouragements that has arisen whenever there has been any cause for doubt. I am also grateful to David Hopkins and James Loxley for their assistance and expertise in supervising my BA and MSc dissertations respectively.

The experience of research is made considerably richer by networking and participation. Over the long course of this dissertation, I have been grateful to Martin Leer, Richard Waswo, Neil Forsyth and Anthony Mortimer for inspiring discussions during my spell in Switzerland; to the Andrew Marvell Centre in Hull for receiving me numerous times; and to the organisers of the Early Modern Seminar in Leicester. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have undertaken research at a vibrant time in Marvellian studies, and to have met many eminent scholars in the process.

For proof-reading this thesis with great care and diligence, my gracious thanks go to Ashley Dodsworth and David Goldstein, both of whom have gone above and beyond the call of friendship. The readers of Writing Privacy have seen some of the ideas below presented in their infancy, often with the candid and challenging thoughts that inspired them. I have been grateful for the public and private feedback, and for having this kind of environment to turn to. I would also like to express my gratitude to my students in Switzerland, and especially Tatiana Molnar, who inspired me to think more about Marvell’s darker shades.

For additional support and encouragement, I would like to thank Paul, Alastaire, Caroline, Kalyn, and the Knightmare crowd for a decade or more in friendship, and also the members of the SPELL community here at Leicester, who have made the last few years far more enjoyable and far less solitary than they might otherwise have been.

Following my employment at the University of Geneva, financial support for this project was provided by Royal Holloway (Bradley de Glehn Scholarship) for one year, and then by Leicester, through a fee-waiver scholarship by special arrangement. I am extremely grateful for all of this support, and have endeavoured to deliver a thesis worthy of the faith that has been bestowed upon me. It is gratifying to report that parts of chapters 3 and 4 are due to be published in 2014, in volumes by Manchester University Press and Ashgate respectively.

Finally, I would like to dedicate this to my family in Sunderland. They know little of my work, but have always supported my choice to pursue this to the end. Though it is unlikely that they will ever see this page, this was written in receipt of their love and in an attempt to make them proud.

KaM