Andrew Marvell at 400
March 31, 2021
The seventeenth-century poet, politician and prose satirist Andrew Marvell has been a large part of my life for the past 20 years. A short commemoration of that journey. … More Andrew Marvell at 400
Category: Literature
Christopher Hill, Andrew Marvell, and the Dissenting Tradition
November 6, 2018
I owe much of my interest in the seventeenth century to the late historian, Christopher Hill (1912-2003). I went to see Justin Champion deliver an impassioned defence of Hill and his work at a memorial lecture in Newark. … More Christopher Hill, Andrew Marvell, and the Dissenting Tradition
Was Marvell a seventeenth-century ‘incel’?
June 6, 2018
The difficulties of dealing with involuntary celibacy, from desolation to misogyny, seem to haunt some of Andrew Marvell’s most famous lyric poems. … More Was Marvell a seventeenth-century ‘incel’?
Samuel Pepys and His Books
June 1, 2018
Review of Kate Loveman, Samuel Pepys & His Books: Reading, Newsgathering & Sociability, 1660-1703 (Oxford University Press, 2015). … More Samuel Pepys and His Books
A Little Life
May 13, 2018
Hanya Yanagihara’s enrapturing novel A Little Life (2015) finds astonishing depths in suffering and the efforts to make it tolerable. … More A Little Life
Marvell, Dryden, and the Horatian Ode
February 16, 2017
There is no hard evidence that Andrew Marvell’s ‘Horatian Ode’ ever left his hands. Yet, it may have come to John Dryden’s attention. How is Dryden the privileged one? A brief study of hard and soft evidence. … More Marvell, Dryden, and the Horatian Ode
Dealing with inadequacy: Apple Tree Yard
January 24, 2017
There’s no escape from growing old, but can we escape the sense of inadequacy it can bring? Watching this unfold is perhaps the most uncomfortable aspect of the BBC’s new drama, Apple Tree Yard. … More Dealing with inadequacy: Apple Tree Yard
A former academic favours Aladdin
July 24, 2016
Recalling the final lecture I gave to undergraduate students – and its crazy Disney comparisons. … More A former academic favours Aladdin
Man, monster, or both? Bringing Beowulf to the gaming sphere
July 7, 2016
Students at UCL have contributed to a gaming project that is designed to engage people with literature and question the stereotypes that ‘demonise’ video-game players. … More Man, monster, or both? Bringing Beowulf to the gaming sphere
Would Marvell approve of Tinder? A response to Cosmopolitan
May 10, 2016
The seventeenth-century poet Andrew Marvell received a mention in a recent Cosmopolitan article about Tinder. Would he really have approved of it, as its author claims? … More Would Marvell approve of Tinder? A response to Cosmopolitan
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