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
Tag: English Civil War
A New Horatian Ode: Brexit and Civil War
July 11, 2019
Inspired by the new BBC documentary, Downfall of a King, a few connections between Brexit and the conflicts of the 1640s. … More A New Horatian Ode: Brexit and Civil War
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
Learning a new language
March 10, 2018
I was reminded this week how nerve-wracking it can be getting to grips with a master’s, and why I have my supervisor to thank for it. … More Learning a new language
“If you go down to the woods today”: early modern social relations
March 19, 2016
Hillary Taylor spoke at the IHR about the ‘transactional language’ that governed social relations in early modern England. This reminded me of a fable by Thomas Fuller about a king who took a trip to the woods… … More “If you go down to the woods today”: early modern social relations
British Milton Seminar (March 2016)
March 13, 2016
The 53rd British Milton Seminar took place at the Birmingham and Midland Institute on Saturday 12th March 2016, featuring papers on laughing, smiling, ‘erring’ and commercialising in Paradise Lost. … More British Milton Seminar (March 2016)
British Milton Seminar / Milton and America (2015)
March 17, 2015
A summary of the 51st British Milton Seminar held in Birmingham in March 2015, and the fourth annual Milton lecture, ‘Milton and America’, delivered by Thomas Corns at the Mercers’ Hall in London. … More British Milton Seminar / Milton and America (2015)
Crossing the Line: An Epilogue, 2013
January 25, 2014
Andrew Marvell’s saddest and most thoughtful poem is all about lines that are determined never to cross. If 2013 was to be defined by anything, it’s how life defies those who try too hard to make them cross. … More Crossing the Line: An Epilogue, 2013
Reading the Small Print: Marvell’s Horatian Ode
September 27, 2012
New material on Marvell’s ‘Horatian Ode’ excites me more than any other subject, I would wager. It is one of the iconic poems upon which every Marvellian faces his or her own judgement day. … More Reading the Small Print: Marvell’s Horatian Ode
The Fairfax 400 Anniversary Conference
July 6, 2012
The Fairfax 400 Conference took place at the Centre for English Local History, University of Leicester, on June 30th and July 1st, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the birth of Thomas, Lord Fairfax (1612-1671). … More The Fairfax 400 Anniversary Conference
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