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: Poetry
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
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’?
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
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
Marvell, Shakespeare, and Green Sicknesses
April 11, 2016
Green is the colour of innocence and experience, of sickness and of health. A glimpse at what it means to be ‘green’ in Andrew Marvell and William Shakespeare. … More Marvell, Shakespeare, and Green Sicknesses
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)
‘Who would write?’ The seven-year itch
March 9, 2016
How often should we reinvent ourselves? Writing Privacy turned the ripe old age of seven this week, and it’s decision time about whether this becomes the second journal to bite the dust. … More ‘Who would write?’ The seven-year itch
A Matter of Life and Death
February 14, 2016
What would change if you knew you had the chance to live your life repeatedly until you got it right? A story of a poem, a novel, and a show; fantasy, philosophy, and a game of numerous lifes. … More A Matter of Life and Death
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