I was very inspired by this Polaroid of the haunted landscape behind M.R. James’ childhood Suffolk home, taken at dusk by the writer Adam Scovell. I had a look through my Diana Baby 110 shots for some suitably folkish, spooky shots of Chichester, which is where I’m currently living. Although ancient, I don’t think this city has […]
I’m Emily, an apprentice journalist, a nearly-done PhD student, a writer and an occasional picture-maker. My thing is the long nineteenth century and Neo-Victorianism in literature, art, and the archives, whether it’s ‘asylums’ or activism, science or the supernatural – and particularly when these intersect with folklore or cabaret or horror. Here are some of my […]
I was lucky enough to review two texts on nineteenth- and early twentieth-century spirituality for the British Association of Victorian Studies’ newsletter. They explore how Mesmerism, Spiritualism, occultism, and non-Christian religions such as Buddhism provided means for people from this era to reconcile old faith with the theological and philosophical challenges of modernity. I can […]
Adam Scovell’s Folk Horror is an excellent primer on the cultural mode, as manifested in fiction, film, music and television. Not only does it offer an accessible introduction to those new to the discourse around folk horror, but it should also interest those who are au fait with the subgenre: it offers much depth of analysis […]
Narrative and nature go hand in hand. We’ve used stories to make sense of the world around us, to feel control over the uncontrollable, the inexplicable. To experience a connection, or to delight in an uncanny disconnect. The trees bear witness, the waters offer chances anew. Who is standing on the other side of that […]
The mayor of Chichester, cllr Martyn Bell, opened The Oxmarket Gallery’s new exhibition at a launch event last night. ‘Father and Daughter’, which will be open until November 18, showcases the work of two artists and educationalists. Five years ago, the work of Clarence Whaite (1895-1978) and his daughter Gillian Whaite (1934-2012) was rediscovered by […]
[This story was first published on The British Society for Literature and Science website. The original post can be read here: bsls.ac.uk/reviews/romantic-and-victorian/alex-tankard-tuberculosis-and-disabled-identity-in-nineteenth-century-literature-invalid-lives.] Alex Tankard, Tuberculosis and Disabled Identity in Nineteenth-Century Literature: Invalid Lives (London: Palgrave Macmillan 2018) ix + 238 pp. £62.99 PDF & EPUB, £79.00 Hb. ISBN 978-3-319-71445-5 Alex Tankard’s Tuberculosis and Disabled Identity in Nineteenth-Century Literature: Invalid […]
