An exploration of how rigidly Shakespeare adheres to iambic pentameter, examining his use of metrical variation, substitution, and the relationship between rhythm and dramatic meaning.
An analysis of Hamlet’s To Be or Not to Be soliloquy, focusing on its ethical arguments about revenge, mortality, and the paralysis of indecision.
An examination of the claim that Shakespeare coined an exceptional number of English words and expressions, weighing the evidence from contemporary sources and the history of the language.
A concise introduction to what we know about Shakespeare from contemporary sources, tracing the documentary record of his life from his baptism in Stratford in 1564 to his burial there, with reference to contemporary praise from Francis Meres.
An analysis of Oliver Twist examining the tension between social reform and conformity, exploring how Dickens uses the figure of the orphan to critique the Poor Law and Victorian attitudes to poverty and crime.
An analysis of the relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, examining the textual evidence for the theory that they may be half-siblings and what this means for our reading of the novel.
An examination of the reality of Victorian women’s lives, challenging the idealised Angel in the House stereotype and exploring women’s roles in 19th-century society.
An overview of women’s lives and gender politics in 17th-century England, with reference to writers including Mary Wroth and Aphra Behn.
A study of Mary Astell, often considered the first English feminist, exploring her arguments for women’s education and her place in 17th-century intellectual and religious life.
An account of the English Civil Wars of the 17th century, examining the conflict between Crown and Parliament, the role of Puritanism, and the wider Wars of the Three Kingdoms.