Brothels and booksellers

The North East Forum in Eighteenth-Century and Romantic Studies is holding an event on Friday 27th November (Priestman 215, 3-5pm). There will be two papers: Catherine Ellis (Durham), ‘Sensual Suppers: Eating and Drinking in the Parisian Brothel’; and David Fallon (Sunderland), ‘Gillrayand Faulderversus the Lascivious Earl: A Bookseller in the Tides of Culture’. All are welcome and the talks will be followed by free drinks!

The forum was founded in 2004. It is a collaboration between Durham University, Newcastle University, Northumbria University and Sunderland. The forum hosts a number of seminars each year in the North East, and aims to foster discussion and research into all aspects of British culture of the long-eighteenth century and Romantic period.

Banter in Sweden

Dr Angela Smith has recently returned from a trip to Sweden where she was invited to give a paper at Örebro University's Media and Communication research symposium.  The paper, based on a chapter in her forthcoming book, Belligerent Broadcasting (co-authored with Michael Higgins), dealt with the phenomenon of argument as entertainment in the form of banter as found on shows such as Top Gear, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and many other comedy-quiz formats.  Angela suggested that the particular form of banter found in such shows is primarily masculine in character.

English Research Seminar

Debbie Taylor (editor of Mslexia magazine) will be giving her top tips on writing for publication. She will be answering any questions you might have about the industry and providing a unique insight into her role and the submissions process. Friday 27th November, David Goldman 107, 12-1 pm. All welcome.

First issue of Cadence published

Sunderland University Poetry Society (SUPS) is pleased to announce the launch of Cadence. This new literary magazine, currently available in print, PDF, and ebook formats, has a tripartite structure: poetry from the society, academic interviews, and poetry from published poets. Contributors from the society this autumn are Connor Bell, Jessica Cartner, Ben Taylor, Theodora Roper and the magazine's English undergraduate editor, Samuel D J Weaver; the academic interview is with Dr David Fallon; and Mary Robinson is the Guest poet (you can see one of her poems in last summer’s Poetry Review). SUPS is always looking for new members and students who would like to contribute to their publications.

Cadence can be obtained through the Blurb Bookshop and ibooks.  Print copies are £8.99, PDF copies are £3.50, and ebooks are £0.99.  For more information about the Society, the magazine, and submissions email sunderlandunipoetrysociety@gmail.com or contact them through the Society House. 

Launch of Education and Society Postgraduate Research Group

Are you a postgraduate research student in the Faculty of Education and Society? If so, you might be interested in a development led by PhD students in the Department of Culture. More details can be found on the group's website. They also tweet here.

Blake, Albion and the French Revolution

Blake's Albion

An essay by Dr David Fallon has been published in Home and Nation in British Literature from the English to the French Revolutions, a Cambridge University Press collection edited by A.D. Cousins and Geoffrey Payne. In 'Homelands: Blake, Albion, and the French Revolution', David shows the significance in Blake's writing of the Enlightenment discourse of national manners and the emerging notions of nationalism and the militarised nation-state that arose during the British wars with revolutionary France. Blake's poetry reveals a complex relationship to nationalism as he attempts to articulate a form of distinctly British patriotism without endorsing the 'official' martial British nationalism of the time. He argues that Blake, like a number of radical contemporaries, regarded the violence of the French Revolution and the aggressive response of Britain arising from deeply engrained national cultures.

Languages research seminar series

Dr Sheila Walsh (French) is pleased to announce the inaugural event in a new research seminar series. Dr Miguel Gomes (Spanish) will present 'The Challenge of Translating Literature: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Words.' The talk will take place on Monday 30th November at 5pm in Forster 302. All welcome.