Research English At Durham
Think of a medieval romance, and you might imagine brave courtly knights dashing to the rescue of women held captive by monstrous beasts and dragons. But think again. Olivia Colquitt introduces us to the 14th-century Mélusine story, in which the beautiful woman is not all that she seems and it is the man who ends up... Continue Reading →
When we say that a theatre performance ‘brought the house down’, we usually don’t mean that literally. But in the case of Shakespeare’s play Henry VIII, or as it’s sometimes known, All is True, the phrase really does apply. In a performance in 1613 a stray spark from a cannon ignited a fire that burned... Continue Reading →
“Vivam!” “I will live.” The final word of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, proclaiming the poet’s hope that he will continue to be known through his great work. It’s a prediction that of course turns out to be true, as we’re still reading and influenced by the Metamorphoses 2000 years after it was written. In this podcast, Simona Martorana... Continue Reading →
Imagine yourself immersed in a beautiful landscape, and being moved by the view before your eyes. To remember the experience, perhaps you might take a photograph. But while a photograph can snap a single moment, a still image doesn’t really reflect the way your original experience unfolded through time. Can writing achieve something different? Both... Continue Reading →
Durham University’s Palace Green Library is home to many medieval manuscripts, but among the most precious is one of just three surviving collections of poetry written by the hand of one Thomas Hoccleve – fourteenth-century civil servant, letter writer, and poet. Laurie Atkinson puts some of Hoccleve’s literary output under the reading lamp, as he... Continue Reading →
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