School of English
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Research Seminar - Wednesday February 10th
Dr Tony Howe
Birmingham City University
Shelley and Familiarity
Matthew Arnold famously described Shelley as a 'beautiful and ineffectual angel, beating in the void his luminous wings in vain'. Such accounts of Shelley's unworldliness have been energetically challenged (perhaps now to the point of truism or even overbalance) by scholars who point to a full range of real-world Shelleyan investments and pragmatisms, notably in the sphere of politics. Historicism has been less interested, however, in the formal and stylistic implications of Shelley's attempts to reconcile a practical (yet necessarily, according to its own logic, abstruse) idealism with a desire to find popular accord and achieve widespread impact (to use a word currently much misunderstood). This paper will consider these tensions as Shelley responds to them through what he called his 'familiar style'.
Seminar to be held 12.45-2.00pm in B603 (sixth floor of Baker Building).
All are welcome to attend.
Added by Andrew Kehoe on February 08, 2010
School Newsletter - January 2010
The January 2010 edition of the School of English newsletter is now available online here.
Added by Andrew Kehoe on January 21, 2010
2010 Orator's Prize Winner
The School of English is delighted to announce the first winner of a new prize founded to showcase the work of NAW students in the annual graduation brochure. The brief was to write no more than 400 words on a theme suitable for the event and congratulations go to Federay Holmes, who receives £150 plus publication in the brochure. Her work will be read by more than 20,000 people during a series of ceremonies in January and February 2010. Federay's winning entry is available online here.
Added by Andrew Kehoe on November 24, 2009
Semester 2 Timetable
Semester 2 teaching will begin on January 18th 2010. The Semester 2 timetable is now available. Definitive reading lists will be published from January 1st.
Added by Andrew Kehoe on November 11, 2009
AHRC funding for Research & Development Unit
The Research and Development Unit for English Studies (RDUES) in the School has recently secured a research project worth £92k, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, to develop a learning resource for use at secondary school level. The Knowledge Transfer Fellowship award will fund a new project designed to introduce the WebCorp Linguist's Search Engine (WebCorpLSE) as a state-of-the-art curriculum resource for the teaching of A-level English Language.
Added by Andrew Kehoe on October 21, 2009