Discovering literary treasures
Just a stone’s throw away from the hustle and bustle of London Victoria is the Royal Horticultural Society’s Lindley Library, an elaborate red-brick building with a rich intellectual heritage. Specialising in botanical art and garden history, the Lindley Library is a horticultural lover’s paradise, and contains a fascinating array of early printed books on gardening, […]
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From Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto, to Matthew Lewis’s The Monk, explore the 18th century texts that have shaped the origins of Gothic Literature
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Containing J K Rowling’s Harry Potter manuscripts, the British Library’s exhibition: Harry Potter: A History of Magic is packed with magical delights.
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The comedian Menander (342-490 BC), remains one of ancient Greece’s most influential playwrights. He was the leading representative of New Comedy, a theatrical form that originated in Athens. Plays of this kind focused on the struggles of everyday life, from issues concerning marriage, to money. Despite writing over one hundred plays during his lifetime, only […]
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In 1894, the novelist Sarah Grand introduced the term ‘New Woman’ in her essay ‘The New Aspect of the Woman Question’ published in the North American Review. The New Woman was a dominant figure during the 1890s and the early 20th century, and threatened ideals of femininity with her demands for the vote, education and […]
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St George’s legendary fight against the dragon is firmly embedded in England’s cultural history. But who was St George, and why has he become so famous? Little is known about the exact details of St George’s life, but he is believed to have been born in Cappadocia (an area in modern day Turkey), in the […]
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The fifteenth century saw the emergence of continental women’s mystical works appearing in England, facilitated by the early printed textual tradition of Wynkyn de Worde and William Caxton (Grisé Holy Women in Print 83). Indeed, the translation of the works of women such as St Catherine of Siena (1347-8), St Bridget of Sweden (c.1302/3-73), and […]
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In 970 AD, one of the UK’s greatest literary treasures was written: the Exeter Book. It is probably the oldest surviving book of poetry from Anglo-Saxon England, and contains a fascinating array of Old English works, from Christian and elegaic poems, to riddles! The book was bequeathed to Exeter Cathedral Library by the first bishop […]
Read MoreThe Romantic poet William Wordsworth (1770-1850) spent most of his life in the Lake District, living with his sister Dorothy and his wife Mary Hutchinson. In this video I’ll show you the places and landscapes that influenced his poetry! Places Featured: Dove Cottage, Grasmere Owned by the Wordsworth Trust, Dove Cottage is lovely to explore, […]
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The fictional story of Sweeney Todd, the London barber who kills his victims and makes them into pies with his accomplice Mrs Lovett, has captivated audiences for almost two hundred years. While numerous films ensure Todd’s tale remains in the popular imagination, where did his story originate? In 1846-7 the British “hack writer” Thomas Preskett […]
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