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The Poetry of Robert Frost, The Power and Intrigue of Simile

Frost's line, 'I found a dimpled spider... holding up a moth like a white piece of rigid satin cloth' exploits simile... But how can a moth be like cloth? -This is one of a number of examples that will be explored with a view to refining our understanding of smilie.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge's 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' and Poetic Technique

In the line, 'The Western wave was aflame', the 'Western wave' refers to the sea. But is it this simple? What do forms of substitution, synecdoche for example, lend to this magnificent and shadowy poem?

The Right Stuff: How Do We Make Moral Choices?

A review of developments in moral psychology over the last two decades, specifically the neuroscience of moral decision-making, and the implications of this research for ethical issues such as moral responsibility. Particularly focus will be given to the capacity to make unwise decisions...

Shakespeare's Sonnets and the Use of Personification

'When well-appareled April on the heel / Of limping winter treads'. A calendar month cannot dress, nor can a season walk. This lecture will explore the magic of personification in Shakespeare's poetry.

Did Sir Walter Scott Invent Scotland?

This lecture will explain why Scott’s romanticised representations of Scotland were such a hit, and how his enduring legacy has helped or hindered Scotland as it seeks to define its place in Britain today.

The Curious Case of the Decapitated Frog

A discussion of the nature of consciousness founded in startling 1853 experiments on living, decapitated frogs. The debate brought in the greatest minds of the age and is still with us today.

Charles Dickens, 'Hard Times' and Hyperbole

Dickens' use of exaggeration is key to his style. But its use has myriad effects from making a character's disposition unmissable, to adding whimsy and humour.

Have There Been Cycles of Popularity For Jane Austen?

A question from the lecture 'Jane Austen, Persuasion: Irony and...

Jane Austen, 'Persuasion': Irony and the Mysterious Vagaries of Narrative

Narrative, the way a tale is told, is less straightforward than we might suppose. Austen handled irony brilliantly and systematically exploited new ways of narrating, including free indirect discourse. This lecture explores why Austen's way of narrating are so compelling.

Fairytale endings and complex irony - How do these reconcile with each other?

A question from the lecture 'Jane Austen, Persuasion: Irony and...

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