Victorian Legacies

In this episode I'm joined by Dr Clare Stainthorp, who researches into nineteenth-century atheist, secular and agnostic movements, and their periodical culture. We discuss how pamphlets and periodical culture helped not only to provide a space in which like-minded individuals could discuss freethought ideas, but enabled them to form a community and organise events. We discuss notable individuals such as Constance Naden, and also talk about the upcoming freehtought conference.

About my guest: Dr Clare Stainthorp is a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellow in the Department of English at Queen Mary, University of London. She is primarily working on a new project about nineteenth-century atheist, secular, and agnostic movements and their periodicals. Her first book (which came out in 2019) was on the Victorian poet, atheist philosopher, and scientist Constance Naden, about whom she has also published in a range of other academic venues. Clare has co-edited a volume of primary sources titled ‘Disbelief and New Beliefs’ for a Routledge Historical Resource on Nineteenth-Century Religion, Literature and Culture, which came out in 2020. Other strands of her current research include nineteenth-century esotericism and the works of George Egerton, and freethought writing for children; more broadly, she is interested in Victorian women's poetry, the dialogue as a literary form, and interdisciplinarity in nineteenth-century Britain

For more information on Clare's work, check out the details below:
https://www.qmul.ac.uk/sed/staff/stainthorpc.html

For details on the Freethought in the Long Nineteenth Century: New Perspectives conference: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/sed/events/freethought/

Check out Clare's suggestions:

George Egerton - Keynotes (can be freely available via Archives.org)

Episode Credits:

Episode Writer, Editor and Producer: Emma Catan
Music: Burning Steaks (by Stationary Sign) - obtained via EpidemicSound

Check us out at the following social media pages and websites!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victorianlegaciespodcast
Twitter: @victorianlegac1
Instagram: @victorianlegaciespodcast
Website: https://emmacatan.wordpress.com/victorian-legacies-podcast/
Email: [email protected]

In this episode I'm joined by Laura Demaude, who is currently finishing her MA dissertation on gaslighting and the Gothic. We discuss how gaslighting is represented in Victorian and Neo-Victorian texts written by female authors (such as Bronte's Jane Eyre). We also note how physical gaslighting was used to influence this effect, especially in the film Gaslight. Our discussion also focuses on the importance of discussing literary representations of gaslighting, especially in the light of the #metoo movement.

About my guest: Laura is an MA research student at the University of Lincoln, focusing on how gaslighting and physical lighting work together to oppress women and ‘make’ them into freaks in Gothic literature. She is fascinated by crowd psychology and the ways in which literature can, and does, influence the way we think, as well as in how these influences include and precede the Victorian era.

For more information on Laura's work, check out the details below:
Twitter: @lattepowered
Email: [email protected]

Check out Laura's suggestions:

Sarah Waters' works
Laura Purcell - The Silent Companions
The Alienist (TV series)

Episode Credits:

Episode Writer, Editor and Producer: Emma Catan
Music: Burning Steaks (by Stationary Sign) - obtained via EpidemicSound

Check us out at the following social media pages and websites!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victorianlegaciespodcast
Twitter: @victorianlegac1
Instagram: @victorianlegaciespodcast
Website: https://emmacatan.wordpress.com/victorian-legacies-podcast/
Email: [email protected]

In this episode I'm joined by Duncan McNulty, founder and provost of the Bartitsu and Antagonistics Forum (BAF) . We discuss how Bartitsu was founded by Barton Wright in the 19th century, how it is presented now within the BAF and other organisations. We consider how the 19th century is still relevant, within pursuits like Bartistu and within steampunk. We discuss the nostalgic element, and how English ideas of colonialism and importance is so ingrained in the English consciousness now. We also reminisce about Duncan's time-travelling wedding!

About my guest: Duncan currently runs the Bartitsu & Antagonsitics Forum as well as leading the instruction at the weekly classes. He has the title Provost to denote organisational responsibilities rather than qualifications, he has always claimed to be a first among equals rather than a traditional instructor. Coordinating the efforts of the scholars so that the study group as a whole can continue to learn and advance. Whilst Duncan trained in sports fencing and archery during childhood and through University, his unarmed martial studies began in 2001. Training in Lau Gar Kung Fu and Kick-boxing in Dundee before moving to Newcastle and switching to Seven Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu and Qi Gong. Believing that Europe’s own martial history was being overlooked he decided to leave Eastern martial arts; turning instead to study Italian Rapier and English infantry sabre.
During a weekend symposium Duncan got his first taste of Bartitsu and became hooked. Reading all he could get his hands on and getting anyone to who was willing and able to teach him, he developed a solid grounding in the martial art. In 2012 he gathered a group of like minded individuals together to set up a Bartitsu study group and so the Bartitsu & Antagonistics Forum was born.

For more information on Duncan's work with the BAF, check out the links below:
About Bartitsu - https://bartitsu.wordpress.com/about-bartitsu/
About Angatonistics - https://bartitsu.wordpress.com/antagonistics/
About Duncan - https://bartitsu.wordpress.com/provost-duncan-mcnulty/
The Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BartitsuAntagonisticsForum

Check out Duncan's suggestions:

Robert Louis Stevenson - Curious Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Professor Yukio Tani - The Art of Ju-Jitsu
Alfred Hutton - The Sword and the Centuries or Old Sword Days and Old Sword Ways
Franz Anton Mesmer - The Discovery of Animal Magnetism

Episode Credits:

Episode Writer, Editor and Producer: Emma Catan
Music: Burning Steaks (by Stationary Sign) - obtained via EpidemicSound

Check us out at the following social media pages and websites!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victorianlegaciespodcast
Twitter: @victorianlegac1
Instagram: @victorianlegaciespodcast
Website: https://emmacatan.wordpress.com/victorian-legacies-podcast/
Email: [email protected]

In this episode I'm joined by Laure Nermel, who is finishing her PhD on Elizabeth Siddal,. We discuss how the Pre-Raphaelites are portrayed in Neo-Victorian fiction (novels, but also TV shows and plays), especially the women who were connected to the movement. We discuss the value of Siddal's work in her own right (not just as a model but as an artist and writer herself).

About my guest:

After a B.A in English literature at the Sorbonne, Laure went to Cape Town for a study exchange programme as a French tutor. Her Master’s dissertation focussed on Victorian visual arts, which enabled her to publish an article in the Journal des Arts about fairy painting. She completed her education in Museum Studies at the University of Westminster, by participating in several projects at the Musée d’Orsay, the V&A, Tate and the Museum of London. She is now a licensed tour guide specialised in 19th century culture, museum displays and gender issues. Her PhD is on the creative agency of Pre-Raphaelite artist and poet Elizabeth Siddal at Lille University. In 2021, she contributed to the writing of the book Pre-Raphaelite Sisters (Peter Lang) and to the issue of the online journal GLAD! dedicated to networks and communities of women artists.

Check out Laure's suggestions:

Elizabeth Siddal's poetry (2018 edition has 15 full poems, fragments and essays)
Elizabeth Siddal - the play
Joanne Harris - Sleep, Pale Sister

Episode Credits:

Episode Writer, Editor and Producer: Emma Catan
Music: Burning Steaks (by Stationary Sign) - obtained via EpidemicSound

Check us out at the following social media pages and websites!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victorianlegaciespodcast
Twitter: @victorianlegac1
Instagram: @victorianlegaciespodcast
Website: https://emmacatan.wordpress.com/victorian-legacies-podcast/
Email: [email protected]

In this episode I'm joined by Nat Reeve, who is not only keeping busy with a PhD on Elizabeth Siddal, but is a Neo-Victorian novelist! We talk about their debut novel Nettleblack, the first of two novels with Cipher Press. Both books follow the adventures of fictional queer Victorians in an eccentric rural setting. We discuss how the novels came about, and the importance of having queer voices represented in Neo-Victorian works (and supported by queer friendly publishers)

About my guest:

Nat Reeve is a novelist and PhD candidate at Royal Holloway, University of London, queer reading the unruly landscapes, medieval objects and spectral beings in Elizabeth Siddal’s art and poetry. Their debut novel Nettleblack – a queer neo-Victorian adventure following a runaway heiress and a chaotic group of detectives – will be published by Cipher Press this June, with its sequel following in 2023. They have forthcoming essays in the journal Word & Image and the Pre-Raphaelite Sisters edited collection about Elizabeth Siddal’s queering of medieval iconography..

For more information on Nat's work, check out the links and details below:

Nettleblack: https://www.cipherpress.co.uk/shop/nettleblack

Check out Nat's suggestions:

Mikchelle Paver - Wakenhyrst
Amy Dillwyn's works (especially The Rebecca Rioter, Jill, and The Burglary)

Episode Credits:

Episode Writer, Editor and Producer: Emma Catan
Music: Burning Steaks (by Stationary Sign) - obtained via EpidemicSound

Check us out at the following social media pages and websites!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victorianlegaciespodcast
Twitter: @victorianlegac1
Instagram: @victorianlegaciespodcast
Website: https://emmacatan.wordpress.com/victorian-legacies-podcast/
Email: [email protected]

Episode 16 - Dr Nicole C Dittmer and Sophie Raine - Penny Dreadfuls and the Gothic

In this episode I'm joined by Nicole and Sophie, who have a forthcoming collection called Penny Dreadfuls and the Gothic; or, Investigations of Pernicious Tales of Terror. We chat about how their individual interests in the Gothic emerged, how they came to work together on their collection, and some tidbits about what we'll read! They also provide fantastic examples of things to watch or read, both modern and 19th century. We also chat about what they think about the enduring fascination with the 19th century.

In this episode I'm joined by Dr Éadaoin Agnew, where we discuss her research into Victorian writers of colour (particularly within India, featuring writers who published in English). We discuss the need for decolonising the curriculum in all areas of the academy, how literary studies is still Western-centric, and how institutional barriers like educational policy problematise efforts to address colonial histories.

About my guest:

Éadaoin is a Senior Lecturer and the Course Leader for English Literature at Kingston University. She specialises in the Victorian period, and has a particular interest in the literature of the British empire. In both her teaching and research, she assumes a transnational and global approach to the nineteenth-century, although my research focuses largely on the Indian subcontinent. She has produced a scholarly edition of two early nineteenth-century travel texts and is currently working on transnational anti-colonial discourses in fin-de-siècle India. She is also developing a pedagogical project to decolonise the Victorians., the link to the survey is below (Victorian Diversities Research Network)


For more information on Éadaoin's work, check out the links and details below:

https://www.kingston.ac.uk/staff/profile/dr-eacuteadaoin-agnew-580/

surveymonkey.co.uk/r/8JZCK25 - survey for the Victorian Diversities Research Network

Twitter: @EadaoinAgnew

Check out Éadaoin's suggestions:
Swami Vivekananda - Raja Yoga

Episode Credits:

Episode Writer, Editor and Producer: Emma Catan
Music: Burning Steaks (by Stationary Sign) - obtained via EpidemicSound

Check us out at the following social media pages and websites!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victorianlegaciespodcast
Twitter: @victorianlegac1
Instagram: @victorianlegaciespodcast
Website: https://emmacatan.wordpress.com/victorian-legacies-podcast/
Email: [email protected]

Episode 14 - Dr Oindrila Ghosh - Thomas Hardy

In this episode I'm joined by Dr Oindrila Ghosh where we discuss her extensive research on the works of Thomas Hardy. We discuss how her interest in literature began in her education in India, from high school into PhD and beyond. Particularly, we talk about how broadening the academic field to "non-Western" countries is particularly useful in Victorian Studies, and how her experience as an Indian academic has helped her to consider new ways of reading Hardy's work.


About my guest:

Oindrila is currently Associate Professor, Department of English, Diamond Harbour Women’s University. Her doctoral thesis, awarded by Jadavpur University, was on the Treatment of Motherhood in the Shorter Fiction of Thomas Hardy. She has been awarded the Charles Wallace India Trust, UK, Short Research Grant twice (2009, 2019), for Pre and Post Doctoral Research respectively. She had been invited twice to Dorchester as Speaker and Session-Chair by the Thomas Hardy Society, UK, at their Biennial Hardy Conferences in 2014 and 2016. She has also been the recipient of the prestigious Frank Pinion Award in 2014 given by the Hardy Society. She was an invited as Speaker on ‘Hardy’s Unpublished Correspondences in the Dorset County Museum’ at the Arts and Humanities Research Council sponsored (AHRC) Workshop on ‘Institutions of Literature’ at the University of York, UK, in December, 2017. She was a Post Doctoral UGC Associate at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla in 2016, 2018 and 2019. Apart from a number of notable, and often-cited, essays on Hardy in International journals, she has three edited volumes to her credit: Protean Images: A Study of Womanhood in Victorian Society and Literature (2017) and An Enigma Called Emily: Reassessing Emily Bronte at 200 (2019) and Visitation, Deception and Contestation: Interrogating Gender and the Supernatural in Victorian Shorter Fiction (2021). She has just been awarded a fellowship at the University of Surrey for 2022-2023.


For more information on Oindrila's work, check out the links and details below:

https://dhwu.academia.edu/oindrilaghosh

Check out Oindrila's latest publication:
Vision, Contestation and Deception Interrogating Gender and the Supernatural in Victorian Shorter Fiction)

Episode Credits:

Episode Writer, Editor and Producer: Emma Catan
Music: Burning Steaks (by Stationary Sign) - obtained via EpidemicSound

Check us out at the following social media pages and websites!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victorianlegaciespodcast
Twitter: @victorianlegac1
Instagram: @victorianlegaciespodcast
Website: https://emmacatan.wordpress.com/victorian-legacies-podcast/
Email: [email protected]

In this episode I'm joined by Hollie Geary-Jones, where we discuss her PhD project on sex work in 19th century France and England - the differences and similarities in how these people were treated and how they pursued sex work. In particular, we discuss how Hollie's work examines dress, infection (and how sex workers were linked to public health and disease), and performance.

TRIGGER WARNING - Discussion of sex work and treatment of sex workers

About my guest:

Hollie Geary-Jones is a PhD candidate and Visiting Lecturer at the University of Chester. Her research is titled: ‘The Nineteenth-Century Sex Worker in Fact and Fiction: Infectious Performance and Dressing the Self’. Her interdisciplinary thesis examines the extent in which French and English sex workers were able to mislead society through clothing, body, and behaviour. Today we’ll be discussing her research and interests.


For more information on Hollie's work, check out the links and details below:

https://www1.chester.ac.uk/english/research/postgraduate-research-english-students/hollie-geary-jones

Twitter:@HollieGJ1

Check out Hollie's recommended sources, which she mentioned in our episode:
Any works by Emile Zola - particularly Nana, The Kill, The Ladies' Paradise, Germinal
Dr Kate Lister - A Curious History of Sex Work

Episode Credits:

Episode Writer, Editor and Producer: Emma Catan
Music: Burning Steaks (by Stationary Sign) - obtained via EpidemicSound

Check us out at the following social media pages and websites!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victorianlegaciespodcast
Twitter: @victorianlegac1
Instagram: @victorianlegaciespodcast
Website: https://emmacatan.wordpress.com/victorian-legacies-podcast/
Email: [email protected]

In this episode I'm joined by Chris Woodyard, where we discuss how people in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries dealt with death. How death was depicted and discussed in the press (including crude jokes), the issues surrounding funeral costs and the idea of a respectable funeral. We also discuss how mourning crepe was used for political protest and criminal disguise. We talk about how some funeral practices persist to this day - not all for the better.

CONTENT WARNING: Discussion of death, suicide, child death

About my guest:

Chris Woodyard is an Ohio writer and historian. She took her undergraduate degree in Medieval and Renaissance Studies from The Ohio State University, where her emphasis was on art history. She is the author of The Victorian Book of the Dead, a book on the popular and material culture of Victorian mourning and death, as well as three volumes of Victorian and Edwardian ghost stories. She has given presentations at the Costume Society of America on shroud-makers, Victorian mourning as criminal disguise, and mourning crape as a symbol of protest. She is a member of the Costume Society of America, The Association of Dress Historians, and the Research Society for Victorian Periodicals. Her research interests center on the ephemera of dress, mourning material culture, mortuary practices, death omens, and ghosts. She is at work on the forthcoming A is for Arsenic: A Little Book of Victorian Death.

For more information on Chris' work, check out the links and details below:

Blog: https://thevictorianbookofthedead.wordpress.com/
Facebook: The Victorian Book of the Dead
Twitter: @hauntedohiobook
Podcast: Boggart and Banshee: A Supernatural Podcast (available on Apple, Podchaser)

Episode Credits:

Episode Writer, Editor and Producer: Emma Catan
Music: Burning Steaks (by Stationary Sign) - obtained via EpidemicSound

Check us out at the following social media pages and websites!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victorianlegaciespodcast
Twitter: @victorianlegac1
Instagram: @victorianlegaciespodcast
Website: https://emmacatan.wordpress.com/victorian-legacies-podcast/
Email: [email protected]