I became an enthusiastic researcher of Neo-Victorian and nineteenth-century literature when undertaking my undergraduate degree at Newman University. This led me to embark on an interdisciplinary Master’s in Victorian Studies which was fully funded from 2015 - 2017 by Newman University, completing a wide range of modules addressing the politics, literature, architecture and art of the period.
My MA dissertation entitled ‘The Victorian Railway: A sexual danger for women, or a threat to patriarchal control?’ examined nineteenth-century newspaper reports of sexual abuse towards women on the railways. I also compared the reportage to the depiction of the female railway traveller in literature and art. This included Mary Brandon’s novel Wyllard’s Weird and several Victorian railway paintings, most famously Augustus Egg’s Travelling Companions. I have since presented my MA research at several conferences and I am taking steps to get this material published.
I co-founded Gothica, Birmingham’s new, postgraduate-led reading group interested in the ever-present role of the Gothic in popular fiction and culture. The group meets once per month to trace the long history of the Gothic genre, from the nineteenth century to the present, and explore its spectral appearance in fantasy, horror, and science fiction. We often host guest speakers from staff, students, to writers and independent researchers. Our interdisciplinary approach has attracted a large audience across the globe who share a passion for the uncanny. Please contact uobgothica@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list and follow our Twitter @Gothica_UOB for more information. All staff, students, and subjects are welcome.