Imperialism, reform and the making of Englishness in Jane Eyre. Charlotte Brontë is usually thought to be imprecise about the time period of Jane Eyre. Working from a close chronology established from Brontë's historical allusions to West Indian slave rebellions, I propose to write a pioneering book about the novel and aspects of its reception, situating them and Brontë's juvenilia in relation to axes of reform politics in Britain in the 1820s and 1830s. I draw on innovative primary research on ....Imperialism, reform and the making of Englishness in Jane Eyre. Charlotte Brontë is usually thought to be imprecise about the time period of Jane Eyre. Working from a close chronology established from Brontë's historical allusions to West Indian slave rebellions, I propose to write a pioneering book about the novel and aspects of its reception, situating them and Brontë's juvenilia in relation to axes of reform politics in Britain in the 1820s and 1830s. I draw on innovative primary research on the articulation of gender, empire and Englishness in relation to these axes and address the implications of Brontë's invocation in 1847 of an earlier reform complex.Read moreRead less
The Dissemination and Control of Clandestine Writing in England 1695--1774. The literary underworld of the eighteenth century is the subject of serious academic pursuit internationally by literary historians, historians of sex and sexuality, philosophers and feminists. Australia's reputation will be enhanced by participating in this rapidly evolving field. Australia already has an internationally significant profile in bibliography and eighteenth-century literary studies due to a combination o ....The Dissemination and Control of Clandestine Writing in England 1695--1774. The literary underworld of the eighteenth century is the subject of serious academic pursuit internationally by literary historians, historians of sex and sexuality, philosophers and feminists. Australia's reputation will be enhanced by participating in this rapidly evolving field. Australia already has an internationally significant profile in bibliography and eighteenth-century literary studies due to a combination of outstanding scholars and resources. This project will enhance Australian strength in, and contribution to, the world-wide study of these two subjects. This study will also be informed by, and contribute to, the contemporary philosophical, religious and ethical debate concerning the distribution of contentious material.Read moreRead less
Insect societies and social butterflies: natural history and sociability in the Romantic period. During the eighteenth century, the Pacific islands and New Holland replaced America as the testing ground for ideas about the state of natural man and the origins of society. In looking at Enlightenment ideas about the natural, the human, and the social, this project will help us to learn more about ourselves as the dominant species.
Romantic Literary Celebrity and the Emergence of Modern Literary Culture, 1798-1910. This project will produce the first full-length study of Romantic literary celebrity (1798-1910). It will argue that a new form of literary fame emerged in the Romantic era, which required developed cultural and media markets. Romantic literary fame helped shape modern institutions of literary production and reception around tensions between popular cultures of celebrity and publicity and high-cultural concepts ....Romantic Literary Celebrity and the Emergence of Modern Literary Culture, 1798-1910. This project will produce the first full-length study of Romantic literary celebrity (1798-1910). It will argue that a new form of literary fame emerged in the Romantic era, which required developed cultural and media markets. Romantic literary fame helped shape modern institutions of literary production and reception around tensions between popular cultures of celebrity and publicity and high-cultural concepts of the literary artist. Using cultural history and cultural theory, the project examines transformations in the history of literary celebrity from its emergence to the modernist period by analysing intersections between literary culture and wider structures of sociability and sexuality.Read moreRead less
Complexions of Empire: racial ideology, West Indian slavery and British romanticism. The aim is to undertake a major interdisciplinary study of British culture and colonialism in the 18th century, with a particular focus on identity formation, the development of racial ideology, and the rhetoric of abolitionism. By focussing on the representation of the West Indies and West Indian social identity and customs, in the context of social conditions in England, the project will advance our current un ....Complexions of Empire: racial ideology, West Indian slavery and British romanticism. The aim is to undertake a major interdisciplinary study of British culture and colonialism in the 18th century, with a particular focus on identity formation, the development of racial ideology, and the rhetoric of abolitionism. By focussing on the representation of the West Indies and West Indian social identity and customs, in the context of social conditions in England, the project will advance our current understanding of the dynamic of metropolitan/colonial relations.Read moreRead less
War, Literary Culture and Masculinity in Romantic Period Britain, 1750-1850. The Romantic period represents a formative moment in the history of Australia and my reconsideration of Romantic culture and war has relevance for understanding this history. Australia's own experience of war first originated with the frontier wars of 1788-1838. My research into British Romantic military and naval war writing will provide key insights into the military culture that dominated this formative moment of Aus ....War, Literary Culture and Masculinity in Romantic Period Britain, 1750-1850. The Romantic period represents a formative moment in the history of Australia and my reconsideration of Romantic culture and war has relevance for understanding this history. Australia's own experience of war first originated with the frontier wars of 1788-1838. My research into British Romantic military and naval war writing will provide key insights into the military culture that dominated this formative moment of Australian military history. War has, more broadly, been pivotal in the formation of Australian nationhood and identity. My project will contribute to our understanding of the role of war in Australian culture by providing fresh insight into the historical role of war writing in constructing modern forms of identity.Read moreRead less
Portrait of a Lady: Victorian Women's Novels and the Construction of Female Subjectivity. This country enjoys an excellent reputation in the areas of feminism and Victorian Studies. This project will help keep Australia at the forefront of international scholarship in these fields by making a significant original contribution and by achieving the high level of visibility provided by a monograph with a major international publisher. More generally, 19th century England was a crucible for modern c ....Portrait of a Lady: Victorian Women's Novels and the Construction of Female Subjectivity. This country enjoys an excellent reputation in the areas of feminism and Victorian Studies. This project will help keep Australia at the forefront of international scholarship in these fields by making a significant original contribution and by achieving the high level of visibility provided by a monograph with a major international publisher. More generally, 19th century England was a crucible for modern conceptions of the self, and by examining the contribution of women writers to theories of identity and self-construction, the project will help us to learn more about ourselves. Read moreRead less
Styles of Meaning-making in Poetry by Victorian Scientists. While much has been written about the attitudes of canonical poets to science in Victorian Britain, the complementary perspectives of scientists who wrote poetry have been entirely overlooked. What is most striking about their poetry (and indeed that of neglected feminist poets of the 1880s and 1890s which the study will also examine) is the agreeable relations that it, unlike canonical Victorian poetry and most scholarship in the area, ....Styles of Meaning-making in Poetry by Victorian Scientists. While much has been written about the attitudes of canonical poets to science in Victorian Britain, the complementary perspectives of scientists who wrote poetry have been entirely overlooked. What is most striking about their poetry (and indeed that of neglected feminist poets of the 1880s and 1890s which the study will also examine) is the agreeable relations that it, unlike canonical Victorian poetry and most scholarship in the area, sees to exist between poetry and science. The substantial revisionary monograph I propose will focus upon the discursive modes that scientists brought to their poetry and the ontologies which underpin them.Read moreRead less
A History of the Theatre in Late Georgian Britain: Spaces, Sociability and Cultural Networks. The Romantic period in Britain was formative in the history of Australia and the reconfiguring of Romantic period culture which this project entails will be of relevance to the understanding of our history. The ideologies and practices of Enlightenment sociability underpinned the early years of the colony, as much as they influenced metropolitan culture. In 2005, when many of the achievements of Enlig ....A History of the Theatre in Late Georgian Britain: Spaces, Sociability and Cultural Networks. The Romantic period in Britain was formative in the history of Australia and the reconfiguring of Romantic period culture which this project entails will be of relevance to the understanding of our history. The ideologies and practices of Enlightenment sociability underpinned the early years of the colony, as much as they influenced metropolitan culture. In 2005, when many of the achievements of Enlightenment modernity have been questioned or are perceived to be under threat, it is also worth re-examining the egalitarianism underlying the ideals if sometimes not the practice of Georgian sociability. This research will also enhance Australia's overseas reputation in the field of eighteenth-century and Romantic studies.Read moreRead less
SPEAKING WOMEN: ACTRESSES' ROLES IN ENGLISH DRAMA, 1737-1800. This project continues the internationally celebrated tradition of Australian scholarship in English Restoration and eighteenth-century drama, a period which is of particular interest because it coincides with the originary moment of our modern nation. As a mode of popular culture, drama offers a rich source of common ideas and attitudes (for example, about gender and class), which the project will explore. Many popular eighteenth-cen ....SPEAKING WOMEN: ACTRESSES' ROLES IN ENGLISH DRAMA, 1737-1800. This project continues the internationally celebrated tradition of Australian scholarship in English Restoration and eighteenth-century drama, a period which is of particular interest because it coincides with the originary moment of our modern nation. As a mode of popular culture, drama offers a rich source of common ideas and attitudes (for example, about gender and class), which the project will explore. Many popular eighteenth-century plays were performed in the early days of white settlement, and this project will, among other more general outcomes, investigate whether these works might be capable of successful and illuminating revival on modern Australian stages. Read moreRead less