Interesting William Gibson facts 1. William Gibson popularised the term ‘cyberspace’ in a short story of 1982. Defined as ‘the notional environment in which communication over computer networks occurs’, cyberspace first appeared in fiction in William Gibson’s 1982 story ‘Burning Chrome’ (no relation to Google Chrome, we’re told), a story about a couple of freelance hackers. … Read more
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) Emily Dickinson (1830-86) is one of the most original poets of the nineteenth century. If we set her work alongside that of her contemporaries, perhaps it is only Walt Whitman, who pioneered free verse, and, in Britain, Gerard Manley Hopkins, who opted for ‘sprung rhythm’ over more traditional metre … Read more
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) The fourth and last of the gospels which begin the New Testament, the Gospel of John is also the most unusual of the four. Whilst the other three gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke contain many overlapping details (and are known collectively, on account of these similarities, as the … Read more
Fun facts about a pioneering ancient writer 1. Plutarch effectively invented the genre of biography. Plutarch’s innovative approach to biography was to take two important figures – one from Greek civilisation and the other from the Roman empire – and compare and contrast their characters, fortunes, and outlooks. This is the basis for his most … Read more
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) Let’s begin with a quiz question. How many people did Jesus feed with the bread and fishes in the famous miracle recounted in the New Testament? a) 5,000 people b) 4,000 men c) more than 5,000 people
