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The Stories behind Shakespeare’s Plays

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By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Since Twelfth Night is just round the corner (and remember, while we’re at it, that Twelfth Night is arguably the night before Epiphany, not the same day – i.e., Twelfth Night is January 5th), we thought we’d bring you some of the lesser-known facts about some of William Shakespeare‘s most popular plays. As we go, we’ll address and challenge some misconceptions, too.

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Ten Myths about the Victorians

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By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Although not strictly confined to the literary sphere, the following ten ‘facts’ about the Victorians certainly touch upon literature many times, not least because our ideas about the Victorians are often misconceptions or misrepresentations which we’ve picked up from their literature. I am indebted to Matthew Sweet’s superb book Inventing the Victorians (2001) for a number of the debunkings which you’ll encounter below. If you’re interested in learning about who the Victorians really were, Sweet’s book is an excellent place to start.

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