Faculty Member, English and Modern Languages
School of Advanced Study, University of London, Institute of English Studies
University of Sussex, English
Senior Lecturer in Nineteenth-Century Literature
About
I am particularly interested in the intersections between the Victorian and the modern through the supernatural, theatricality and myth. When I was researching a selection of Edwardian automatic writing scripts and their allusions to Greek mythology for my book, Spiritualism and Women's Writing, I came across a reference to the ‘Charonean staircase’ which is a ‘a staircase in the Greek theatre, leading up to the stage as if from the world below, by which ghosts entered’. This stairwell defines my intertwined interests in Victorian spiritualism and theatricality. The ‘Charonean staircase’—a direct reference to the proscenium becomes a metaphor for the practice of mediumship in the 19th century. At the fin de siècle, as the number of mediums who materialized or masqueraded as spirits dwindled, the theatre opened its doors to women and the number of young actresses grew: I am fascinated by the connection between these two career choices.
My new project, a monograph on Florence Marryat, under contract with Edinburgh University Press, brings these interests in theatricality and spiritualism together. Marryat was an avid spiritualist, actress, playwright, operatic singer, public orator, magazine editor and prolific author of sensation fiction. What excites me about recovering this once popular but currently marginalized figure are the fresh apertures that a study of her books, her involvement with spiritualism, her acting, her managerial skills, offers for thinking about feminine performance in the 19th century.
My interests open up connections in the Victorian period between the angel in the house, the angel on the stage and the angels of the other world—between femininity, class mobility, and Victorian mourning practices.
Contact Information
| Address: | Department of English and Modern Languages |
