English Literature
Cities of the mind
19th century English towns live on in our collective imagination
The dark horse of Durban
The work of Roy Campbell does not deserve to be ignored
Jane Austen versus virtue signalling
What Mansfield Park can tell us about contemporary politics
Plain Janeites
For all their admirable dedication, keepers of the Austen flame cannot be so protective
From cholera to coronavirus
A forgotten novel offers insights into living with a deadly and dehumanising pandemic
There is a lushness to this expanded Letters
There is frequent reporting of local news, often betraying a hobbit-like
preoccupation with the availability of beer
Josephine Tey, woman of mystery
Deeply private, her elegant and sharply engaging writing has often been wrongly overlooked
The spectre of the past
The “Great English Ghost Story” offers a form of comfort and is rooted in the ache of nostalgia for a more elegant era
The Committee of the Edwin Savage Society
What arouses such fascination in this obscure literary figure?
Lewis the prophet
The Narnia author deserves to be remembered as a seer and a sage
The public sector must reform or die
Too big to fail? It is too big to succeed
Are Jewish students really afraid of the Freedom of Speech Act?
Some of have raised concerns, yes, but generalisations are wrong and unhelpful
Don’t appeal to our worst instincts
How many will talk themselves into asking for a parent’s early death if money is involved?
What is Toryism for?
What has it done if it has not made a system it wishes to defend?
Max Grubb
Resentful Academic
Labour’s timebomb
This one-term Labour government will bequeath a wretched economic mess
Strictly Come Tory
Who will win the hearts of the nation?
The Old Vic under siege
The King’s favourite Shakespearean need hardly trouble himself with such dreary details
It’s a M.A.D. world in Kubrick’s satire
A drama based around the shaky paradox of deterrence no longer feels like a dusty throwback
Out of power for half a century
As the Conservatives face the prospect of a long spell in opposition, they must heed the lessons of their predecessors
How the right went wrong
An ill-fated leadership campaign
