Manuscripts and Special Collections

Lunchtime talks

Listen again to the various talks and tours, and view some of the items displayed in the exhibition.

Lunchtime Talks

Romantic Reputations: Angelic Austen and Beastly Byron?

Was Lord Byron really ‘mad, bad and dangerous to know’, and was Jane Austen ‘a narrow-gutted spinster’? As two of the most enduringly popular writers of the Romantic period, their lives have been scrutinised and their moral reputations polarised. University of Nottingham PhD Researchers Ruby Hawley-Sibbett and Amy Wilcockson ask whether their lives, loves and works have been misrepresented.

Politics and Poetry: The Workhouse at Southwell

The early 19th century is often seen a time of invention, creativity and technology. However, it also saw the development of an institution that shaped the lives of less fortunate members of society for decades to come –the Workhouse. This talk by Dr Charlotte May will focus on the Workhouse at Southwell, Nottinghamshire, whose founder was a close connection of the poet Lord Byron.

 

Romanticism, Caricature and Politics

The years 1780-1840 are sometimes regarded as the ‘golden age of caricature’. In this illustrated talk, Dr Richard Gaunt, Associate Professor in the Department of History, considers the rough, boisterous sensibilities which caricaturists brought to their craft.

 

Exhibition Highlights

Curators involved the exhibition and lunchtime talks discuss some of their favourite items from it.

Children's Board Game

Painting of Lord Byron

 

 

The Microscope

William Blake's Jerusalem

 

Introducing Mary Howitt

Loan Item: Joseph Wright Painting

 
 

Henry Kirke White

 

Sketch book of James Thomas Townley Tisdall

These sketches were made during his travels in Switzerland and on the Rhine made between August and October 1814. This is a selection of the digital images that were available in the exhibition. 

my 1785-4

my 1785-4
Uploaded
Aug 18, 2020

my 1785-5

my 1785-5
Uploaded
Aug 18, 2020

my 1785-6

my 1785-6
Uploaded
Aug 18, 2020

my 1785-1

my 1785-1
Uploaded
Aug 18, 2020

my 1785-3

my 1785-3
Uploaded
Aug 18, 2020
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Manuscripts and Special Collections

Kings Meadow Campus
Lenton Lane
Nottingham, NG7 2NR

telephone: +44 (0) 115 951 4565
fax: +44 (0) 115 846 8651
email: mss-library@nottingham.ac.uk