“We are giants, lying here, who can make forests quiver”
– Virginia Woolf, The Waves

I am a researcher, writer and educator based in sunny Exeter, Devon. I taught English for ten years in schools around the UK, and love nothing more than to share my love of books and teaching! I believe that education and literature can make giants of us all.

I was awarded my PhD in 2015 from the University of Exeter. My thesis, “Playing Dead: Living Death in Early Modern Drama,” looked at occurrences of “living death” – a liminal state that exists between life and death, and which may be approached from either side – in early modern English drama and combined a broadly historicist approach with explorations of dramaturgy, ideas of stagecraft and performance.

My current research interests include:

• “Alternative Academia” and the use of research skills to influence new readers in non-academic contexts!
• Contemporary literature that responds to present-day social issues, such as the #MeToo movement and #MentalHealthMatters.
• Interpretations of Shakespearean plays that re-imagine elements for modern audiences in order to retain (or enhance) their magic.
• Modern teaching strategies, including the use of drama in the classroom.

The purpose of this blog is sound off about the literary, educational and social matters that interest me. I aim to keep discussion as positive as possible. Now, more than ever, kindness matters.

If you find a piece interesting, please share via social media, and feel free to leave a comment (especially if you disagree!).

Dr James Alsop