On Wed 2 Dec our text is the short but intriguing preface to Mariah Carey’s memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey. We’ll think about Mariah’s refusal to acknowledge the concept of time… and perhaps also check in on her enduring presence as a Christmas icon.
Author: Dorothy Butchard
Page Breaks: The Museum Will Not Be Decolonised
On Wed 25 Nov we’ll discuss how country houses and museums have (and have not) grappled with the complex histories that define Britain’s past, including structures of racism and colonialism. Our text for this week is Sumaya Kassim’s video essay ‘The Museum Will Not Be Decolonised’ (2017). See you there!
Page Breaks: Streaming and the Mainstream
On Wed 18 Nov we’ll consider the pleasures and problems of pop culture in an era of streaming and digital on-demand. Our text for this week is Simon Reynolds’s 2019 article “Streaming has killed the mainstream: the decade that broke popular culture”. See you there!
Page BAKES: The Great British Bake Off
Thanks to popular demand, on Wed Nov 11 our regular Page Breaks session will be devoted to classic comfort TV institution The Great British Bake Off. Our episode is an infamous oldie: the attack of the Baked Alaska, aka ‘Bingate’. This will be co-hosted by a superfan (Toria) and a skeptic (Dorothy) so there’s space … Continue reading “Page BAKES: The Great British Bake Off”
Page Breaks: Zadie Smith, Intimations
Page Breaks this week will be on Wed 21 October at 1pm. We’ll be reading ‘A Hovering Young Man’ and ‘Something to Do’, from Zadie Smith’s recently published collection, Intimations.
Page Breaks: Malfunctioning Sex Robot – the Art of the Scathing Review
Page Breaks this week will be on Wed 14 October at 1pm. We’ll be thinking about the art of a scathing review – and what we do with authors whose work is admired by some and reviled by others. Our text this week is Patricia Lockwood’s 2019 review of John Updike’s fiction, “Malfunctioning Sex Robot“.
Page Breaks – We’re Back!
Our first Page Breaks of 2020-21 will be on Wed 30 July at 1pm. We’ll start the new academic year by thinking about literary responses to the pandemic – past, present, and future. Our text for this week is Parul Seghal’s article “In Search of Time Lost and Newly Found”.
Page Breaks: Reading and Racism
On Wed 15 July (1pm) we’re discussing two recent articles responding to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Page Breaks Research Day: Wed 8 July
On Wednesday 8 July (from 9 am), we will be hosting our next Page Breaks Research day. This will be an opportunity to work on your own research (while knowing that others are working at the same time), with periodic zoom calls to set and reflect on goals.
Page Breaks Research Day
On Wednesday 1 July (from 9 am), we will be hosting our next Page Breaks Research day. This will be an opportunity to work on your own research (while knowing that others are working at the same time), with periodic zoom calls to set and reflect on goals.