Book review: the poet’s mind: the psychology of Victorian poetry 1830-1870

In The Poet’s Mind, Gregory Tate considers why and how psychological analysis became an increasingly important element of poetic theory and practice in the mid-nineteenth century, a time when the discipline of psychology was emerging alongside the growing recognition that the workings of the mind might be understood using the analytical methods of science. Tate provides a good overview of recent work on Victorian literature and psychology, writes Michelle Faubert, though some gaps in research remain

Cultural constructions of madness in eighteenth century writing: representing the insane

This major monograph deals with the annexation of the concept of madness by eighteenth-century writers and artists in the service of a sane agenda, and of the figure of the madman or woman for satirical, sentimental or other purposes. A wide range of writers and artists are looked at, including Pope, Swift, Fielding, Addison, Rowe, Tate, Wollstonecraft, Wordsworth, Crabbe, Cowper, Hogarth, Rowlandson, Fuseli and Gillray. Palgrave’s reader called it ‘a powerful study, amply documented, and persuasively shaped’. In the words of Rebecca Rees in Review of English Studies it ‘offers insightful new readings of familiar literature as well as demonstrating the importance of non-literary and non-verbal texts to understanding the cultural milieu of the eighteenth century’. Chapter 6, ‘A Gendered Affliction’ (pp 136-69) is written by Michelle Faubert. Two PhD students are currently working with Ingram on topics related to this research, one of which is fully funded by Leverhulme

Biogenic volatile organic compound emissions in four vegetation types in high arctic Greenland

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) emitted from terrestrial vegetation participate in oxidative reactions in the atmosphere, leading to the formation of secondary organic aerosols and longer lifetime of methane. Global models of BVOC emissions have assumed minimal emissions from the high latitudes. However, measurements from this region are lacking, and studies from the high arctic are yet to be published. This study aimed to obtain estimates for BVOC emissions from the high arctic, and hereby to add new knowledge to the understanding of global BVOC emissions. Measurements were conducted in four vegetation types dominated by Cassiope tetragona, Salix arctica, Vaccinium uliginosum and a mixture of Kobresia myosuroides, Dryas spp. and Poa arctica. Emissions were measured by an enclosure technique and collection of volatiles into adsorbent cartridges in August. Volatiles were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry following thermal desorption. Isoprene showed highest emissions in S. arctica heath. Monoterpene and sesquiterpene emissions were especially associated with C. tetragona heath. Total observed emissions were comparable in magnitude to emissions previously found in the subarctic, whereas isoprene emissions were lower. This study shows that considerable amounts of BVOCs are emitted from the high arctic. The results are also of importance as the emissions from this region are expected to increase in the future as a result of the predicted climate warming in the high arctic. We suggest further studies to assess the effects of climate changes in the region in order to gain new knowledge and understanding of future global BVOC emissions

Erasmus Darwin, Thomas Beddoes, and “The Golden Age” of the 1790s

An anonymous poetic parody entitled “The Golden Age, A Poetical Epistle from Erasmus D——n, M.D. to Thomas Beddoes, M.D.” appeared in England in 1794 and has often been attributed to Erasmus Darwin since then. This article explores how the parody presents half-truths and surprising facts about 1790s radicalism(s) and the sexual revolution that grew out of early botanical studies to convince generations of readers that the slanderous sentiments leveled at Darwin and Beddoes were Darwin's own. The article demonstrates further that this apparently silly mockery makes such clever use of the traditional features of poetic parody that it may be considered to be a model of the literary form. In these ways, the poet of “The Golden Age” engages in an ideological battle to silence the radical scientist-poets by identifying them with unnaturalness, or perversion