iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

New ECR opportunity, courtesy of JVC and BAVS. Please spread the word as widely as you can!

Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Stumbled across Maurice Baring's *Lost Lectures* (1932). Fascinating little essay on 'The Nineties' which should be more widely known. More clearly than his autobiography reflects the tightly limited cultural shifts of the 1890s: yes Ibsen, and briefly Meredith; but the Yellow Book an irrelevance.

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

@bavs-uk.bsky.social Calling all BAVS members! This year's AGM is tomorrow (23rd Sept) at 1.30pm BST. You'll have received a meeting link via the BAVS Newsletter email. If you can, please do come along. As well as the formal business, there is an Open Forum to discuss future activities.

bavs.ac.uk

BAVS Annual General Meeting (AGM) papers – BAVS

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

It's a great thing to see that Chartism remains a vibrant area of research. Some really interesting sounding papers here.

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Always good to have an excuse for reposting.

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Research Society for Victorian Periodicals @rs4vp.org · 29/08/2026

Ok, we've had time to reminisce. It's time to look forward. We are thrilled to announce our CFP for #RSVP2027 is now live! We'll consider the theme of 'Structures' at our next annual gathering. The applications portal opens next week on 1 Sept. More details on our website: rs4vp.org/rsvp-confere...

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Andrew Hobbs @drewhobbs.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

1 Mar 1912: My wife to Mr Bramwell’s in the afn, to tea. They wanted me to accompany her. But I am not an outside tea & muffin person. For a man to go out to tea seems an awfully foolish thing to me. I went to Mr B’s after tea. Hewitson Diaries vol. 2 www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.116...

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Thought my 2nd hand ex-library copy off Cross's The Common Writer might come with some interesting marginalia. Wasn't expecting an ex-House of Lord's copy. Sadly, peers too well-behaved for scribblings. But it does beg the question- when did parliamentarians lose interest in the lot of authors?

Image of Cross's Common Writer, showing House of Lord's embossed stamp.

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Looking forward to reading this!

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

The latest verdict on Darwinism's Generations from David Stack (Reading): 'a book to admire', 'certainly the most nuanced account we have of the first fifty years of the reception of Darwinism', albeit one which Stack suspects 'will not herald a new dawn for generational studies among historians'.

academic.oup.com

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Sarah Bull @sarahebull.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

That's right — our four-volume series on nineteenth-century iterations of one of the most lucrative and polarizing sectors of the media industry is out at last! If you're curious about what could be included in a volume called PORNOGRAPHY AND SCIENCE, or about the project more broadly, 🧵:

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Sarah Parker @profsarahparker.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

I'm reading the new book on Marie Corelli by @coppertapestry.bsky.social and it's BRILLIANT! So readable, entertaining & field-transforming. Whether you are a Corelli nut or not, I urge you to treat yourself to a copy: www.eerpublishing.com/turner-marie...

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

I mean how many village greens are still, well, .... green??

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Last few hours to complete the Curran Index Survey before it closes. If you haven't, please do!

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

BNA III. The new feature which allows users to broaden out keyword phrase searches to include degrees of separation between the words is a great addition. My early trials suggest a surprisingly small degree of increase in hits when moving across the 0 (no gap) to 8 (up to 8 intervening words) scale.

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

BNA II. The great news is that searching on specific phrases does produce much more refined results than before. But note that in contrast to names, if typing directly into the search box single quotation marks will not work: here you do need to designate your phrase with double quotation marks.

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

First piece of learning about the new British Newspaper Archive interface: do not use double quotation marks around names when searching. It generates a huge mishmash of irrelevant results with apparently random ordering. Single quotes or just the name without marks seem to produce specific results.

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Troy J. Bassett @3volumenovel.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

All fiction titles from the English Catalogue, Volume 4 have now been added! That means 1862–1889 are complete. Next up: the 1890s... • 27,471 title entries • 6,770 author entries (most with bios) Big thank you to my students from last semester who assisted me to this milestone.

A graph of the number of titles published per year, 1837 to 1901, showing an increasingly steep increase up to the 1890s

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The British Academy @britishacademy.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Are you interested in developing genuinely interdisciplinary piece of research? Applications for the International Interdisciplinary Research Projects, focused on the theme of ‘Mobilities’ are now open. Apply now: bit.ly/4y9wiwJ

Colour block banner promoting International Interdisciplinary Research Projects

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Research Society for Victorian Periodicals @rs4vp.org · 01/08/2026

Applications are now open for Round 3 of our Microgrants! We’re funding innovative research in #19thC periodicals by providing seed grants for archival travel, digital access to subscriptions or repositories, or digital tools to support your research. Apply by 1 September here: buff.ly/7r9cM50

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Still plugging the short survey on the future of the Curran Index. Interestingly, have had almost as many retweets of my original post as there have been actual completions of the survey. Closes on the 10th, so if your work touches at all on nineteenth century periodicals please have your say!

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

I'm thinking that it probably is time that someone did write a satisfactory account of the history of Victorian Studies. I'm sorely tempted to try, but know I have far too many axes to grind...

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Dr Jen Baker @jendeavour.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

I have yet to read the essays McDonagh responds to but her article in Volume 141 - Issue 2 - March 2026 of PMLA is extremely interesting to those who like me, are less familiar with the evolutionary history of "Victorian Studies" and want to interrogate it more

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Indeed. And tho this isn't the place for the close reading these pieces deserve, in preliminary, while the collapsing of VS into literary studies is an enduring frustration, here it is compounded by efforts to historize the field vitiated by recourse to a wafer-thin pastiche of its actual history.

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Been fully occupied by #BAVS2026 so not yet tried out the new BNA interface. So much anticipation that at least some of the frustrations of the previous UI will be sorted, but also the fear that some things may be worse. Will get to it later today. Wish me luck!

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Splurging #BAVS2026 messages this morning, lamentably after the event. But it was a hectic 3 days. @amymatthewson.bsky.social's final plenary on Aladdin and so much more was just the sort of eye-opening tour de force all conferences should end on. Conference fatigue dispelled. Here's to #BAVS2027!

Image of Amy Matthewson's BAVS2026 plenary presentation.

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

We were treated to a fantastic fly-through of the book from @sorourke25.bsky.social , including a generous name check for @nathankhensley.bsky.social, whose own book was one of the runners up for the prize. I like the RSVP Colby Lecture model, but this was a great send off for #BAVS2026.

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

DVPP is already the most amazing resource for anyone interested in Victorian authorship, but the Beta version in development will clearly take things to a whole new level. Can't wait to see it live! Thanks to Alison Chapman for a fantastic opening keynote to #BAVS2026.

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

It's a great topic, and I'll be fascinated to see how it evolves to escape from the 'tyranny' of the archival survivals!

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

John Plunkett and Joe Kember brilliantly modelling scholarly collaboration and interdisciplinary methodologies in work on 'picture-going' in Victorian Britain at #bavs2026.

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Princeton University Press @princetonupress.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Darwin’s life story is one of the great scientific narratives of our time. Read more from Janet Browne, author of Darwin: A Biography. press.princeton.edu/ideas/a-new-... #darwin #evolution

press.princeton.edu

A new biography of Darwin

This idea for this book began with a simple question: Why do so many modern biologists have a picture of Charles Darwin hanging in their laboratories?

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Already into #BAVS2026 at Liverpool. Great to see so many people at the lunchtime session to hear about plans for closer collaborations between BAVS and JVC from Julia Kuehn, and on COVE Studio and Editions and planned collaborations with BAVS from @felluga.bsky.social.

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Dr Jen Baker @jendeavour.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Now I am back on home turf, a huge thanks to @rs4vp.org for accepting my abstract for #RSVP2026 in Dublin for my first in-person rsvp. Everyone was extremely generous & kind, great panels, and I also got to catch up with familiar faces from other networks. Well done to all the organisers!

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

And what a great conference it was.

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Kristof Smeyers @kristofsmeyers.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

'Performing magnetism' is still on tour, we (the green man and I) have arrived in Liverpool for @bavs-uk.bsky.social

slide 'PERFORMING MAGNETISM: The theatrics of persuasion in Victorian Britain (& the world), Kristof Smeyers'
with a poster of a green-skinned, yellow-eyed man in a tuxedo against a blue and yellow background

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

We're running a short online survey to inform development of the Curran Index. If you're interested in Victorian periodicals, whether or not you've used the Curran recently, please complete the survey! Survey closes 10th August. Please retweet. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

docs.google.com

Curran Index User Survey

Thanks for being willing to complete this short survey. Whether or not you have used the Curran Index recently (or at all) we are looking for opinions on how the Curran can best be improved and develo...

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

docs.google.com

Curran Index User Survey

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

An important book, and a required reference for anyone interested in Victorian society.

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Delighted to see my essay on the early decades of the Gifford Trust lectures finally published. Tinged with great sadness that Chris Brewer, the mastermind of the project and editor, did not live to see the book in print. Thanks to Garrick Allen and everyone else involved.

Scan of the chapter opening for the essay "'That we may hear the living voice': The Gifford Lectures as Lectures, 1888-1914'

Scan of cover of the volume, Christopher R Brewer, ed, The Gifford Lectures. Advancing Natural Theology (Edinburgh University Press, 2026)

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Just a week to go before the first of my three sessions on the 'Real Victorians' for roundtable.org. Having fun putting finishing touches to my presentation slides with illustrations from Punch. Looking forward to meeting everyone attending next Thursday.

roundtable.org

The Real Victorians: Beyond Dickensian Stereotypes

Think you know the Victorians, with their ‘Dickensian’ social conditions, their prudish values and their crude xenophobia? By going beyond the familiar figures of the Victorian canon this course offer...

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

The CFP deadline is fast approaching for the 'Women and/of the Empire' conference at University of Oporto this October. But there's still time to respond. Should be a really interesting couple of days, in a location with its own strong connections to Victorian Britain. Hope to see you there!

cetaps.com

Women and/of the Empire: On the 150th Anniversary of Queen Victoria’s Proclamation as Empress of India (1876-2026) | CETAPS

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Dr Emily Vincent @dremilyvincent.bsky.social · 29/08/2025

Exciting news! @bavs-uk.bsky.social are hiring an ECR/Postgrad Rep to work alongside me to develop early career professional development and networking opportunities. 10th Sept deadline, details below ⬇️ DM me with any queries 🎉

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Ruth-Anne @ruthannereads.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

So excited for this issue of the @bavs-uk.bsky.social newsletter with @ireadoldbooks.bsky.social! 🎉 30+ pages of amazing Victorianist content 🎉 a brand new feature from @gladlib.bsky.social 🎉 loads of CFPs and book review opportunities Check it out below👇

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James_AL_Downs @magiclantern.bsky.social · 07/01/2019

Pleased to see my review of 'Testing New Opinions and Courting New Impressions: New Perspectives on Walter Pater' (2017) in the British Association for Victorian Studies December 2018 newsletter - time to get back to reading Pater again? #BAVS #Victorianstudies #WalterPater

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Was intrigued to stumble across Arthur Forbes, who apparently described his occupation in the 1871 census as 'Formalist'. All kinds of possibilities. literary, artistic, or just behavioural, occurred. So a little deflated to discover that it was just a transcription error for 'journalist'.

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Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Good news! Registration for BAVS2026 at Liverpool in July is now open! If you're on the programme, you can now complete your registration. And if you're not giving a paper, come anyway and join in the discussions! Day rates and discounted PGR/ECR available!

buyonline.ljmu.ac.uk

Annual Conference British Association for Victorian Studies | Liverpool John Moores University

The Centre for Modern and Contemporary History (CMCH) at Liverpool John Moores invites you to Liverpool for BAVS 2026. Founded in 2000, the British Associa

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