Literature & Visual Culture, 1660-1800 (Advert Reference: RDF19/HUM/HENSBERGEN)

The long eighteenth century was a transformative period for the Arts in Britain. During the century, schools, theories and institutions emerged that encouraged the British to conceive of the various Arts as defined by difference (rather than similarity) from each other. In broad terms, this paved the way for the demarcation of disciplines within the Arts and Humanities in academia today. Yet, for many architects, artists, actors, craftsmen, designers, dramatists, sculptors and writers of these years, the Arts shared the same conceptual space and practitioners participated in a mutually-productive dialogue. Often these different groups of practitioners collaborated on large-scale projects and schemes (churches, palaces, and theatres, etc.) that demanded the sharing of expertise, ideas and designs. Furthermore, the networks in which these different groups participated frequently overlapped. The period therefore marks a key turning point between Renaissance debates about the interconnectedness of the Arts – as in Horace’s concept of ut pictura poesis (‘as a painting, so a poem’) – and the modern understanding of Art and Literature as separate disciplines.

There is a wealth of scholarship on eighteenth-century cultural studies. Such scholarship, however, tends to be organized and conducted along distinct disciplinary lines of enquiry: architecture; fine art (drawing, painting and sculpture); decorative arts (from ceramics to interior design); literature; theatre. Whilst this has enabled us to understand these individual art forms in relative detail, there are rich connections across these forms that we have yet to properly explore. We therefore invite proposals for PhD projects that undertake this type of interdisciplinary work by exploring the interrelationship of literature of the period with any other aspect of visual culture listed (and emboldened) above.

Potential applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Claudine van Hensbergen (see below) for initial advice and feedback on possible projects prior to submitting their application. Dr. van Hensbergen (https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/our-staff/h/claudine-van-hensbergen/) is collaborating with the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, on a project that explores how gallery collections can be used to engage with new audiences, specifically KS4 & KS5 English students. Her current research explores the relationship between Art and Literature at the turn of the eighteenth century. She has postdoctoral experience of working on a major AHRC-funded project between the University of York and Tate Britain, where she was based in the Pre-1800 Curatorial Team. She is the co-founder (with Dr. David F. Taylor, University of Oxford) of the Eighteenth-Century Literature & Visual Culture Network which brings together literary scholars with academics, curators and other professionals working on visual culture.

Please contact Dr. Claudine van Hensbergen for further advice relating to this advert: [Email Address Removed]

For information on the Eighteenth-Century Literature & Visual Culture Research Network see: https://eighteenthcenturyliteratureandvisualculture.wordpress.com/

For more information about the research interests and activities of Northumbria’s Eighteenth- Century and Romantic Studies Research Group please visit our website: https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/academic-departments/humanities/research/english-research/english-literature/eighteenth-century-and-romantic-studies/

Eligibility and How to Apply:
Please note eligibility requirement:

• Academic excellence of the proposed student i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities [preference for 1st class honours]); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.
• Appropriate IELTS score, if required.
• Applicants cannot apply for this funding if currently engaged in Doctoral study at Northumbria or elsewhere.

For further details of how to apply, entry requirements and the application form, see
https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-research-degrees/how-to-apply/

Please note: Applications that do not include a research proposal of approximately 1,000 words (not a copy of the advert), or that do not include the advert reference (e.g. RDF18/…) will not be considered.

Deadline for applications: Friday 25 January 2019
Start Date: 1 October 2019

Northumbria University is an equal opportunities provider and in welcoming applications for studentships from all sectors of the community we strongly encourage applications from women and under-represented groups.