Christopher Pittard
@christopherpittard.bsky.social
Course leader and Senior Lecturer in Victorian Literature. Specialist in detective fiction, Arthur Conan Doyle, Dickens, Wilkie Collins. New book: *Literary Illusions: Performance Magic and Victorian Literature* (Edinburgh UP, 2025).
I read Wyl Menmuir's *The Many* over the last two days and it's superb, doing some interesting things with genre. Tonally, it reminds me a little of Christopher Priest's *The Quiet Woman*, but is much more successful.
Morning shopping in Oxfam bookshop in Exeter; this batch, including a signed Menmuir and a first edition Rushdie for £11.
February 9, 2026 at 10:47 PM
I read Wyl Menmuir's *The Many* over the last two days and it's superb, doing some interesting things with genre. Tonally, it reminds me a little of Christopher Priest's *The Quiet Woman*, but is much more successful.
In other news, it's hilarious to see Wes Streeting realising that the circumstances of his best shot at deposing Starmer also rule out a Streeting government.
February 9, 2026 at 10:24 PM
In other news, it's hilarious to see Wes Streeting realising that the circumstances of his best shot at deposing Starmer also rule out a Streeting government.
I just saw the news footage of Charles being heckled about Andrew. The crowd's reaction - being more offended by the heckle than by Andrew's behaviour - is dismaying.
February 9, 2026 at 10:20 PM
I just saw the news footage of Charles being heckled about Andrew. The crowd's reaction - being more offended by the heckle than by Andrew's behaviour - is dismaying.
Reposted by Christopher Pittard
This is incredibly funny to try because even if it *was* true, then it would mean Streeting was defending Mandleson in September for the love of the game.
February 9, 2026 at 7:05 PM
This is incredibly funny to try because even if it *was* true, then it would mean Streeting was defending Mandleson in September for the love of the game.
If you can't lose your Fellowship of @royalsociety.org for being an outright racist, surely you should lose it for not being a, you know, scientist?
BREAKING: “in my 24th year of my quest to settle the planet Mars, I have just been informed of a basic fact of celestial mechanics.”
February 9, 2026 at 6:45 PM
If you can't lose your Fellowship of @royalsociety.org for being an outright racist, surely you should lose it for not being a, you know, scientist?
Reposted by Christopher Pittard
It's been clear for some time that sustained use of AI for knowledge work de-motivates and de-skills. Even among academics, the last population I'd expect to allow such atrophy, folks are now reduced to playing cynical games with the language machine and justifying it via the grant hamster wheel.
NEW on Wonkhe: Jim Dickinson explores the growing evidence that AI isn't just changing what students produce – it's changing what their brains are ready to do, and asks whether HE can redesign itself around a question it has been avoiding for decades buff.ly/uHtisNU
February 9, 2026 at 9:17 AM
It's been clear for some time that sustained use of AI for knowledge work de-motivates and de-skills. Even among academics, the last population I'd expect to allow such atrophy, folks are now reduced to playing cynical games with the language machine and justifying it via the grant hamster wheel.
Or Theresa May, or John Major. In fact, the last time a Conservative Prime Minister was first appointed by winning an election outright was Thatcher, nearly half a century ago.
The Express & Sun are saying there should be a General Election if Labour changes its leader. A principle they didn’t apply to Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, or Rishi Sunak. I wonder what the difference is? If your principles only apply when it suits you then you don’t have principles.
February 8, 2026 at 9:55 AM
Or Theresa May, or John Major. In fact, the last time a Conservative Prime Minister was first appointed by winning an election outright was Thatcher, nearly half a century ago.
I also like to think that when the modern Pelican series was launched, the commissioning editors said "right, definitely no H. J. Eynsenck this time, everybody."
February 7, 2026 at 9:01 PM
I also like to think that when the modern Pelican series was launched, the commissioning editors said "right, definitely no H. J. Eynsenck this time, everybody."
I saw a secondhand copy of Matty Goodwin's Pelican book for £3 yesterday. I was idly thinking I might gradually work my way through the modern Pelican series, but not so sure now. Was Goodwin's book any good, or was his slide into tinfoil millinery always there?
February 7, 2026 at 8:57 PM
I saw a secondhand copy of Matty Goodwin's Pelican book for £3 yesterday. I was idly thinking I might gradually work my way through the modern Pelican series, but not so sure now. Was Goodwin's book any good, or was his slide into tinfoil millinery always there?
Morning shopping in Oxfam bookshop in Exeter; this batch, including a signed Menmuir and a first edition Rushdie for £11.
February 6, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Morning shopping in Oxfam bookshop in Exeter; this batch, including a signed Menmuir and a first edition Rushdie for £11.
I'm on leave today so happened to glance at the morning TV schedule, and by startling coincidence... the Channel 4 *Frasier* year is now a little over two months now, @pipmadeley.bsky.social
A bit of Channel 4 *Frasier* with breakfast tea, and… it’s already Frasier New Year again? @pipmadeley.bsky.social
February 6, 2026 at 10:25 AM
I'm on leave today so happened to glance at the morning TV schedule, and by startling coincidence... the Channel 4 *Frasier* year is now a little over two months now, @pipmadeley.bsky.social
Reposted by Christopher Pittard
A reminder - don't use Amazon, but go to bookshops, which play a far more vital role in promoting literacy just by simply making books more visible, and allow you to find things by chance rather than by what the algorithm decides.
January 23, 2025 at 11:45 AM
A reminder - don't use Amazon, but go to bookshops, which play a far more vital role in promoting literacy just by simply making books more visible, and allow you to find things by chance rather than by what the algorithm decides.
One for the kids, there.
February 4, 2026 at 7:43 PM
One for the kids, there.
Reposted by Christopher Pittard
Also universities.
hot take: newspapers should not be run by people who dislike reading and thinking
February 4, 2026 at 3:23 PM
Also universities.
Oh good, *Dangermouse* is about to start.
February 4, 2026 at 3:32 PM
Oh good, *Dangermouse* is about to start.
Reposted by Christopher Pittard
I literally had an online conversation with the proquest 'designer' who introduced the zoom page feature, of which he was super proud, but simply who could not fathom why I would more want to know where/on which page search terms appeared; the implication was that I was eccentric
February 4, 2026 at 1:02 PM
I literally had an online conversation with the proquest 'designer' who introduced the zoom page feature, of which he was super proud, but simply who could not fathom why I would more want to know where/on which page search terms appeared; the implication was that I was eccentric
I remember stuff I read by locating it on a neatly printed page. Reading a wall of text in Arial 11pt where the line breaks and indents are often borked is simply a horrible, horrible experience.
February 4, 2026 at 11:47 AM
I remember stuff I read by locating it on a neatly printed page. Reading a wall of text in Arial 11pt where the line breaks and indents are often borked is simply a horrible, horrible experience.
In other tech news, I've found an eBook platform that is even worse than ProQuest. The problem with these sites is that they're designed by people who don't read academic books (who needs page numbers, right?) and don't care about reading as aesthetic experience.
February 4, 2026 at 11:44 AM
In other tech news, I've found an eBook platform that is even worse than ProQuest. The problem with these sites is that they're designed by people who don't read academic books (who needs page numbers, right?) and don't care about reading as aesthetic experience.
Whenever I point out a problem with Outlook, someone responds with "ah, but you need to do this and that on the fifth menu of Settings." OK, but getting an email platform to offer basic functions should not require this level of customisation.
February 4, 2026 at 10:10 AM
Whenever I point out a problem with Outlook, someone responds with "ah, but you need to do this and that on the fifth menu of Settings." OK, but getting an email platform to offer basic functions should not require this level of customisation.
More Outlook horrors - not only is the search function terrible, but when you're in the screen showing search results the button to write a new email disappears. I mean, who would want to write a new email based on information sent in a previous email?
February 4, 2026 at 10:09 AM
More Outlook horrors - not only is the search function terrible, but when you're in the screen showing search results the button to write a new email disappears. I mean, who would want to write a new email based on information sent in a previous email?
Reposted by Christopher Pittard
Devastatingly sad.
Every Labour MP should be forced to read this. In fact, every MP, who rushed back to Parliament to vote to save one steel mill, whilst hastening the collapse of dozens of universities - and harming the students, staff, communities and economies universities sustain and support
Every Labour MP should be forced to read this. In fact, every MP, who rushed back to Parliament to vote to save one steel mill, whilst hastening the collapse of dozens of universities - and harming the students, staff, communities and economies universities sustain and support
'When it opened, the campus housed a GP surgery and a new dental clinic offering free treatment to local people. This was followed later by the forum – a library and art gallery shared by the university and local people.' 1/2
‘If I think about what this means, I want to cry’: what happens when a city loses its university?
When Essex University’s Southend campus opened, it was a message of hope for a ‘left behind’ UK seaside town. Its closure will be felt far beyond its 800 students, some of whom will not get their degr...
www.theguardian.com
February 4, 2026 at 8:06 AM
Devastatingly sad.
Every Labour MP should be forced to read this. In fact, every MP, who rushed back to Parliament to vote to save one steel mill, whilst hastening the collapse of dozens of universities - and harming the students, staff, communities and economies universities sustain and support
Every Labour MP should be forced to read this. In fact, every MP, who rushed back to Parliament to vote to save one steel mill, whilst hastening the collapse of dozens of universities - and harming the students, staff, communities and economies universities sustain and support
Reposted by Christopher Pittard
Excellent article but stark reminder that for all the perceptions of universities as ivory towers for elites, they are actually vital hubs in towns n cities supporting local businesses and providing key services as well as education….
‘If I think about what this means, I want to cry’: what happens when a city loses its university?
When Essex University’s Southend campus opened, it was a message of hope for a ‘left behind’ UK seaside town. Its closure will be felt far beyond its 800 students, some of whom will not get their degr...
www.theguardian.com
February 4, 2026 at 8:12 AM
Excellent article but stark reminder that for all the perceptions of universities as ivory towers for elites, they are actually vital hubs in towns n cities supporting local businesses and providing key services as well as education….
Reposted by Christopher Pittard
Give it up for your trillion dollar hype bubble, ladies & gentlemen!
‘A big new survey of executives in America, Australia, Britain and Germany… shows that almost three-quarters of businesses are using AI in some way. Yet 86% of bosses across these four countries report the technology has had no impact on labour productivity over the past three years’
February 3, 2026 at 8:03 PM
Give it up for your trillion dollar hype bubble, ladies & gentlemen!
These were only two years apart, but OUP hadn't settled on a consistent spine design for VSI yet.
February 3, 2026 at 12:22 PM
These were only two years apart, but OUP hadn't settled on a consistent spine design for VSI yet.
I think this design only lasted from 1995 to around 2000.
February 3, 2026 at 12:17 PM
I think this design only lasted from 1995 to around 2000.