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Christopher Pittard

@christopherpittard.bsky.social

2.7K followers 1.5K following 1.3K posts

Senior Lecturer and Course Leader in English Literature. Victorianist. Specialist in detective fiction, Sherlock Holmes, Dickens, Wilkie Collins. New book: *Literary Illusions: Performance Magic and Victorian Literature* (Edinburgh UP, 2025).

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Prof Damien Page @profdamienpage.bsky.social · 8h

I miss the days when higher education was seen as a social good, a national treasure. When the social, cultural and intellectual contribution of higher education was valued as highly as economic contribution. When students from poorer backgrounds had proper financial support. When the humanities 1/

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Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 2h

Lionel Gadsden was an actor born in London in 1879, meaning that he lived in the same city as George Eliot and Wilkie Collins. His final acting job was on *Doctor Who.*

rax ‘levon honkers’ king @raxkingisdead.bsky.social · 15h

you ever think about those real weird overlaps. like tennessee williams might have listened to the ramones

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Ben Davies @bendavies.bsky.social · 2h

No reason for reposting today...

University English @univeng.bsky.social · Jun 3

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Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 3h

On a related note, one of the things I liked about the new Alan Partridge episode was how it reminded the nation of Rishi Sunak's "do you work in business?" visit to a homeless shelter.

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 3h

I'm old enough to remember the time when you couldn't go through Heathrow without seeing several massive posters about the cultural industries as a UK asset.

Naomi Alderman @naomialderman.bsky.social · 4h

Not to mention performing arts! The UK has some of the best talent in the world in film and TV. Not just actors but producers, lighting, ADs, makeup, costume, casting. High-end production companies come from around the world to make stuff here. Performing arts is a *massive industry for Britain*.

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danishpasty66.bsky.social @danishpasty66.bsky.social · 4h

Yeah. Who needs English?

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Plashing Vole @plashingvole.bsky.social · 4h

In a woodcut released today the Guild of Thieves and Cutpurses declared that enforcement of regulations against Thieving and Pursecutting would ‘devastate a growth industry’ and damage the economy.

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

buff.ly

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Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 3h

"Why do so many young people want to go to university?" wails the mediocre leader of a party which spent 14 years in government telling young people that unless they got graduate jobs in finance they were less than human.

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Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 5h

The Conservatives: “Tough on Books, Tough on the Causes of Books.”

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Andy Miller @iammilliam.bsky.social · 5h

Rishi Sunak’s drive to increase respect for maths in schools was strongly influenced by his not being able to compute fiction as a schoolboy. These fuckers resent the massive popular success of art.

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Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 1d

I just spotted this. Terrible, sad news.

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Spooky Hispanic pixie dream girl @bocadelperro.bsky.social · 2d

Bought a (very highly rated) bunch of new canning lids after making applesauce (58 pints this year, and that's after cider fest). Honestly I'm a little nervous about opening it, since I don't wanna unleash the Götterdammerung.

A package of canning lids with the name "Fenrir"

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Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 2d

Mark McGurl, *Everything and Less*. It’s interesting, but the diagrams don’t add anything.

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Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 2d

I see that jokily unhelpful LRB bio notes are back. If Julian Barnes can take the time to explain who he is, so can you.

An LRB bio note reading “Jessica Olin lives in Massachusetts.” Great, but who’s Jessica Olin?

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 2d

I should point out that this is not Eugenie Brinkema’s *Life Destroying Diagrams*, which is an excellent book (and one I draw upon in my recent reading of the magic diagram in *Cranford*).

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 2d

Reading a literary criticism/literary sociology book which includes diagrams with free floating categories, and to be honest it reminds me a bit of this.

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Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 4d

In 2023, there were Easter eggs in the shops on the day before my birthday. My birthday is in late December. Why this calendrical accelerationism?

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 4d

Just seen that’s That’s TV 3 are showing a Christmas Music Weekend. It’s the 4th of October. This is insanity.

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 4d

Last night I rewatched the Bryan Ferry episode of *The Mighty Boosh*, which reminds me: did anyone here actually see the Brian Eno documentary? It only seems to have been shown in ten cinemas and then vanished.

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Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 4d

Tonight’s new Alan Partridge episode was the best since *I’m Alan Partridge*. I wasn’t overly keen on *This Time* because the format felt a bit limiting and repetitive, but this feels like it has more flexibility.

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 4d

Also: the Christmas period is 24th December to 5th January. Just saying that now.

Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 4d

Just nailing up the sign about Hallowe’en being the beginning of the spooky season, not the end.

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Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 4d

Brosnan is about to ask me if this was my card.

Rufus jones @rufeydoof.bsky.social · 5d

Amazon have removed the guns from their Bond posters, giving the tantalising impression that Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan think you’re a wanker.

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Jonn Elledge @jonnelledge.bsky.social · 5d

why are West Midlands police allowing flag hangers to block a public highway, exactly

Kings Heath United Against Racism @khuar.bsky.social · 5d

Flags went up in Stirchley a few days ago & were taken down by local residents the same evening.

The men returned with a cherry picker and coned off parts of the road with police accompanying them as they put up new flags along the High Street.

Residents who object have been met with verbal abuse.

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Christopher Pittard @christopherpittard.bsky.social · 5d

Also, if I had Louis Mosley's family history I'd probably steer clear of black shirts altogether.

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