by Annette Rubery | Oct 18, 2023 | Architecture
The North Front: an interplay of Doric and Corinthian orders. I chose to spend my birthday this year visiting an architectural masterpiece by Sir John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor. One of the Baroque qualities of Blenheim Palace is the way it incorporates a sense...
by Annette Rubery | Oct 15, 2023 | Shakespeare
Macbeth, Royal Shakespeare Company, directed by Wils Wilson (2023). On Friday we saw Macbeth at the RSC (the Wils Wilson production with a completely Scottish cast). I liked some things about it and disliked others: it was a mixed bag, but an enjoyable evening...
by Annette Rubery | Jun 24, 2023 | Book review, Literature
Like many readers of Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne, I knew almost nothing about the poet before picking up the book apart from vague memories of learning about metaphysical poetry at school. The fact that Donne’s poems seem to be either sexual or...
by Annette Rubery | May 28, 2023 | Events
Peg Woffington: The Female Rake. 27th May 2023, 11am, Bromley House Library, Nottingham. I had a great time visiting Bromley House Library in Nottingham (a hidden gem) to give a talk on Peg Woffington. This beautiful subscription library moved to Bromley House in...
by Annette Rubery | May 21, 2023 | History, Literature
New leaves on our cutting of Johnson's Fourth Willow, Spring 2023. Photograph: Annette Rubery. Dr Johnson figure, carved from the wood of the Third Willow. Houghton Library, Harvard. Photograph: Annette Rubery. When the Corporation of Stratford-upon-Avon wanted the...
