Solitude and authenticity after the Reformation: or, Puritans out of the closet

Colloquium papers

In November 2019, the Pathologies of Solitude Research Network met to discuss work and ideas related to the theme of Solitude, Religion and the Inner Voice. In this paper from the colloqiuim, Erica Longfellow explores the fear of solitude in the 17th century and its relationship to protestant devotion.

Extinction rebellion: solitude, love and gender

Colloquium papers

In June 2021, the Solitudes networks met to discuss research and ideas related to the theme of ‘Solitude and Gender’. In this paper, Rebecca Anne Barr explores the role of gender in extinction fiction.

The Advent of the Solitary Vice

Colloquium papers

In June 2020 members of the Solitudes Network met to discuss work and ideas related to the theme of Voluntary Solitude. In this paper from the colloqium Thomas Laqueur returns to his book Solitary Sex to explore the medicalisation and pathologisation of masturbation in the eighteenth century.

Imagining Monsters, Together and Alone

Colloquium papers

In January 2022, the Pathologies of Solitude research network met to discuss work and ideas related to the theme of solitude and interiority. In this paper from the colloquium, Avshalom Schwartz explores the relationship between solitude and reason through Francisco Goya's 'The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters'.

John Clare's 'Oddlings': Solitude and Non-Human Company

Colloquium papers

In June 2020, the Solitudes network met to discuss research related to the theme of voluntary solitude. In this paper, Erin Lafford considers the companionship of humans and nonhumans in solitude through the work of labouring-class Romantic poet, John Clare.

Final Blog: Who are we with when we are alone?

Blog

The Pathologies of Solitude project has come to an end. In our final blog, our team reflect on the work of the project and how it shaped their thinking on solitude.

The Paradox of Ethnographic Solitude and the Necessity of Withdrawal (with special reference to ‘social distancing’)

Colloquium papers

In June 2020, the Solitudes network met to discuss research related to the theme of voluntary solitude. Here Leo Coleman offers an account of social distancing (something we were all getting used to at the time) read through the lens of social anthropology.

Welcoming refugees: Solitude, Exile and Gender

Colloquium papers

In June 2021, the Solitudes networks met to discuss research and ideas related to the theme of ‘Solitude and Gender’. In this paper, Anna Maguire explores the experiences of loneliness and isolation amongst refugees in Britain.

‘With herself into a meditation’: Self-Address in Early Modern English Literature

Colloquium papers

In January 2022, the Solitudes network met to discuss research and ideas related to the theme of ‘Solitude and Interiority’. In this paper, Vanessa Lim explores the inner voice through moments of self-address in prose fiction works of the English Renaissance.

Solitude and Sociability in Early Modern Protestant Dissent

Colloquium papers

In June 2021, the Solitudes networks met to discuss research and ideas related to the theme of ‘Solitude and Gender’. In this paper, Naomi Pullin explores the conflicting and contradictory benefits of solitude in early modern dissenting and nonconformist groups.