Dr Robyne Calvert

Immortal Memory: Burns, The Rights of Woman, and Renee Good Like so many, my heart is heavy, and angry, with what is happening in Minneapolis and across America. Meanwhile, today is the birthday of Robert Burns, and I've been re-thinking my favourite poem of his. Traditionally we celebrate Burns Night with a supper of haggis and whiskey, enjoyed alongside speeches, songs, and poetry reading in a celebration of the bard.

Immortal Memory: Burns, The Rights of Woman, and Renee Good

Like so many, my heart is heavy, and angry, with what is happening in Minneapolis and across America. Meanwhile, today is the birthday of Robert Burns, and I've been re-thinking my favourite poem of his. Traditionally we celebrate Burns…

Fragments of Order and Chaos: the Parthenon Frieze I've been ruminating a bit on all the essays I've written that are gathering dust in old hard drives. One of the best was also perhaps the most intellectually challenging: a grad school paper for a seminar on the Parthenon Frieze, now over 20 years ago. I've been thinking a bit about it, and have decided to release it to the world here, but first just a small sidebar to recommend a couple good books only tangentially related to this topic.

Fragments of Order and Chaos: the Parthenon Frieze

I've been ruminating a bit on all the essays I've written that are gathering dust in old hard drives. One of the best was also perhaps the most intellectually challenging: a grad school paper for a seminar on the Parthenon Frieze, now over 20…

Some Wassail for Twelfth Night “Just now, we are working on two large panels for the frieze… Miss Margaret Macdonald is doing one and I am doing the other. We are working them together and that makes the work very pleasant.” -Ch…

From the archives: robynecalvert.com/2018/01/05/s...

Reckoning: The Mack As the year closes, I am seeking to correct two oversights. First, I have only just realised that, although published in April 2024, I never properly made a ‘I wrote a book and here are all t…

I realised the other day that I never once wrote a blog post about my book, so a year and half later, here it is with added bonus of Tutti Frutti context and me being critical of the new planned ABC developments. Happy New Year? robynecalvert.com/2025/12/30/r...

Sound + Vision Part 1 There is a complex and enticing variety of popping, clicking, and orchestration in my ears as I compose this post. I am listening to this year's bespoke 'mix tape', a gift from an incredibly talented musical artist in my orbit. This is the 6th such mix I've been lucky enough to receive, including 3 made explicitly for my book launch.

Sound + Vision

Part 1 There is a complex and enticing variety of popping, clicking, and orchestration in my ears as I compose this post. I am listening to this year's bespoke 'mix tape', a gift from an incredibly talented musical artist in my orbit. This is the 6th such mix I've been lucky enough…

And it's been so long since I posted here I forgot to hashtag like the old kids. #EYDC2025

7. Fave character: O Ae Sun, played by the incredible IU, in When Life Gives You Tangerines. Spoiler: this won’t be the last time this one shows up on this list.

6. A drama you dropped: Bad and Crazy - with Lee Dong Wook and Wi Ha Joon, I had such high hopes. But… it just kind of sucked. I'm so sorry. I love them both still.

5. A visually beautiful drama: This is a tough one because almost all Kdramas are absolutely beautiful. But I think I might have to give this to a Japanese one: Romantics Anonymous. Between the interiors and the chocolates, it was ridiculously pretty.

‘Free’ Lyric Video | KPop Demon Hunters | Netflix Family YouTube video by Netflix Family

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xMD...

Kim Han Gyeom - SHINING (Twinkling Watermelon OST Part 3) [Rom|Eng Lyric] YouTube video by ElyDha Subs

4. Fave original song: Shining from Twinkling Watermelon. It’s just so lovely and upbeat! Also I wasn’t sure it would be fair to pick something from Kpop Demon Hunters, but if so it would have to be Free. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF_z...

3. Fave actor discovered: Gong Woo - and I know I am ridiculously late to this party. I also can’t say I didn’t know him before this year, but this is the year I started really paying attention after seeing how great he was in The Trunk, and began seeking out his back catalog. Yes I watched Goblin!

1. Which country’s dramas have you watched the most in 2025? South Korea of course. [pic: When the Phone Rings, one of the first watches of the year]
2. Fave actress discovered: Lee Sun Bin - she was just so delightful and natural in The Potato Lab, which is a favourite from this year.

I completely forgot to start the End of the Year Drama ‘challenge’, which I enjoyed recapping last year. So here’s the first 7 days 🧵 catch-up, with a few recommendations. Will post the list at the end for the 4-5 other followers that are Kdrama junkies, or maybe there are more and you are hiding!

DakJuk: Korean Comfort & Love From the very first KDrama I watched (Boys Over Flowers), whenever anyone wasn't feeling well (physically, mentally, emotionally), the solution was porridge - most often delivered by a loved one. Not the hearty oatmeal we enjoy in Scotland (which is a different kind of wonderful), but a rich, creamy rice-based (usually) savoury dish, often made with chicken or abalone (a bit like congee).

DakJuk: Korean Comfort & Love

From the very first KDrama I watched (Boys Over Flowers), whenever anyone wasn't feeling well (physically, mentally, emotionally), the solution was porridge - most often delivered by a loved one. Not the hearty oatmeal we enjoy in Scotland (which is a different kind…

That said, the struggle is real when ‘research time’ is not an expected part of one’s role, nor is funding available. I feel fortunate to have a supportive team, who like me are also research-active non-researchers. REF Environment? In any case, I do feel honoured to be recognised! #researchculture

The contented (& slightly tired) face of a newly minted Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, who also managed to score a cancellation with her wonderful hair stylist. This recognition is a lovely reminder that excellence in scholarship & research do not always happen in ‘research active’ posts…

At Home with c19th Dress and Textiles Reframed - 29 June 2025 - 2.00pm BST Our June ‘At home’ will explore dress and textiles originating from or made in the province of Ulster in the long nineteenth century.

Another wonderful @19cdandtreframed.bsky.social At Home this Sunday - and it's an Ulster Special! 2pm GMT. Register FREE here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/at-home-wi...

A Thruple, a Lemur and a Thigh Tattoo pre-raphaelite blog, Pre-Raphaelite blog, Victorian, Rossetti, Fanny Cornforth, Elizabeth Siddal, Alexa Wilding, Pre-Raphaelite, Victorian blog,

It's about time we brought back tableaux vivants of Pre-Raphaelite art. And thigh tattoos. Probably not lemurs...

fannycornforth.blogspot.com/2025/05/a-th...

#tableauxvivants #preraphaelite #brightyoungthing #1920s

The May Queen & The Wassail ‘The May Queen’, 1900. Oil-painted gesso on hessian and scrim, set with twine, glass beads, thread, motherof- pearl, and tin leaf; 158.4 x 457 cm. Collection: Glasgow Museums and Art Ga…

From the archives for May Day. Happy Beltane! robynecalvert.com/2020/05/01/t...

It’s a year since I first held my book, & serendipitously I got a lovely letter from @yalebooks congratulating me for my @thesahgb award. I’d like to thank them back, because Yale was a dream to work with. I feel very fortunate and couldn’t be happier that it’s lived up to expectations.

Transatlantic Threads Transatlantic Threads

Transatlantic Threads: Scottish Linen and Society c1707-1780, is available for preorder now from @edinburghup.bsky.social

edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-transat...

This will be brilliant, get it ordered!

So today I shall celebrate all my life choices that enabled me to not know of the existence of this show for almost a decade.

Upon googling to see who was responsible for this monstrosity, it turns out to be a television series that started in 2017, from the son of the dude that wrote the Left Behind series, so globally popular that now it gets released in the cinema first I guess.

I was browsing some movie trailers this morning and there was one for The Chosen: The Last Supper I. Like a train wreck I had to look, and it was even more dreadful looking than I imagined, with Jesus flipping tables to the tune of Johnny Cash.

I hung up my DOGE termination letter near where I’m writing my book, as a reminder that the Humanities matters to a free and open society.

Far worse than the end of my NEH grant is the wholesale gutting of the NEH itself, an incalculable loss that we must fight to prevent.

University of Glasgow, Student Opportunities Hub and Find A Solution logos with text: Apply for a paid summer internship; We're advertising 41 paid summer internships with Glasgow-based charities and third sector organisations; Learn more at bit.ly/sohinternships

@uofgcareers.bsky.social is advertising 41 paid, summer internships on the Student Opportunities Hub!

Find out how you could help charities and third sector organisations make a positive impact in the community!

Learn more and apply at bit.ly/findasolution2025.

⌛Apply by Monday, 14 April.

My last 3 follows are making me think that initial academic surge is waning a bit…

BREAKING: We're suing the National Institutes of Health over their politically-motivated purge of research grants.

This is an unlawful attack on scientific progress that puts lives at risk.