Gail Marshall

@gailmarshall.bsky.social

430 followers 360 following 44 posts

Head of School and Prof of Victorian Literature at University of Reading. Chair of University English

Videos

Education 26%

Art 24%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Gail Marshall @gailmarshall.bsky.social · 4d

And when the cars drove on the right

Reposted by Steve Peers, Catherine J. Frieman, Gail Marshall

Erin Grievances @erinbartram.bsky.social · 16d

What historians (and other scholars do) is create knowledge. We should use that phrase more and talk about what it means. I think we don't, and it's part of why AI enthusiasts are confused when we don't readily agree that our work can be replicated/replaced by their products.

Reposted by Patrick A. Jansen, Gail Marshall

b1rdsteve.bsky.social @b1rdsteve.bsky.social · 21d

Feels like the right day to repost this brilliant tweet from @lewisgoodall.com

#Trump
#BBC
#EpsteinFiles
#CauseAndDeflect

Reposted by Gail Marshall

Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · Dec 1

Who is more likely to be unemployed 15 months after graduation the Philosopher or the Physicist? The answer may not be what you think

Reposted by Elizabeth Stokoe, Catriona Seth, Gail Marshall

Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · Dec 1

How about Languages v Computer Science? Hmm…

Reposted by Andrew Scott, Elizabeth Stokoe, Lesley A. Hall , and 3 more Andrew Scott, Elizabeth Stokoe, Lesley A. Hall, Margot C. Finn, Jack Stilgoe, Gail Marshall

Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · Dec 1

So kid, in your heart you want to study humanities but you worry about your job prospects? Let’s play a game.

On the latest data, who is more likely to be unemployed after 15 months after graduation. The English Lit grad or the Maths grad?

WRONG!

Gail Marshall @gailmarshall.bsky.social · Dec 1

www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Excellent news

UK aims to secure agreement to rejoin Erasmus student exchange scheme

Britain quit EU programme after Brexit, when Boris Johnson claimed it did not offer good value for money

www.theguardian.com

Gail Marshall @gailmarshall.bsky.social · Nov 25

Brilliant opportunity here to work with excellent colleagues - and their amazing collection - at MERL

CamJanHam🖖 @janhamcam.bsky.social · Nov 25

i worked in museums/archives, before, during, and after completing my doctorate.
it was years after completing my degree that i took my job at my college.
this opportunity to learn how to work with collections from museum professionals strikes me as fantastic!

The Museum of English Rural Life @themerl.bsky.social · Nov 25

Are you a PhD student & interested in using museum collections in your teaching or research?

We're running a *free* doctoral training programme for students at any institution to learn about working with collections.

Find out more:

collections.reading.ac.uk/whats-on/

Reposted by Gail Marshall

CamJanHam🖖 @janhamcam.bsky.social · Nov 25

The Museum of English Rural Life @themerl.bsky.social · Nov 25

Two students look at objects in the reading room at The Museum of English Rural Life.

Reposted by Gail Marshall

PRL @usrbinprl.bsky.social · Oct 12

One of the finest software engineers I've ever had the pleasure to work with had a degree in music. Another had a degree in Egyptology.
The important thing was that their degrees taught them how to think. Their love of the subjects just made things better.

Reposted by Christine Kooi, Michael H. Whitworth, Fiona Moore , and 3 more Christine Kooi, Michael H. Whitworth, Fiona Moore, Gail Marshall, Annette Yoshiko Reed, Karin Wulf

Andrea Kaston Tange @aktange.bsky.social · Oct 12

My latest: "Numerous studies show that majors in the humanities—typically, in departments of English, history, philosophy, religious studies, classics and languages—lead students to employment and life satisfaction outcomes as positive as those for majors traditionally championed as 'practical.'”

Counterpoint | Minnesota humanities graduates thrive in meaningful careers

"The stereotype of the underemployed history major is simply not true," professor Andrea Kaston Tange writes.

www.startribune.com

Reposted by Gail Marshall

Rob Townsend @rbtownsend.bsky.social · Oct 6

“Prioritising a narrow set of disciplines could mean we lose talented arts, humanities and social sciences graduates who help drive innovation and tackle huge societal challenges. Student choice is vital.” bit.ly/3KAReIQ

Maintenance grants only for priority courses ‘deeply concerning’

Using financial incentives to influence student choice risk undermining Labour’s widening access goals, critics fear

bit.ly

Gail Marshall @gailmarshall.bsky.social · Sep 19

#EnglishCreates @univeng.bsky.social @englishassociation.bsky.social

Gail Marshall @gailmarshall.bsky.social · Sep 11

📚Join us on 30 Oct 2025 at Senate House for The History of English Studies in Britain symposium
🎤 Speakers include Carole Atherton, Gail Marshall, Ronan McDonald, Christopher Stray, Stuart Jones, & Stefan Collini
Free (booking required)👉 tinyurl.com/43z9mxnc
#EnglishStudies #Humanities #Literature

The History of English Studies in Britain: a Symposium

tinyurl.com

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Alan Clarke, Michael H. Whitworth , and 2 more Lesley A. Hall, Alan Clarke, Michael H. Whitworth, Gail Marshall, Dan Hicks

Davenant 📸 @marcdavenant.bsky.social · Aug 24

I’ve documented protests for decades. The asylum hotel protests I’ve photographed have all been very small. When I first turned up at the Newcastle protest, and asked the police where the protesters were, they pointed to one man and said he’s over there.

Four police officers on horses and a single protester with a union flag

Gail Marshall @gailmarshall.bsky.social · Aug 21

It’s deeply ingrained. I’m just finishing a book about 1859 and the same exceptionalist attitudes are on full display there too

Reposted by Gail Marshall, Ros Ballaster

Simon Kővesi @kovesi.bsky.social · Aug 18

The Ronald Blythe Fellowship is John Clare Society's new scheme awarding a PhD student focusing on Clare a £1000 bursary to support their work.
Please pass on - &/or contact me or Honorary Secretary of the Society, Karen Lakey, for further information:
johnclaresociety.wordpress.com/contact-us/

Reposted by Michael H. Whitworth, Gail Marshall

Dr Lindsay Maxwell @parisdaguerre.bsky.social · Aug 15

BBC Today is reporting that “at least 94” data centres will be built in the next 5 years in the U.K.
How can we possibly justify doing that when we can’t get a full electric car charging network built, & the power infrastructure is insufficient to connect new wind farms, never mind water shortages

Reposted by Anne Chapman, Gail Marshall

Ryan Boyd @ryanboyd.bsky.social · Mar 15

Every research report: Humanities majors have great career prospects!

Every research university: Here's why sadly we must restructure the humanities,

Reposted by Gail Marshall

Rickard Sisters @rickardsisters.com · Jul 25

You can pre-order This Slavery here from us, or even better, you can pre-order it at any real-life tax-paying bookshop from knowledgeable friendly booksellers on real wages ✊

🔥 Publication is 11th Sep in UK and 7th Oct in US & Canada 🔥

rickardsisters.com/product/this-slavery/

A book cover. The text reads ETHEL CARNIE HOLDSWORTH’S THIS SLAVERY, a graphic novel by Scarlett & Sophie Rickard. The full page illustration shows two women standing back to back in a steep terraced street at sunset. The blonde woman holds a violin, the dark haired woman wears a man’s coat. A young man looks at them from an upstairs window on the left, and on the right there is a perky white and brown dog. In the distance the factory chimneys smoke. It’s all very ‘mills & doom’

Gail Marshall @gailmarshall.bsky.social · Jul 22

Did AI write this??

Gail Marshall @gailmarshall.bsky.social · Jul 19

Yes, all of them, plus first parts of Tennyson’s Idylls, Mrs Beeton, and The Woman in White

Gail Marshall @gailmarshall.bsky.social · Jul 19

I’m finishing a book on 1859 and was reading your account of the voting reform efforts that year

Gail Marshall @gailmarshall.bsky.social · Jul 19

@robertsaunders.bsky.social I was just reading your excellent book on the 1867 Reform Act. It was really helpful. Thank you!

Gail Marshall @gailmarshall.bsky.social · Jul 19

Footballer Héctor Bellerín’s reading list

Gail Marshall @gailmarshall.bsky.social · Jul 16

I just signed this petition calling for better cooperation with the EU on the environment. Will you add your name, too? www.europeanmovement.co.uk/uk-eu-enviro...

Reposted by Simon Roux, Ian Hall, Charles West , and 4 more Simon Roux, Ian Hall, Charles West, John A. Graves, Greg O’Brien, Gail Marshall, Steve Murdoch

Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · Jul 13

Decades of mechanistic talk about university degrees as if they were bundles of 'skills' and 'prep' are about to be proved completely wrong (obviously). Want to get a real boost? Do History or English.

Reposted by Claire Connolly, Gail Marshall

University English @univeng.bsky.social · Jul 6

Huge thanks to Helen Smith wordsmith.bsky.social for an excellent English: Shared Futures conference. It was inspiring, exciting, and fun, and especially moving to hear so many friends and colleagues speaking about why and how English matters to them

Helen Smith (@wordsmith.bsky.social)

Professor, @UoYEnglish. Printer, @thinicepress. Opinions mainly culled from the dustier corners of the sixenteenth century.

wordsmith.bsky.social

Reposted by Gail Marshall

Loughborough English @lboroenglish.bsky.social · Jun 17

@drclaireocall.bsky.social is the keynote speaker at this ‘Violence, Health, and the Health Humanities’ workshop @uniofreading.bsky.social’s Centre for Health Humanities. It’s tomorrow 1-5pm @sophiefranklin.bsky.social

Reposted by Gail Marshall, Adrian Streete

Simon Kővesi @kovesi.bsky.social · Jun 17

Excited to chair an online discussion this Thursday, hosted by @englishassociation.bsky.social, on why boys in the GCSE / A level system (not so much in Scotland) are drifting away from study of English.
Featuring some brilliant speakers from across our subject:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/boys-and-e...

Boys and English: Why are young men turning away from our subject?

Explore trends, root causes, and solutions alongside the contributors to the English Association's Spring Newsletter

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