John Attridge
@johnattridge.bsky.social
Associate Professor of English at UNSW | Modernism, novels, specialisation, media, bildungsroman &c | Chair Australasian Modernist Studies Network
This epistolary novel could have been an email
November 8, 2025 at 8:37 PM
This epistolary novel could have been an email
How to start conversations about fiction
November 4, 2025 at 7:58 PM
How to start conversations about fiction
I helped an escaped convict remove his shackles when I was a boy and now because of that act he is secretly paying for me to become a gentleman. Never stop grinding
November 4, 2025 at 6:57 AM
I helped an escaped convict remove his shackles when I was a boy and now because of that act he is secretly paying for me to become a gentleman. Never stop grinding
Uhhhh actually the assumption that the trolley itself does not have agency is super problematic
November 1, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Uhhhh actually the assumption that the trolley itself does not have agency is super problematic
You should be allowed to read an Isaac Chotiner article behind a paywall if your schadenfreude is pure enough
October 28, 2025 at 5:56 AM
You should be allowed to read an Isaac Chotiner article behind a paywall if your schadenfreude is pure enough
Actually Frankenstein is the name of the doctor. The monster is called "allegory for the emergent industrial working class as a reservoir of latent revolutionary violence"
October 24, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Actually Frankenstein is the name of the doctor. The monster is called "allegory for the emergent industrial working class as a reservoir of latent revolutionary violence"
Mrs Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself. What happened next will shock you
October 24, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Mrs Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself. What happened next will shock you
Me teaching: it is essential to plan your essay
Me writing: the white hot flame of inspiration needs no outline
Me writing: the white hot flame of inspiration needs no outline
October 24, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Me teaching: it is essential to plan your essay
Me writing: the white hot flame of inspiration needs no outline
Me writing: the white hot flame of inspiration needs no outline
"No spoilers please" your enjoyment of a novel should be dependent on form alone. Grow up
October 16, 2025 at 11:07 PM
"No spoilers please" your enjoyment of a novel should be dependent on form alone. Grow up
Wow ok unfollowing now. I loved him as a loyal butler, did not know he was an unreliable narrator
October 16, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Wow ok unfollowing now. I loved him as a loyal butler, did not know he was an unreliable narrator
Classic literature has no relevance to contemporary readers. Even novels published last month are full of outmoded conventions. Only fiction that is written literally right this instant can capture the zeitgeist of the present moment
October 14, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Classic literature has no relevance to contemporary readers. Even novels published last month are full of outmoded conventions. Only fiction that is written literally right this instant can capture the zeitgeist of the present moment
Not many people know that the gen z slang "unc" is actually an allusion to Evelyn Waugh's Sword of Honour trilogy, where the protagonist Guy Crouchback is humorously addressed as "uncle" by the younger members of his battalion
October 13, 2025 at 6:04 AM
Not many people know that the gen z slang "unc" is actually an allusion to Evelyn Waugh's Sword of Honour trilogy, where the protagonist Guy Crouchback is humorously addressed as "uncle" by the younger members of his battalion
Why are you as a man using more than two sentences per novel
October 12, 2025 at 12:17 AM
Why are you as a man using more than two sentences per novel
Many scholars have connected this text with other things. But the connection I am going to make in this paper will shock you
October 9, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Many scholars have connected this text with other things. But the connection I am going to make in this paper will shock you
Instead of competing for limited resources, other humanities disciplines should accept that they are all essentially branches of literary criticism
October 8, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Instead of competing for limited resources, other humanities disciplines should accept that they are all essentially branches of literary criticism
Literary prizes are a cheap distraction from the true purpose of reading great books, which is making people who haven't read them feel bad about themselves
October 6, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Literary prizes are a cheap distraction from the true purpose of reading great books, which is making people who haven't read them feel bad about themselves
I can't keep silent any longer. Godot should NOT have kept them waiting like that
October 1, 2025 at 9:41 PM
I can't keep silent any longer. Godot should NOT have kept them waiting like that
Sorry I'm late. I unconsciously don't want to be here
October 1, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Sorry I'm late. I unconsciously don't want to be here
Writers are too precious about not repeating the same word in successive sentences. It is actually fine to employ identical terms in consecutive grammatical units
October 1, 2025 at 12:24 AM
Writers are too precious about not repeating the same word in successive sentences. It is actually fine to employ identical terms in consecutive grammatical units
By having AI summarise the plots of Shakespeare's tragedies I can experience catharsis in a matter of minutes
September 26, 2025 at 11:20 PM
By having AI summarise the plots of Shakespeare's tragedies I can experience catharsis in a matter of minutes
Little did you know I have been playing 3 dimensional chess this whole time. That's why I have been making such bad decisions. I was distracted by this stupid game I'm playing
September 25, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Little did you know I have been playing 3 dimensional chess this whole time. That's why I have been making such bad decisions. I was distracted by this stupid game I'm playing
Good evening. It may surprise you to know that I am speaking "prose" right now. (Audience murmurs) in fact, you already know how to speak prose yourself! (Audience gasps) over the next hour, we will unlock the secrets of this mysterious medium together (audience applauds)
September 23, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Good evening. It may surprise you to know that I am speaking "prose" right now. (Audience murmurs) in fact, you already know how to speak prose yourself! (Audience gasps) over the next hour, we will unlock the secrets of this mysterious medium together (audience applauds)
Academics are constantly overexplaining things. They excessively explicate every item of information
September 19, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Academics are constantly overexplaining things. They excessively explicate every item of information
"Write what you know" uhhhh that's actually incredibly insensitive towards people who have had no life experiences
September 17, 2025 at 10:50 PM
"Write what you know" uhhhh that's actually incredibly insensitive towards people who have had no life experiences
The essays in this collection have been carefully selected to provide a cohesive overview of the topic
September 15, 2025 at 11:17 PM
The essays in this collection have been carefully selected to provide a cohesive overview of the topic