Dr Corrina Readioff
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fierengraw.bsky.social
Dr Corrina Readioff
@fierengraw.bsky.social
1.7K followers 990 following 390 posts
Literary detective & long 18th-centuryist. Honorary Research Associate at the University of Liverpool.
Currently working on early modern whales
She/her
https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/people/corrina-readioff#tabbed-content
https://18thcparatext.wordpress
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fierengraw.bsky.social
Why doesn’t Princess Sophia Duleep Singh have a biopic/miniseries?
Every chapter of this thrilling biography by Anita Anand could be an individual feature film
Photo of book by Anita Anand, “Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary”. Cover image is b&w photo of a woman of Indian heritage selling copies of the Suffragette magazine.
July 18, 2025 at 2:24 PM
fierengraw.bsky.social
Other Playmobil hogs/pigs are available too, such as this absolute unit (www.playmobil.com/en-gb/animal...)
Screenshot from playmobil website of a delightfully cute pot-bellied pig tucking in to a food trough, surrounded by some other farmyard animals including a sheep and a cow.
July 17, 2025 at 1:01 PM
fierengraw.bsky.social
Have finally worked out what Google’s AI overview twinkle icon reminds me of: in Doctor Who the star-like Megara were opinionated logic machines that have no sense of humour & severe difficulty accepting when they’re wrong. Funny, that.
Screenshot from IMDB of Tom Baker’s doctor in a legal wig, conversing with a being that looks like a twinkling star hovering at head height
June 22, 2025 at 3:22 PM
fierengraw.bsky.social
Enjoyed a fascinating talk @ecwliv.bsky.social today by @catsbeck.bsky.social on disability and seafarers in the eighteenth-century: an important and thought-provoking topic. I learnt a lot!
Photo of seminar room with Dr Cat Beck presenting. Presentation slide on the screen depicts a highlighted 18th century manuscript underneath the topic heading “role of the state: unfit”. Accompanying text explains the legal definition of “unserviceable” as “unfit for service; no longer able to perform duty”. The background image is a spectacular sailing ship tossed on a stormy sea.
March 12, 2025 at 5:53 PM
fierengraw.bsky.social
Absolutely thrilled to have won the @cecs-york.bsky.social book giveaway! 😊 Can't wait to dive into this wonderful anthology - many, many thanks to @chloewigstonsmith.bsky.social & @serenadyer.bsky.social!📖
Photo of the cover of the book 'Material Literacy in Eighteenth-Century Britain: A Nation of Makers' edited by Serena Dyer and Chloe Wigston Smith, published by Bloomsbury. Cover image is eighteenth-century painting depicting upper class women crafting together.
March 3, 2025 at 3:06 PM
fierengraw.bsky.social
Made a cute new friend at my hotel in Dublin...😄
Photo out of a hotel window with a view of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, and a young seagull standing on the broad stone window ledge outside.
November 5, 2024 at 9:13 AM
fierengraw.bsky.social
This is the book, The Vicar of Wakefield illustrated by Hugh Thomson. The calendar bookmark doesn't give the year, but from digging around online I think it must be 1901 (only date the moon phases & day match). Have always wondered why they stopped reading here (assuming the marker was never moved)
Gold and green hardback cover of The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith Title page: 'The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith with a Preface by Austin Dobson and Illustrations by Hugh Thomson, London Macmillan & Co and New York MDCCCXCIV' page 258 of the Vicar of Wakefield with a page from a tear-off calendar included as a bookmark, dated June 12 Wednesday
October 19, 2024 at 8:48 AM
fierengraw.bsky.social
Have you tried tubular spiral peyote yet? It starts off in a similar way, and is immensely satisfying to stitch (the colours in the photo example were inspired by ocean waves washing onto golden sand)
Close-up photo of tubular spiral peyote stitch in shades of blue, gold metallic, and dark brown
September 28, 2024 at 11:42 AM
fierengraw.bsky.social
Absolutely thrilled to announce I have an article in the new edition of the Swift Studies journal!

It's been 7 years in the making, but worth it: my finished essay explores the history of the frontispiece to Jonathan Swift's A Tale of a Tub, with some exciting new discoveries! 🐋
Photo of journal article first page with cuddly whale. Article title 'The Tale of a Whale: A Digression Upon Frontispieces in Jonathan Swift's A Tale of a Tub (1704)' in Swift Studies, 39 (2024), 8-56 Photo of illustration in journal article depicting frontispiece to the 5th edn of Swift's A Tale of a Tub Photo of two illustrations accompanying the article, depicting engravings that were used in the construction of the famous frontispiece.
September 4, 2024 at 11:38 AM
fierengraw.bsky.social
The first word in the first puzzle of the crossword book I bought at the station turned out to be “whale” - clearly I bought the right book! 😄🐳
Crossword book open at first puzzle; text of first entered answer spells “whale”
May 2, 2024 at 8:54 AM
fierengraw.bsky.social
Accidentally strayed onto the Gulliver's Travels-in-postcards section of eBay & honestly now I just want to know more about the film this postcard is based on... 😄
Screenshot of eBay ad photo of postcard depicting poster for the film 'Gulliver's Travels Beyond the Moon in Color' - songs advertised include 'Gulliver's March', 'Song of the Earth' and 'Robot's March'. Music by Milton Delugg, lyrics by Anne Delugg. Tagline 'Blast of with Gulliver and his Friends - to a colourful world of fantasy and song...' Images of the characters are included, e.g. 'The Robot'
April 11, 2024 at 7:13 PM
fierengraw.bsky.social
Saw this clothes ad on Insta that referred to Maria Mitchell as the “first female astronomer” and now I feel offended on Caroline Herschel’s behalf…
Screenshot of Baked Clay ad for “The Maria dress from to £75.00 This dress is named after Maria Mitchell, the first female astronomer.”
March 19, 2024 at 8:54 AM
fierengraw.bsky.social
Twas the night before BSECS…
Shout-out to everyone else who can’t wait for tomorrow: Happy BSECS 2024 everyone!
Screenshot of text reading: “Twas the night before BSECS and all through St Hugh’s Not a scholar was stirring as peaceful they snooze. The papers were written, the slides all prepared Delightful new research, about to be shared.”
January 2, 2024 at 10:01 PM
fierengraw.bsky.social
Guess where I’m working this week… 😎📖
View across bridge with empty bench and Windsor castle in the distance
December 12, 2023 at 5:26 PM
fierengraw.bsky.social
It’s Jonathan Swift’s birthday! How are you celebrating? #18thC
Portrait of Jonathan Swift writing
November 30, 2023 at 10:01 AM
fierengraw.bsky.social
Spotted in Germany, posting for all the Austen fans (thinking of you @rjdashwood.bsky.social : regrettably it was about 3-4 inches too wide to squeeze into my suitcase)
Photo of a German Jane Austen advent calendar
November 29, 2023 at 7:18 AM
fierengraw.bsky.social
Delighted to share the details of the exhibition I'm curating on whale imagery in Jonathan Swift's A Tale of a Tub, organised in conjunction with the Ehrenpreis Centre for Swift Studies at the University of Muenster www.uni-muenster.de/Anglistik/Sw...
Poster for exhibition at University of Muenster Ehrenpreis Centre for Swift Studies. Text reads: 'The Tale of Swift's Whale: Three Hundred Years of Whale Imagery in Jonathan Swift's A Tale of a Tub (1704); Exhibition at the English Department Library, Second Floor Johannisstr. 12-20, 48143 Muenster.' Image is of the frontispiece to Swift's Tale of a Tub depicting the whale distracted by a barrel.
November 22, 2023 at 5:50 PM
fierengraw.bsky.social
There’s something decidedly fishy about the “dolphin” in this engraving…
Screenshot of Etsy page advertising 1800 “rare antique dolphin whale engraving l’histoire naturelle” for £45.68. The whale is broadly accurate but the dolphin resembles a large fish resting on top of the water (seriously, it’s very fish like, no bottlenose in sight!)
October 24, 2023 at 7:55 AM
fierengraw.bsky.social
Delighted that my book is one of the first two to be published under this exciting new Open Access initiative! edinburghuniversitypress.com/news/post/ed...
Cover of book Epigraphs in the English Novel 1750-1850: Seducing the Reader, by Corrina Readioff. Cover image is late eighteenth-century engraving depicting a woman reading a book beside a country stile whilst a man reads over her shoulder.
October 17, 2023 at 8:43 AM
fierengraw.bsky.social
My author copies have arrived! It’s out this month folks, order now with discount code NEW30 for 30% off RRP. (I don’t have a cute cat/dog to seduce my readers’ continued attention but bears work too right?) edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-epigrap...
photo of book Corrina Readioff, Epigraphs in the English Novel 1750-1850: Seducing the Reader, posed open with a cute teddy bear sporting a University of Liverpool jumper.
September 22, 2023 at 1:40 PM