Frankie Gardner
@frankiegardner.bsky.social
PhD @ Catz Cambridge on pastoral competition in the long 18thc, + essays, puppets, light, machines. 'When you come to a fork in the road, take it'
Reposted by Frankie Gardner
ICYMI hortological hues to Catz research this year:
💚 @frankiegardner.bsky.social, English PhD, on Britain's obsession with lawnmower poetry: www.caths.cam.ac.uk/...
💚 @billsutherland.bsky.social (Fellow 2008–24; Hon Fellow 2024) on risks from the ornamental plant trade:
💚 @frankiegardner.bsky.social, English PhD, on Britain's obsession with lawnmower poetry: www.caths.cam.ac.uk/...
💚 @billsutherland.bsky.social (Fellow 2008–24; Hon Fellow 2024) on risks from the ornamental plant trade:
Britain’s poetic obsession with the lawnmower
Research by a postgraduate student at St Catharine's has revealed how British poets over the last 50 years such as Philip Larkin and Andrew Motion have driven a ‘lawnmower poetry microgenre’, using the machine to explore childhood, masculinity, violence, addiction, mortality and much more. Francesca Gardner, an English PhD student, argues in her article published by Critical Quarterly that this tradition goes back to the 17th-century poet Andrew Marvell who used mowing – with a scythe – to comment on the violence of the English Civil War.
www.caths.cam.ac.uk
November 19, 2025 at 9:30 AM
ICYMI hortological hues to Catz research this year:
💚 @frankiegardner.bsky.social, English PhD, on Britain's obsession with lawnmower poetry: www.caths.cam.ac.uk/...
💚 @billsutherland.bsky.social (Fellow 2008–24; Hon Fellow 2024) on risks from the ornamental plant trade:
💚 @frankiegardner.bsky.social, English PhD, on Britain's obsession with lawnmower poetry: www.caths.cam.ac.uk/...
💚 @billsutherland.bsky.social (Fellow 2008–24; Hon Fellow 2024) on risks from the ornamental plant trade:
Reposted by Frankie Gardner
In 1651, Andrew Marvell described a scythe slicing a bird's breast. In 1979, Philip Larkin's hedgehog.
Lawnmowers are more than tools, they're metaphors for grief, cruelty and care.
Tom Almeroth-Williams reports on research by Frankie Gardner.
Lawnmowers are more than tools, they're metaphors for grief, cruelty and care.
Tom Almeroth-Williams reports on research by Frankie Gardner.
Life, death and mowing
Britain’s poetic obsession with the humble lawnmower revealed and explained
eastangliabylines.co.uk
May 21, 2025 at 9:20 AM
In 1651, Andrew Marvell described a scythe slicing a bird's breast. In 1979, Philip Larkin's hedgehog.
Lawnmowers are more than tools, they're metaphors for grief, cruelty and care.
Tom Almeroth-Williams reports on research by Frankie Gardner.
Lawnmowers are more than tools, they're metaphors for grief, cruelty and care.
Tom Almeroth-Williams reports on research by Frankie Gardner.
Reposted by Frankie Gardner
He killed a hedgehog with his mower. Then wrote a poem. Larkin wasn’t alone. Poets have long used mowing to confront death, addiction and masculinity.
Tom Almeroth-Williams reports on researches into a hidden literary genre.
Tom Almeroth-Williams reports on researches into a hidden literary genre.
Life, death and mowing
Britain’s poetic obsession with the humble lawnmower revealed and explained
eastangliabylines.co.uk
May 21, 2025 at 11:44 AM
He killed a hedgehog with his mower. Then wrote a poem. Larkin wasn’t alone. Poets have long used mowing to confront death, addiction and masculinity.
Tom Almeroth-Williams reports on researches into a hidden literary genre.
Tom Almeroth-Williams reports on researches into a hidden literary genre.
Reposted by Frankie Gardner
“There is still time. We should be kind.”
Larkin’s mower poem gave hope during the pandemic.
New research shows how British poets have long used mowing to wrestle with the mess of being human.
Tom Almeroth-Williams reports
Larkin’s mower poem gave hope during the pandemic.
New research shows how British poets have long used mowing to wrestle with the mess of being human.
Tom Almeroth-Williams reports
Life, death and mowing
Britain’s poetic obsession with the humble lawnmower revealed and explained
eastangliabylines.co.uk
May 21, 2025 at 4:11 PM
“There is still time. We should be kind.”
Larkin’s mower poem gave hope during the pandemic.
New research shows how British poets have long used mowing to wrestle with the mess of being human.
Tom Almeroth-Williams reports
Larkin’s mower poem gave hope during the pandemic.
New research shows how British poets have long used mowing to wrestle with the mess of being human.
Tom Almeroth-Williams reports
Reposted by Frankie Gardner
A poet’s father mowed obsessively. Another smoked crack instead. Lawnmower poems span generations and emotions.
Cambridge scholar Francesca Gardner says it’s time for a revival.
Tom Almeroth-Williams reports.
Cambridge scholar Francesca Gardner says it’s time for a revival.
Tom Almeroth-Williams reports.
Life, death and mowing
Britain’s poetic obsession with the humble lawnmower revealed and explained
eastangliabylines.co.uk
May 21, 2025 at 4:39 AM
A poet’s father mowed obsessively. Another smoked crack instead. Lawnmower poems span generations and emotions.
Cambridge scholar Francesca Gardner says it’s time for a revival.
Tom Almeroth-Williams reports.
Cambridge scholar Francesca Gardner says it’s time for a revival.
Tom Almeroth-Williams reports.
Reposted by Frankie Gardner
Francesca Gardner said British poets were "very interested" in the lawn
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Cambridge study suggests 'poetic obsession' with lawnmowers
Academic research suggests British poets have written about mowing the lawn for nearly 375 years.
www.bbc.co.uk
May 19, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Francesca Gardner said British poets were "very interested" in the lawn
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Frankie Gardner
BBC News - Cambridge study suggests 'poetic obsession' with lawnmowers
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Cambridge study suggests 'poetic obsession' with lawnmowers
Academic research suggests British poets have written about mowing the lawn for nearly 375 years.
www.bbc.co.uk
May 17, 2025 at 7:18 AM
BBC News - Cambridge study suggests 'poetic obsession' with lawnmowers
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Frankie Gardner
Lawnmower poetry sounds ridiculous, until you read it.
Larkin. Marvell. Motion. Machines and mortality.
New research uncovers a rich, violent, tender tradition.
Tom Almeroth-Williams tells us of explorations by Francesca Gardner
eastangliabylines.co.uk/lifestyle/cu...
Larkin. Marvell. Motion. Machines and mortality.
New research uncovers a rich, violent, tender tradition.
Tom Almeroth-Williams tells us of explorations by Francesca Gardner
eastangliabylines.co.uk/lifestyle/cu...
Life, death and mowing
Britain’s poetic obsession with the humble lawnmower revealed and explained
eastangliabylines.co.uk
May 20, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Lawnmower poetry sounds ridiculous, until you read it.
Larkin. Marvell. Motion. Machines and mortality.
New research uncovers a rich, violent, tender tradition.
Tom Almeroth-Williams tells us of explorations by Francesca Gardner
eastangliabylines.co.uk/lifestyle/cu...
Larkin. Marvell. Motion. Machines and mortality.
New research uncovers a rich, violent, tender tradition.
Tom Almeroth-Williams tells us of explorations by Francesca Gardner
eastangliabylines.co.uk/lifestyle/cu...
Reposted by Frankie Gardner
Lawnmower poetry sounds slightly ridiculous, until you read it.
Larkin. Marvell. Motion. Machines and mortality.
New research uncovers a rich, violent, tender tradition. | Dr Tom Almeroth-Williams
@eastangliabylines.co.uk @frankiegardner.bsky.social
Larkin. Marvell. Motion. Machines and mortality.
New research uncovers a rich, violent, tender tradition. | Dr Tom Almeroth-Williams
@eastangliabylines.co.uk @frankiegardner.bsky.social
Life, death and mowing
Britain’s poetic obsession with the humble lawnmower revealed and explained
eastangliabylines.co.uk
May 20, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Lawnmower poetry sounds slightly ridiculous, until you read it.
Larkin. Marvell. Motion. Machines and mortality.
New research uncovers a rich, violent, tender tradition. | Dr Tom Almeroth-Williams
@eastangliabylines.co.uk @frankiegardner.bsky.social
Larkin. Marvell. Motion. Machines and mortality.
New research uncovers a rich, violent, tender tradition. | Dr Tom Almeroth-Williams
@eastangliabylines.co.uk @frankiegardner.bsky.social
Reposted by Frankie Gardner
You can read the original article here (early view): onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Lawnmower Poetry and the Poetry of Lawnmowers
Click on the article title to read more.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
May 19, 2025 at 12:57 PM
You can read the original article here (early view): onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Frankie Gardner
An essay we published in CQ has made the news! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Cambridge study suggests 'poetic obsession' with lawnmowers
Academic research suggests British poets have written about mowing the lawn for nearly 375 years.
www.bbc.co.uk
May 19, 2025 at 12:57 PM
An essay we published in CQ has made the news! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Frankie Gardner
Research by the aptly-named @frankiegardner.bsky.social (English PhD student at Catz) reveals British poets over the last 50 years such as Larkin & Motion have driven a ‘lawnmower poetry microgenre’, a tradition rooted in the 17th-century poems of Marvell: www.caths.cam.ac.uk/...
Britain’s poetic obsession with the lawnmower
Research by a postgraduate student at St Catharine's has revealed how British poets over the last 50 years such as Philip Larkin and Andrew Motion have driven a ‘lawnmower poetry microgenre’, using the machine to explore childhood, masculinity, violence, addiction, mortality and much more. Francesca Gardner, an English PhD student, argues in her article published by Critical Quarterly that this tradition goes back to the 17th-century poet Andrew Marvell who used mowing – with a scythe – to comment on the violence of the English Civil War.
www.caths.cam.ac.uk
May 19, 2025 at 8:05 AM
Research by the aptly-named @frankiegardner.bsky.social (English PhD student at Catz) reveals British poets over the last 50 years such as Larkin & Motion have driven a ‘lawnmower poetry microgenre’, a tradition rooted in the 17th-century poems of Marvell: www.caths.cam.ac.uk/...
Reposted by Frankie Gardner
Nice little piece on it in BBC News too: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cewd59r1e18o
Cambridge study suggests 'poetic obsession' with lawnmowers
Academic research suggests British poets have written about mowing the lawn for nearly 375 years.
www.bbc.co.uk
May 17, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Nice little piece on it in BBC News too: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cewd59r1e18o
Reposted by Frankie Gardner
Really nice example here for humanists, showing that open access and the inclusion of third-party copyright is doable:
“Lawnmower Poetry and the Poetry of Lawnmowers” by Francesca Gardner. Critical Quarterly https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/criq.12818
Includes:
The Simpsons […]
“Lawnmower Poetry and the Poetry of Lawnmowers” by Francesca Gardner. Critical Quarterly https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/criq.12818
Includes:
The Simpsons […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
May 17, 2025 at 8:31 AM
Really nice example here for humanists, showing that open access and the inclusion of third-party copyright is doable:
“Lawnmower Poetry and the Poetry of Lawnmowers” by Francesca Gardner. Critical Quarterly https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/criq.12818
Includes:
The Simpsons […]
“Lawnmower Poetry and the Poetry of Lawnmowers” by Francesca Gardner. Critical Quarterly https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/criq.12818
Includes:
The Simpsons […]
Reposted by Frankie Gardner
Francesca Gardner proposes we recognise a new “micro-genre” of English verse: lawnmower poetry.
“They might seem like strange and humdrum subjects, but they have inspired meditations on the grandest of themes, from conflict and death to parenthood & heartbreak”
(£) www.thetimes.com/culture/book...
“They might seem like strange and humdrum subjects, but they have inspired meditations on the grandest of themes, from conflict and death to parenthood & heartbreak”
(£) www.thetimes.com/culture/book...
Cutting lines: How lawnmowers found a place in English poetry
A study from Cambridge University reveals how generations of poets have been inspired by the humble lawnmower
www.thetimes.com
May 17, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Francesca Gardner proposes we recognise a new “micro-genre” of English verse: lawnmower poetry.
“They might seem like strange and humdrum subjects, but they have inspired meditations on the grandest of themes, from conflict and death to parenthood & heartbreak”
(£) www.thetimes.com/culture/book...
“They might seem like strange and humdrum subjects, but they have inspired meditations on the grandest of themes, from conflict and death to parenthood & heartbreak”
(£) www.thetimes.com/culture/book...