Simon Flynn
@simonflynn.bsky.social
Science teacher, chiefly Chemistry (and A Level Psychology). In the early stages of a History/History of Science PhD at Birkbeck - the influence of Malthus on the directions of Darwinism. Author of the 'The Curious World of Science'.
20 years after first reading ‘Middlemarch’, I find I like Dorothea more and Lydgate less. There’s an awful lot in the book that’s great but I find it hard understand why it’s so loved. I enjoyed more all the other Eliot fiction I’ve read in the last year or so.
August 10, 2025 at 7:00 PM
20 years after first reading ‘Middlemarch’, I find I like Dorothea more and Lydgate less. There’s an awful lot in the book that’s great but I find it hard understand why it’s so loved. I enjoyed more all the other Eliot fiction I’ve read in the last year or so.
Latest read. It’s easy to see how this morally complex novel lends itself well to college courses and book clubs. There’s much to shock and this happens on many levels. I did, however, find the writing clunky at time - it could have been better edited. I will read more Butler.
July 5, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Latest read. It’s easy to see how this morally complex novel lends itself well to college courses and book clubs. There’s much to shock and this happens on many levels. I did, however, find the writing clunky at time - it could have been better edited. I will read more Butler.
Latest read: This isn't Gaskell's best-known work, possibly because of the amount of dialect that features. However, it's arguably her most realistic (okay, minus the usual convenient coincidences) and the final 100 pages step things up a gear and pack an emotional punch.
June 29, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Latest read: This isn't Gaskell's best-known work, possibly because of the amount of dialect that features. However, it's arguably her most realistic (okay, minus the usual convenient coincidences) and the final 100 pages step things up a gear and pack an emotional punch.
Latest reads. Baldwin’s ‘The White Man’s Guilt’ is a particularly powerful essay and the short stories often make difficult reading. Highly recommended.
May 29, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Latest reads. Baldwin’s ‘The White Man’s Guilt’ is a particularly powerful essay and the short stories often make difficult reading. Highly recommended.
@mikehobbiss.bsky.social @paulclinepsy.bsky.social I’m looking forward to reading this - I’m sure I’ll learn a lot.
May 24, 2025 at 8:42 AM
@mikehobbiss.bsky.social @paulclinepsy.bsky.social I’m looking forward to reading this - I’m sure I’ll learn a lot.
Gaskell’s short stories are certainly interesting, and Cousin Phillis has much that is redolent some of the themes in her longer works. However, if you’re thinking or reading (more) Gaskell, I would prioritise the latter.
May 20, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Gaskell’s short stories are certainly interesting, and Cousin Phillis has much that is redolent some of the themes in her longer works. However, if you’re thinking or reading (more) Gaskell, I would prioritise the latter.
'The Song of the Shirt' by Thomas Hood (1799-1845) is powerfully evocative of the 'life' of a needlewoman in the first half of the nineteenth century (c.f. Elizabeth Gaskell's 'Mary Barton' and 'Ruth'). It was an immediate success on its publication. poets.org/poem/song-sh...
May 14, 2025 at 5:54 PM
'The Song of the Shirt' by Thomas Hood (1799-1845) is powerfully evocative of the 'life' of a needlewoman in the first half of the nineteenth century (c.f. Elizabeth Gaskell's 'Mary Barton' and 'Ruth'). It was an immediate success on its publication. poets.org/poem/song-sh...
I have just reread the below after a gap of many years. It’s so, so good. If you teach English and haven’t read it, I strongly suggest you do, as it’s the best sort of postmodern novel. Read this Guardian piece to know more. #greatnovels theguardian.com/books/booksb...
April 27, 2025 at 9:31 AM
I have just reread the below after a gap of many years. It’s so, so good. If you teach English and haven’t read it, I strongly suggest you do, as it’s the best sort of postmodern novel. Read this Guardian piece to know more. #greatnovels theguardian.com/books/booksb...
The best subject-specific CPD I have undertaken is writing a comprehensive set of notes for AQA's Chemistry A-level. This continues to be a valuable exercise as I repeatedly edit and refine them in light of lessons, students' queries and exam questions. www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/u8e5n...
April 18, 2025 at 11:02 AM
The best subject-specific CPD I have undertaken is writing a comprehensive set of notes for AQA's Chemistry A-level. This continues to be a valuable exercise as I repeatedly edit and refine them in light of lessons, students' queries and exam questions. www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/u8e5n...
‘Ourika’ is a short story. A bestseller in 1820s France, it’s apparently the first novel set in Europe to have a black heroine and has a fable-like quality. This version was translated by John Fowles, who says it partly inspired his ‘French Lieutenant’s Woman’.
April 14, 2025 at 4:02 PM
‘Ourika’ is a short story. A bestseller in 1820s France, it’s apparently the first novel set in Europe to have a black heroine and has a fable-like quality. This version was translated by John Fowles, who says it partly inspired his ‘French Lieutenant’s Woman’.
Elizabeth Strout’s books are always deeply rewarding, even more so if you’ve read those that have previously featured certain characters. I have only ‘Abide with Me’ left. If you like Strout, I highly recommend Richard Russo. Start with ‘Nobody’s Fool’.
April 14, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Elizabeth Strout’s books are always deeply rewarding, even more so if you’ve read those that have previously featured certain characters. I have only ‘Abide with Me’ left. If you like Strout, I highly recommend Richard Russo. Start with ‘Nobody’s Fool’.
‘Shirley’ is an uneven read, as the first paragraph of Lucasta Miller’s excellent introduction, which brilliantly contextualises the novel, makes clear. Branwell, Emily and Anne all died during the writing of this novel.
April 14, 2025 at 4:00 PM
‘Shirley’ is an uneven read, as the first paragraph of Lucasta Miller’s excellent introduction, which brilliantly contextualises the novel, makes clear. Branwell, Emily and Anne all died during the writing of this novel.
Recent reading. More on these shortly (probably).
April 11, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Recent reading. More on these shortly (probably).
This potentially fascinating free book isn't for the faint-hearted - I hope I have the time to read enough of it with care.
'In Their Own Words: What Scholars and Teachers Want You to Know About Why and How to Apply the Science of Learning in Your Academic Setting'
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/grtva...
'In Their Own Words: What Scholars and Teachers Want You to Know About Why and How to Apply the Science of Learning in Your Academic Setting'
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/grtva...
March 29, 2025 at 12:28 PM
This potentially fascinating free book isn't for the faint-hearted - I hope I have the time to read enough of it with care.
'In Their Own Words: What Scholars and Teachers Want You to Know About Why and How to Apply the Science of Learning in Your Academic Setting'
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/grtva...
'In Their Own Words: What Scholars and Teachers Want You to Know About Why and How to Apply the Science of Learning in Your Academic Setting'
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/grtva...
You can draw it however you like, providing the arrows start and end in the right place. Honestly, I've never seen it drawn like your second diagram before.
March 12, 2025 at 7:31 PM
You can draw it however you like, providing the arrows start and end in the right place. Honestly, I've never seen it drawn like your second diagram before.
My latest read - Eliot’s first fiction is full of pathos. It’s also the subject of the final chapter in Catherine Gallagher’s ‘The Body Economic’, which focuses on Malthusian anthropology.
February 23, 2025 at 4:41 PM
My latest read - Eliot’s first fiction is full of pathos. It’s also the subject of the final chapter in Catherine Gallagher’s ‘The Body Economic’, which focuses on Malthusian anthropology.
For anyone that’s interested, this is a great introduction to the cultural sociology of cognition.
January 6, 2025 at 7:52 PM
For anyone that’s interested, this is a great introduction to the cultural sociology of cognition.
This lovely, humane book, full of warmth and insight, was my most uplifting read of 2024. I highly recommend it. persephonebooks.co.uk/products/the...
January 5, 2025 at 7:55 PM
This lovely, humane book, full of warmth and insight, was my most uplifting read of 2024. I highly recommend it. persephonebooks.co.uk/products/the...
December’s reads, along with a couple of Dickens’s Christmas stories. They were all fantastic in their own way except for ‘Held’, which really didn’t speak to me. The Martin Gilbert was a delight and Elizabeth Strout never fails to deliver. ‘Tenant’ was powerful and illuminating. #books #reading
December 31, 2024 at 4:56 PM
And then there's the word 'amount'. www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/rtegh...
December 8, 2024 at 4:56 PM
And then there's the word 'amount'. www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/rtegh...
This weekend's marking reminded me that I need to remind my students of the issues with 'it'. Here's a link to the PowerPoint presentation, in case it's useful. You can then convert it to a PDF. www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ogbre...
December 8, 2024 at 4:53 PM
This weekend's marking reminded me that I need to remind my students of the issues with 'it'. Here's a link to the PowerPoint presentation, in case it's useful. You can then convert it to a PDF. www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ogbre...
I hope the attached helps ‘show’ the stability a little more clearly. #chatchemistry
November 21, 2024 at 6:49 PM
I hope the attached helps ‘show’ the stability a little more clearly. #chatchemistry
For me, ‘Cranford’ can’t hold a candle to the other three Gaskell novels I’ve read in the last year. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot to glean from it, particularly regarding gender, class and economy in the 1830s to 1850s. It’s still 👍🏻
November 3, 2024 at 7:50 PM
For me, ‘Cranford’ can’t hold a candle to the other three Gaskell novels I’ve read in the last year. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot to glean from it, particularly regarding gender, class and economy in the 1830s to 1850s. It’s still 👍🏻
I'm teaching A level Psychology for the first time this year!
Cornell Notes provides a potentially powerful learning method for students. So, I wrote some example notes and compiled an associated checklist. Please let me know if you have any constructive comments on the latter.
Cornell Notes provides a potentially powerful learning method for students. So, I wrote some example notes and compiled an associated checklist. Please let me know if you have any constructive comments on the latter.
October 30, 2024 at 11:29 AM
I'm teaching A level Psychology for the first time this year!
Cornell Notes provides a potentially powerful learning method for students. So, I wrote some example notes and compiled an associated checklist. Please let me know if you have any constructive comments on the latter.
Cornell Notes provides a potentially powerful learning method for students. So, I wrote some example notes and compiled an associated checklist. Please let me know if you have any constructive comments on the latter.
My final Dickens novel. 'The Pickwick Papers' is an (understandably) uneven book containing some wonderful characters and scenes.
My favourites include the obvious: David Copperfield, Bleak House, and Great Expectations. I also loved Nicholas Nickleby. The others all have something.
My favourites include the obvious: David Copperfield, Bleak House, and Great Expectations. I also loved Nicholas Nickleby. The others all have something.
October 13, 2024 at 3:20 PM
My final Dickens novel. 'The Pickwick Papers' is an (understandably) uneven book containing some wonderful characters and scenes.
My favourites include the obvious: David Copperfield, Bleak House, and Great Expectations. I also loved Nicholas Nickleby. The others all have something.
My favourites include the obvious: David Copperfield, Bleak House, and Great Expectations. I also loved Nicholas Nickleby. The others all have something.