William and Elizabeth Gaskell: The Unitarian making of a novelist
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Harris Manchester College Oxford’s inaugural Manchester Lecture will be given by Professor Dinah Birch, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Cultural Engagement and Emeritus Professor of English Literature at the University of Liverpool. The Manchester Lectures are intended to explore aspects of the College’s own history.
Professor Birch has made significant contributions to the literary world through her extensive publications focusing on Victorian fiction, poetry, and the critical analysis of John Ruskin’s work. Among her notable works are Our Victorian Education (2007), which delves into the intricacies of education during the Victorian era. She is the general editor for the Oxford Companion to English Literature (7th ed., 2009). She chairs the Advisory Council for the University of London’s IES, leads the Editorial Board of The Conversation, chairs the Advisory Board of The Ruskin Library and Research Centre at Lancaster University, and serves as President of the British Association for Victorian Studies.
Moreover, Dinah has played a pivotal role in bringing classic literary works to contemporary audiences. She has produced new editions of several prominent novels, including Elizabeth Gaskell’s Cranford (2011), Anthony Trollope’s Can You Forgive Her? (2012), and The Small House at Allington (2014), all in collaboration with Oxford University Press.