Dr Miranda Fay Thomas (they/she)

It is genuinely so funny to me that the descendant was like 'you can't use Oldcastle', so Shakespeare changed the name to, basically, Limp-dick, and that was apparently fine

Welcome aboard to the newly created field of Blobby Studies.

Does anyone actually dare me to write an article about how Mr Blobby is a descendent of vice characters? Would this be a good use of six months?

Performance studies books I don't have time to write... VICE: Comic Characters as Disruptive Agents, From Morality Plays to Mr Blobby.

a clown in a pink and yellow polka dot costume is standing on a stage ALT: a clown in a pink and yellow polka dot costume is standing on a stage

I have decided, purely for my own amusement, to start a thread of critical quotes about Falstaff, but illustrating them with an image of Mr Blobby.

'...a character deeper than life, a wit unmatched by anyone merely real whom we will ever know' (A. C. Bradley)

I have never seen a politician more directly copy this speech in my life

a pink clown wearing a yellow bow tie is behind bars ALT: a pink clown wearing a yellow bow tie is behind bars

'Thou compound sense of vice; of sense which may be admired but not esteemed; of vice which may be despised but hardly detested. He is a thief & a glutton, a coward & a boaster, always ready to cheat the weak & prey upon the poor; to terrify the timorous & insult the defenceless' (Samuel Johnson)

an elderly woman is standing in a kitchen with a box of flour on the counter ALT: an elderly woman is standing in a kitchen with a box of flour on the counter

'You can't take your eyes off him for a second... Playing him like an idiot is a mistake... There's a dangerous man beneath' (Ashley McGuire)

a teddy bear in pink pajamas is walking up stairs ALT: a teddy bear in pink pajamas is walking up stairs

'[he] is the first major joke by the English against their class system; he is a picture of how badly you can behave, and still get away with it, if you are a gentleman' (William Empson)

a man in a tan jacket stands in front of a table with flowers on it ALT: a man in a tan jacket stands in front of a table with flowers on it

'Disreputable and joyous, he speaks to a world that goes from violence to violence (Harold Bloom)

a group of people are playing drums in front of a pink clown . ALT: a group of people are playing drums in front of a pink clown .

'...he is in fact in important part designed as the very opposite of the Protestant ascetic: communal, pleasure-loving, and self-centred, rather than solitary, penitential, and self-denying' (Hugh Grady)

a clown in a pink and yellow polka dot costume is standing on a stage ALT: a clown in a pink and yellow polka dot costume is standing on a stage

I have decided, purely for my own amusement, to start a thread of critical quotes about Falstaff, but illustrating them with an image of Mr Blobby.

'...a character deeper than life, a wit unmatched by anyone merely real whom we will ever know' (A. C. Bradley)

Fitbit alert: You’ve really pushed yourself this week! Take it easy for a few days

(Later)

Fitbit alert: Time to get moving, you lazy git!

How did I end up in a coercive relationship with my watch

BENJAMIN.

Good deed of the day: rescued an old dog wandering down Cabra Road. Rang the number on his tag. Woman answered ‘oh, thank god you’ve got him: he’s blind!’ 😱

That’s so helpful. Thank you!

A 'trans-Atlantic moral panic' is at least some respite from the trans moral panic

Thanks for the update! So, what's the best way for me - an Arden author and series editor in Ireland - to avail of my author's discount? There are a few books I'd like to get.

Unflinching refusal to use or allow the use of A.I. in reading & writing should be the uncontroversial, default position of teachers from K-12 to colleges & universities. If our administrators tell us we "have to" we tell them to eff off. We will not kill the planet's water for systemic plagiarism.

Oh she absolutely covered it up, but it wasn’t through ‘gentle parenting’, which wasn’t even a thing when she was child-rearing. The bigger point here is: abolish the monarchy.

Sometimes when I’m anxious and trying to get to sleep I half-remember old episodes of The News Quiz from c. 2010 when things were far from ideal but not batshit insane. A comfort blanket.

Oh that’s wonderful to hear! I’m thrilled to hear its resonating with secondary schools.

Bloomsbury website doesn't seem to ship to the EU... But if you're in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, or India, do avail! (@ardenpublisher.bsky.social is there really no EU shipping?)

Shakespeare’s Body Language Why do the Capulets bite their thumbs at the Montagues? Why do the Venetians spit upon Shylock's Jewish gaberdine? What is it about Volumnia's act of kneeling t…

Bloomsbury are having a sale at the moment and there's one day left to get my book, Shakespeare's Body Language, at 30-40% off! @ardenpublisher.bsky.social

If you've ever wondered why Romeo and Juliet starts with a thumb bite - and what it means - I got ya.

www.bloomsbury.com/uk/shakespea...

I texted this to my friend and they replied 'well thank goodness someone found a way to blame a woman'

I texted this to my friend and they replied 'well thank goodness someone found a way to blame a woman'

You mean as something I never ever want to involve myself with? Got it

Good morning to my department’s new printer, which thinks I am using an Adobe font to print out a facsimile page from Shakespeare’s First Folio of 1623

This is what I realised recently. The buck never stops, so the fuckers keep going.