The School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics invites applications for a fully-funded doctoral studentship within the area of Eighteenth-Century Print Culture. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to shape their own research project related to this broad topic. Their research will be supervised by Dr Joseph Hone and is expected to tie in with the work he is conducting as a Newcastle University Academic Track (NUAcT) Fellow.

Applicants will be expected to design their own programme of research. Possible topics may include: print in the English provinces; illustrated books; the trade in books between the British Isles and continental Europe; newspapers and the periodical press; the marketing of literary texts; piracy and the underground book trade; the trade in obscene and pornographic literature. The successful candidate will be expected to focus primarily on the print culture of eighteenth-century England, though candidates with a broader chronological and geographical focus will also be considered.

A demonstrable interest in the relations between the history of the book and literary studies is essential. It is desirable that the successful applicant will have some training or experience in bibliography at Master’s level, though training will be provided.

The successful applicant will join a thriving School with an energetic, creative, and well-resourced research culture that includes the North East Forum in Eighteenth-Century and Romantic Studies, Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts, and the Middle Modern Research Group. The School has particular strengths in the history of the book, with colleagues including Matthew Grenby, Jennifer Richards, Ruth Connolly, Kate De Rycker, and Michael Rossington.

Applications should be submitted through the Newcastle University online portal, quoting ‘NUAcT/SELLL’ under ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’. As part of their submission, applicants should provide a brief CV, a research proposal of no more than 750 words, a personal statement setting out how their past qualifications and experience have equipped them with the skills and knowledge base to undertake their proposed project, and the details of two referees.

The successful applicant is expected to start in September 2022. The studentship will cover annual tuition fees and comes with a stipend of £15,009.

For informal inquiries, please contact Dr Joseph Hone – joseph.hone@ncl.ac.uk

Deadline: 12 January 2022