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Unpublished WW1 novel shares secrets of the past with a new generation

By Guest PostNovember 6, 2013Culture, Politicsa romance, acts of courage, analysis, dcm, distinguished conduct medal, egalitarian belief, first world war, forest of dean, frederick william harvey, gloucestershire regiment, gloucestershire soldier, grant repshire, herbert howells, ivor gurney, new generation, poetry, prisoner of war, roger deeks, semi autobiographical novel, severnvale, soldier, university of exeter, unpublished ww1 novel, will harvey, world war

A heroic World War One soldier’s previously unknown semi-autobiographical novel has come to light following the completion of a project to archive and make public the manuscripts, poems and correspondence of Frederick William Harvey.

F W Harvey’s papers are now available to the public thanks to a major collaborative project between the University of Exeter and the Gloucestershire Archives.

The Gloucestershire soldier became well known nationally for his poetry and his acts of courage. Despite having trained as a solicitor, he enlisted in the ranks and was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal before being made an officer. Found among Harvey’s papers was an unpublished novel titled ‘Will Harvey – A Romance’, which is a fictional, but semi-autobiographical, novel which covers the early lives and school-days of two brothers. The story then follows them into the trenches of WWI, where Eric is killed (as was F W Harvey’s brother in real life) and Will is captured (again as in real life). There were several attempts to have it published however it seems that the post-WWI public was no longer interested in reading about the war. (more…)

Exile or Immigrant?

By Guest PostMarch 19, 2013Culture, Politicsamerican authors, anna karenina, born in china, boston university, brandeis university, chinese american author, chinese army, creative writing program, emotion, european works, exile, fathers and sons, first novel, ha jin, immigrant, john steinbeck, liberation army, madame bovary, people, soldier, united states, waiting, willa cather, write in english

Chinese-American author speaks as part of visiting writers series

Acclaimed Chinese-American author Ha Jin came to the United States almost 30 years ago as neither immigrant nor exile, but he experienced elements of both as he struggled to establish a personal identity and carve out a place for himself in the literary world.

On Thursday, March 7, close to 300 people turned out to hear the award-winning writer share his perspective on the contemporary immigrant experience. The lecture was part of a visiting writers series, Transnational Encounters: World-Renowned Authors at the University of Delaware. (more…)

That Giant Tarantula Is Terrifying, But I’ll Touch It

By Guest PostSeptember 8, 2012Sciencedomestic violence, emotional experience, giant, intuition, katharina kircanski, macbeth, malcolm, matthew lieberman, michelle craske, psychology study, returning, Shakespeare, soldier, stressful time, tarantula, ucla, victim, war

Expressing your emotions can reduce fear, UCLA psychologists report

“Give sorrow words.”

—Malcolm in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”

Can simply describing your feelings at stressful times make you less afraid and less anxious?

A new UCLA psychology study suggests that labeling your emotions at the precise moment you are confronting what you fear can indeed have that effect.

The psychologists asked 88 people with a fear of spiders to approach a large, live tarantula in an open container outdoors. The participants were told to walk closer and closer to the spider and eventually touch it if they could. (more…)

Smartphone App Can Track Objects On the Battlefield as Well as On the Sports Field, Says MU Researcher

By Guest PostSeptember 2, 2012Technology, Weaponsair strike, battlefield, compass, direction, distant object, gps, latitude, location, longitude, missouri, moving object, prototype, qia wang, rangefinder, smartphone, software, soldier, speed, target, university, version, video

COLUMBIA, Mo. — University of Missouri researchers have developed new software using smartphones’ GPS and imaging abilities that determine the exact location of distant objects as well as monitor the speed and direction of moving objects. The software could eventually allow smartphone-armed soldiers to target the location of their enemies. On the home front, the software could be used by everyone, including golfers judging distance to the green and biologists documenting the location of a rare animal without disturbing it.

“The great advantage of a smartphone is that it provides so many tools in a single, readily available, relatively inexpensive package,” said Qia Wang, a doctoral student in MU’s College of Engineering who led the development of the software. “For example, on the battlefield, a soldier needs a rangefinder, compass, GPS and other tools to do reconnaissance before calling in an air strike. With our software, the soldier can have all those instruments in one device that can be purchased off the shelf. When that soldier returns from war, she can use the same software to protect her family by clocking a speeder near her children’s school and catching the culprit on video.” (more…)

Killing Kings

By Guest PostFebruary 2, 2011Culturebanquet, byzantine emperor, Cambridge University, charles, cold climates, criminologist, early middle ages, Europe, european kings, history, homicide, johann of swabia, john tzimiskes, killing kings, king of castile, manuel eisner, modern era, monarch, muhammed, murder, nikephoros, northumbria, norway, peter of castile, political elites, prince edward, Seville, soldier, sultan of granada, theophano, venetian doge, vitale michel, whitehall in central london, yusufI of granada

A new study by a Cambridge University criminologist reveals just how dangerous it was to be a monarch in Europe before the modern era.

On 30 January 1649 Charles I was executed on a balcony overlooking Whitehall in central London. A huge crowd, restrained by ranks of militia, gathered to witness his beheading. An eye witness reported that his severed head was thrown down and his hair cut off while soldiers dipped their swords in his blood. (more…)

Tag Archives: soldier

Unpublished WW1 novel shares secrets of the past with a new generation

Exile or Immigrant?

That Giant Tarantula Is Terrifying, But I’ll Touch It

Smartphone App Can Track Objects On the Battlefield as Well as On the Sports Field, Says MU Researcher

Killing Kings