The death of John Stuart Mill

This article surveys the fiercely contested posthumous assessments of John Stuart Mill in the newspaper and periodical press, in the months following his death in May 1873, and elicits the broader intellectual context. Judgements made in the immediate wake of Mill's death influence biographers and historians to this day and provide an illuminating aperture into the politics and shifting ideological forces of the period. The article considers how Mill's failure to control his posthumous reputation demonstrates both the inextricable intertwining of politics and character in the 1870s, and the difficulties his allies faced. In particular, it shows the sharp division between Mill's middle and working class admirers; the use of James Mill's name as a rebuke to his son; the redefinition of Malthusianism in the 1870s; and how publication of Mill's Autobiography damaged his reputation. Finally, the article considers the relative absence of both theological and Darwinian critiques of Mill.

Crystal structures of Λ-[Ru(phen)2dppz]2+ with oligonucleotides containing TA/TA and AT/AT steps show two intercalation modes

The ruthenium complex [Ru(phen)2(dppz)] (where phen is a phenanthroline and dppz a dipyridyl–phenazine ligand) is known as a ‘light switch’ complex because its luminescence in solution is significantly enhanced in the presence of DNA. This property is poised to serve in diagnostic and therapeutic applications, but its binding mode with DNA needs to be elucidated further. Here, we describe the crystal structures of the L enantiomer bound to two oligonucleotide duplexes. The dppz ligand intercalates symmetrically and perpendicularly from the minor groove of the d(CCGGTACCGG)2 duplex at the central TA/TA step, but not at the central AT/AT step of d(CCGGATCCGG)2. In both structures, however, a second ruthenium complex links the duplexes through the combination of a shallower angled intercalation into the C1C2/G9G10 step at the end of the duplex, and semi-intercalation into the G3G4 step of an adjacent duplex. The TA/TA specificity of the perpendicular intercalation arises from the packing of phenanthroline ligands against the adenosine residue.

John of Worcester and the science of history

Although the ‘chronicle of chronicles’ compiled at Worcester c1095-c1140 is now firmly attributed to John of Worcester, rather than Florence, major questions remain. A central issue is that the semi-autograph manuscript of the chronicle (now Oxford, Corpus Christi College, Ms 157) underwent several alterations to its structure and contents, as codicological evidence demonstrates. These included the incorporation of important illuminations, which have been surprisingly little considered in their overall manuscript context. This article focuses on these illuminations, and will argue that their presence in this version of the chronicle makes it something even more distinctive than the learned, revisionist chronological work of Marianus Scotus upon which it was based. John of Worcester’s chosen images are linked not only to his political narrative but also to theological works and to cutting-edge science, newly translated from Arabic. The presence of such miniatures in a twelfth-century chronicle is unique, and they are central to the final form given to the Worcester chronicle by John of Worcester himself in this key manuscript. Their analysis thus brings into focus the impressive assembly of materials which the chronicle offered to readers, to shape their understanding of ongoing events.

The Life of Galileo and Brechtian television drama

Bertolt Brecht's dramaturgy was as influential upon the development of British drama on television between the 1950s and the 1970s as it was in the theatre. His influence was made manifest through the work of writers, directors and producers such as Tony Garnett, Ken Loach, John McGrath and Dennis Potter, whose attempts to create original Brechtian forms of television drama were reflected in the frequent reference to Brecht in contemporary debate concerning the political and aesthetic direction and value of television drama. While this discussion has been framed thus far around how Brechtian techniques and theory were applied to the newer media of television, this article examines these arguments from another perspective. Through detailed analysis of a 1964 BBC production of The Life of Galileo, I assess how the primary, canonical sources of Brecht's stage plays were realised on television during this period, locating Brecht's drama in the wider context of British television drama in general during the 1960s and 1970s. I pay particular attention to the use of the television studio as a site that could replicate or reinvent the theatrical space of the stage, and the responsiveness of the television audience towards Brechtian dramaturgy.

The trilogy of John of God

Monteiro’s assertion of the almighty auteur, after the post-structuralist and post-modern experiences, which had shattered the author and his work in theory and practice, reinstates an authority aimed at organising the chaos caused by the lack of narrative. In a way, therefore, Monteiro’s output is conservative, displaying a peculiar atemporal style, which seems entirely immune to fashion. On the other hand, however, few contemporary films could be more radical than his. Authorship, in his case, means the absence of limits and total freedom of expressing his obsessive world.

And the night was kind. 'Ruskin's Ponds' book works by John Woodman

A journal article published in the Blue Notebook: Journal for artists' books. Vol 8 No 2, April 2014 exploring the work of video and book artist John Woodman and his relationship with John Ruskin's life and landscapes.

Johnson and Juvenal in John Ashbery's 'An Additional Poem' (1962)

A note on Ashbery's metaphorical and intertextual practice.