Pam Lock

I am a lecturer at the University of Bristol, UK (2012- ). I work on Alcohol in Victorian Fiction, particularly our fascination with drunkenness and the chronic drunkard. My thesis surveyed a broad chronological span, and examines a range of authors and texts including Braddon, the Brontës, Collins, Dickens, Eliot, Hardy, Trollope, and Ellen Wood. I am particularly interested in the historical context of these novels as a part of a wider public and professional discourse around alcohol, drinking, and drunkenness. This focus on contextualisation means my research includes a wide range of; contemporary newspapers; scientific and medical writings on alcohol, alcoholism and suicide; and radical and political movements focussed on issues such as temperance and women’s rights.

I work on our part-time degree in English Literature and Community Engagement which is designed for mature students, choosing to study later in life. We teach entirely in the evenings and weekends, and accept student without traditional qualifications.