Ian Middlebrook

Lecturer in Victorian Literature and Director of Undergraduate Studies for the School of English, Bangor University

As a researcher with teaching interests in Dickens and nineteenth-century literature, I was approached by Bangor University and asked to teach the third year option module ‘Dickens and Print Culture’. This semester I was coordinator for Victorian Literature and led postgraduate seminars on reading and editing in the nineteenth century. I also lecture on The Romantic Period in Britain and I am supervising several dissertations in the area of my research interests.

My recent article, ‘London Cabs, Wilkie Collins and The Woman in White’, was published in the June 2016 issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Transport History.I am currently working on two articles (now near completion): one on travel and transportation in gothic revival fiction, and a second on city travel and cabs in Victorian detective fiction. While working at Bangor University I have reviewed books on nineteenth-century poetry for the journal Modern Language Review. Editors at Palgrave expressed interest in my book proposal earlier this year and suggested I submit a manuscript for their new Mobilities, Literature and Culture series. I am currently preparing my doctoral thesis (Aberystwyth 2014) as a monograph on city space, mobility and literary representations of intra-urban travel in Victorian fiction.

I graduated with a PhD in 2014. I began my studies in Aberystwyth as an undergraduate and then completed the Literary Studies MA before embarking on a PhD in Victorian Literature. I was very fortunate to have a patient and wise supervisor to share my enthusiasm and to guide me through the challenges and triumphs of writing my thesis which examines hackney coach and cab transportation in a range of literary texts and documents from 1837-1900.

Experience as a postgraduate at Aberystwyth University has been tremendously important in preparing me for a career in academia. As a postgraduate at Aberystwyth you are taught essential research skills and encouraged to attend and present at conferences. As a PhD candidate I gained valuable teaching experience. If lecturing and teaching sounds daunting, there are tutor training courses designed to build confidence. Presentation skills workshops were helpful in suggesting effective ways to use PowerPoint and electronic resources to enhance learning in lectures, seminars and online. 

The resources for research at Aberystwyth are excellent. With the National Library of Wales on your doorstep and a tremendous range of electronic journals you always have access to latest research. My advice to postgraduates is to take advantage of the many outstanding opportunities Aberystwyth University has to offer. The lecturers at the Department of English and Creative Writing are internationally respected leaders in research with years of teaching experience and publications of international excellence in leading journals. The supportive staff will share your enthusiasm for literature and research and will guide you through your studies. The English Department offered encouragement, a wealth of expertise and structured support for my research. Whatever your subject area, Aberystwyth University offers research students a wide range of personal development and training options to prepare you for your future.