Centre for Studies in Literature (CSL)
Twentieth and twenty-first century British and American literature
Examines literature since the birth of modernism with specialisms including postmodernism, postcolonialism, genre theory and orality informing the research. MORE.
Nineteenth-century literature and culture
Undertakes research into Victorian writers from the UK, America and Europe, and into the culture, science and politics of the period- from a city with links to Charles Dickens and Conan Doyle. MORE.
Early modern writing
Engages with the period from the Renaissance to the Romantics, combining literary studies with disciplines including history of science, political thought and gender studies. MORE.
Welcome to the Centre for Studies in Literature (CSL) at the University of Portsmouth. The CSL brings together scholars from different fields within literary studies. Our areas of special interest are Early Modern Writing; Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture and Twentieth and Twenty-First Century British and American Literature. Members of the Centre additionally have interests in related fields within film studies, cultural studies and American studies, and we maintain strong links with two other research centres at Portsmouth: the Centre for European and International Studies Research (CEISR) and the Centre for Cultural and Creative Research (CCCR). The Centre has also developed mutually-beneficial links with local non-academic organisations, such as the Dimbola Lodge Museum, Portsmouth City Council and the City Museum in the area of literary-heritage studies, with a particular focus on Dickens and Doyle, both notable former citizens of Portsmouth, and on Tennyson and Julia Margaret Cameron, both of whom have significant connections with the Isle of Wight. CSL is also affiliated with the Dickens Project at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
The Centre promotes academic research and innovation, provides a framework for research excellence in the broad area of literary studies and associated disciplines, and is committed to promoting wider engagement with research through collaboration and dissemination. Launched in 2009, the Centre has rapidly gained national and international recognition due to the expertise of its dynamic team of scholars, growing postgraduate community, and a series of high-profile academic and public events.
We welcome proposals for PhD projects in any of the above areas. Please see Research Areas and individual member pages for more detailed information about the work we do. Bursaries and scholarships are available.
Contact Details
Director of the CSL
Patricia Pulham
patricia.pulham@port.ac.uk
Deputy Director of the CSL
Christine Berberich
christine.berberich@port.ac.uk
Secretary of the CSL
Donna Ferrand
donna.ferrand@port.ac.uk
Victorian Gothic: Ian Goulden, used by kind permission. Chesil Beach: Alex Brown under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.