Episode 91 - Dr Liz Savage - A Beginner’s Guide to Dickensian Cryptozoology

Some Other Sphere

My guest for this episode is Dr Liz Savage, who joined me to talk about the concept of Dickensian Cryptozoology.

Liz earned her PhD from Durham University on nineteenth-century literature, focusing on Charles Dickens and the uncanny. Her current research continues to focus on the strange and unusual in literature, film, and other media.

Dickensian Cryptozoology is the subject of a paper she has written which proposes a new approach to the writers texts that examines the character and places he created through the lens of creature myths and legends that persist today.

Central to these ideas are his Mudfog Papers, a fantastical set of stories complete with robots, circus fleas, and overenthusiastic scientists studying the mathematical implications of children’s books alongside annuals that run on milk.

Later Dickens works are also included to help demonstrate how cryptozoological and Fortean readings of character and places are not only possible, but create a fun, unique, and unexpected research angle for both seasoned academics and those new to Dickens.

We begin the interview by talking about the otherworldliness of Dickens writing, and how there are examples of that in many of his works. We then discuss the Mudfog papers themselves, and some of the stories and characters which represent the ideas Liz is interested in.

Liz is presenting her talk about Dickensian Cryptozoology at a Dickens Day symposium which is happening at the School of Advanced Study (University of London) on Saturday February 25th 2023. More details can be found at https://ies.sas.ac.uk/events/dickens-day-2022.

She can be found on Twitter as @LizAnneSavage where there is a bio with links to more of her talks and contact information.

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The podcast theme is from Purple Planet Music - ' Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.