Lauren is a qualified teacher and writer with an academic background in theatre (Shakespeare), folklore, and creative writing. She is also a travel writer and guide. Together with her husband she curates the travel website www.twohumansandadog.com. Lauren writes, explores, and teaches full time, always looking for the next adventure.
Education
MA Creative Writing — University of Portsmouth, 2018
BA (Hons) English Literature — University of Sussex, 2005
Areas of Expertise
W.B. Yeats and the Search for a Mystical Ireland
Born in County Dublin in 1865, W. B. Yeats went on to become a leading figure in the Irish Literary Revival and eventually won a Nobel Prize for Literature for his contribution to the shaping of modern Irish culture.
Victor Hugo’s Fight to Free France Through Literature
Today best known for his epic novel Les Miserables (1862), Victor Hugo (1802–1885) used literature to speak out about social issues and highlight injustice. HIs works helped to shape the soul of modern France.
Is Wonderland a Reflection of Victorian Society?
Widely loved now as a fantastical children’s tale, Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) blends satire and moral critique to mock Victorian authority, education, and rigid social norms.
How the “Holdovers” Reshapes the Dickensian Archetype of Christmas Redemption
Charles Dickens’s "A Christmas Carol" created the archetype of a redemption tale rooted in Christmas. Alexander Payne’s 2023 film "The Holdovers" reimagines this theme.
What Inspired the Creation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula?
Now one of the most influential works of Gothic literature, Dracula was created after extensive research and a lot of inspiration by Bram Stoker.
Why Does Jack the Ripper Still Haunt Our Cultural Imagination?
In 1888, five women were murdered in London’s Whitechapel district by an unknown killer dubbed Jack the Ripper. Since then, the case has inspired over 100 non-fiction books and countless cultural retellings.
How Sir Walter Scott Turned History into Fiction
Sir Walter Scott’s (1771–1832) lasting legacy as a pioneer of historical fiction was founded on the range of rich historical novels he created covering diverse subjects from Scottish clan politics to medieval chivalric tales.
Did Edgar Allan Poe Invent the Modern Detective Story?
Though best known for his chilling Gothic tales like The Tell-Tale Heart (1843), Edgar Allan Poe also pioneered the modern detective story with his creation of C. Auguste Dupin, whose logical sleuthing shaped one of the genre’s core conventions.
What Is the Plot of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland?
Lewis Carroll’s beloved 1865 children’s book Alice in Wonderland has been adapted repeatedly for film and stage. The original plot explores the collapse of logic, authority, and identity, culminating in her self-realization and return home.
How Did Alice Become a Symbol of Surrealism and Feminist Reimagination?
Published in 1865, Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland unleashed a nonsensical world that challenged Victorian norms and introduced readers to an enigmatic heroine: Alice.
What Is the Symbolism of the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland?
Many of Lewis Carroll’s characters have been analyzed as symbolic, and one of the most captivating is the time-obsessed White Rabbit, whose sudden appearance in Alice’s world serves as the catalyst for her extraordinary adventures.
What Literary Authors Are Connected to Portsmouth, UK?
The south coast island city of Portsmouth, UK boasts a rich literary heritage.