Morality and Ethics: The Economics of Mice in Barbauld and Burns

Abstract

This essay is only one of several I remember receiving from Ben which consistently lifted my spirits and intellect from the morass of marking, and convinced me once again that I have the best job in the world. It‘s hard to say what is most impressive here: the wit and clarity of the comparison; the precise and perceptive interpretation; the attention to prosody; the deft combination of approaches; or the colourfully cheeky style and tone, skipping from the “disgustingly academic” to the “obliquely high-falutin‘.” Or maybe it‘s the way whole new territories are glimpsed in tossed-off parenthetical remarks on Barbauld, such as nationalism and Novalis at the end of the paper. Either way, there‘s nothing mousy about this effort, but there‘s plenty to entertain and edify any reader.

Dr. Judith Thompson