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Claire Barnes

Doctoral student
Image:
A headshot of Claire Barnes, smiling.

Claire's DPhil project (supervisor: Fiona Macintosh) charts the 20th century's philosophical and popular understandings of 'authenticity' and how these have been applied to classical tropes across this period - particularly those used to express a perceived 'authentic' connection with classical antiquity. The thesis considers the use of 'classic' and 'authentic' as constructs signifying value, and how both emerge in the socio-political and intellectual climate of the early 20th century - though it also examines the evolution and impact of thinking around authenticity and classics down to the present day. She has a particular interest in how authenticity resonates in the work of Christopher Logue, Kae Tempest, and EM Forster, and has published on the latter. Claire co-produces the APGRD Podcast and, from late 2019 to early 2023, she worked as the APGRD's Archivist-Administrator.