Research Associate - The Political Works of Richard Brinsley Sheridan

Do you have a research interest in the interconnection of eighteenth-century politics and culture?

Would you like to join a team of researchers working to develop a scholarly edition of one of the most important parliamentarians of the Georgian era?

Richard Brinsley Sheridan was a Member of Parliament for nearly thirty years. During that long career, he was regarded as one of the greatest orators the Commons had yet seen and a significant opposition voice. Sheridan's talents ensured that newspapers printed lengthy extracts from his speeches, clearly aware that his verbal skills and political acuity made for good copy. Sheridan was therefore prominent not only in the House of Commons, but on the pages of the morning and evening papers. Sheridan was a tenacious supporter of liberal causes, including parliamentary reform, the abolition of slavery, press freedom, and penal reform. He was also a firm advocate of better government in Ireland and India. Sheridan's speeches now survive in many competing forms, mostly in newspapers. Our aim is to discover, edit and publish the entirely of Sheridan career, culminating in The Political Works of Richard Brinsley Sheridan to be published by Oxford University Press.

Your role will be to identify and collect speeches and other material; undertake textual collation of printed books, newspapers, and manuscripts; assist in the preparation of copy-text; compile contextual materials for the edition, and assist with the work of editorial checking and correction.

You will have a doctorate in eighteenth-century or early nineteenth-century studies with experience of working with books, newspapers, and manuscripts from the period. Knowledge of British politics and political culture, including parliamentary debates, during the period 1780-1816 is essential.

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact:

Professor Robert W Jones

Tel: +44 (0)113 343 4747, email: r.w.jones@leeds.ac.uk .