Knowledge Centre » Composite news (tag [Modern Languages])

The Hope of 1989: How the fall of the Berlin Wall transformed world politics

Thu, 07 Nov 2019 15:24:41 GMT

Thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the hope of the revolutionaries for a better world does not appear to have materialised. But that should not take away the extraordinary courage of those who took to the streets in the autumn of 1989.

Notre-Dame Paris fire: Medieval masons saved the structure

Wed, 17 Apr 2019 10:25:16 GMT

The devastating fire that destroyed the roofs and spire of Notre-Dame in Paris demonstrates the vulnerabilities of medieval cathedrals and great churches, but also reveals the skills of their master-masons, writes Dr Jenny Alexander, from the University of Warwick’s department of the history of art.

Venice had its own ‘Airbnb problem’ during the Renaissance – here’s how it coped

Thu, 14 Mar 2019 12:57:26 GMT

Venice had its own ‘Airbnb problem’ during the Renaissance – here’s how it coped

How a French ghost story influenced Dickens

Thu, 20 Dec 2018 08:16:38 GMT

A Christmas Carol isn’t the only spine-chilling Christmas ghost story from the pen of Charles Dickens, writes Dr Fabio Camilletti.

Fantasmagoriana: the German book of ghost stories that inspired Frankenstein

Wed, 31 Oct 2018 10:31:08 GMT

Dr Fabio Camilletti explores how the reading of a book of German ghost stories led to the invention of modern horror :Polidori’s story, The Vampyre, and 18-year-old Mary Shelley's classic, Frankenstein

Five things about the modern Vampire's Italian heritage

Tue, 22 May 2018 08:30:00 GMT

Five things you may not know about the Italian roots of the modern vampire.

What is Love?

Wed, 14 Feb 2018 10:00:00 GMT

On St Valentine’s Day, modern tradition dictates that we really ought to treat our loved one to a romantic meal, a bunch of flowers or watch a ‘rom-com’. At the very least we should buy a card. But that is modern tradition. What was love before it became a supermarket meal deal for two?

Connecting two cultures: Different chapter - same complex story

Thu, 07 Dec 2017 09:30:00 GMT

James Hodkinson is an expert in German literature and history. No, not that bit of German history. His focus is on pre-20th Century Germany’s relationship with Islam.

Commemorating Columbus's arrival in the Caribbean Islands

Thu, 01 Aug 2013 08:00:00 GMT

In 1992, commemorations took place across the world for the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Caribbean. While many were celebrating the explorer's voyage to, and 'discovery' of, the Americas, the Caribbean islands explored by Columbus demonstrated a more complex response. In her new book, Dr Fabienne Viala looks at the different attitudes of various islands towards Columbus, and what this reveals about their national identity, collective memory and approach to a colonial cultural heritage.

Children of the (French) Revolution

Mon, 01 Jul 2013 08:00:00 GMT

As the citizens of France celebrate La Fête Nationale (what the English speaking world refers to as Bastille Day), we thought you would like this short lego-based animation, made by Coventry primary school children after visiting the University of Warwick, to demonstrate their understanding of the French Revolution.