This author has not written his bio yet.
But we are proud to say that Penelope J. Corfield contributed 195 entries already.
Hickory Dickory Dock! My late brother, Julian Corfield, who died on 1 January 2026 at the age of 77, loved clocks. So this is the rhyme that I choose to introduce my memories of him…
A few days ago, I had the strange experience of hearing my life’s work dissected by a panel of critical experts, in front of a large and knowledgeable audience, and in my presence. I was part thrilled, part gobsmacked. The speakers were …
1st January 2026: I’m now recovering from a spectacular black-eye, caused by falling down stairs at home, when hurrying and carrying a tray – so being unable to put my hands out to break fall. As I plummeted downwards, I felt a surge of….
The relentless passage of Time is at once a threat and an inspiration. Of course, in one way, it’s menacing: Time flies! Time, once lost, cannot be retrieved! Time travels onwards and does not come back! Yet that very fact can also provide an inspiration…
There is a perennial conflict between, on the one hand, looking at history in terms of specific periods (for example: ‘ancient’, ‘medieval’, ‘modern’) and, on the other, trying to interpret past events without using any of these pre-set concepts. To lump or to split? …
Great rings of giant standing stones, dating from primeval times – such as England’s Stonehenge and Brittany’s Carnac Stones – are wonderful prompts to sweeping thoughts about the length of Time and History. Yet small ancient monuments can be just as striking in their own way…
While there are very few good jokes about Great Time, there are songs a-plenty. Songs unfold in Time. They mark Time. They muse over its characteristics. My favourite is ‘Time, Time, Time is on my side/ Yes it is!’ as sung by Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones. It’s very cheering and reassuring, especially when the hours and minutes seem to be rushing by with headlong speed…
Thinking about Time is as endless and as fascinating a process as is unfolding Time itself. And it is a real challenge to depict such a universal cosmic power, Often Temporality is depicted in male form, as in the case of Old Father Time. He can be kindly or menacing or both. And he appears on countless weather-vanes, heralding either good weather or bad…
‘Old Father Time’ appears on many weathercocks. He is venerable, stooped, and bearded. He carries an hour-glass to track the minutes in its trickling sands, as he walks the long, long, endless line of Time. He also shoulders a scythe, because eventually he brings death to all living creatures…
Humans learn from the past – and, sometimes, they gain immediate and urgent knowledge in the present too. But they cannot learn directly from the future that has not yet unfolded. That reality has not, however, prevented people from trying hard to look ahead. . .
Penelope J. Corfield is a historian, lecturer and education consultant. She recently served as the President of the International Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ISECS).
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