This is the website of Brigid and Blair. However, at the moment it is mostly Brigid - the Blair content will have to come later!

Brigid's introduction

Originally this website is designed to rehabilitate the fruits of many long hours over a number of years spent writing essays for my Bachelor of Arts degree (which I was finally awarded in 1997). Rather than file them away in a cabinet somewhere (or, rather, throw them in an unmarked box in the shed) I thought I might be able to give them a second life online.

In 1996 I created a website as part of one of my BA units, Using Computers for Research. That website contained one of my essays resplendent with graphics, bibliography and lots of relevant links. It has been a success in that it has generated many emails from thankful students and complimentary academic types. I guess that experience whet my appetite to "immortalise" other essays that may be of use to those doing online research.

From the outset I must declare that these essays do not represent authoritative works - they are merely(?) the sweat of a struggling undergraduate who did care about trying to present a new perspective on some old works, whenever possible. I hope they may be of use to others as a catalyst to their own thoughts.

Notwithstanding the above, a word about plagiarism...

I have chosen the course of publishing my essays to the net despite the fact that it now leaves my work open to be swiped - assuming, that is, that my research is worthy of plagiarism!! A word or two of warning, though: this website has been submitted to the major search engines, particularly those frequented by the classics community, therefore your teacher/lecturer may already be aware of the work as mine. Give credit where credit is due and in doing so, feel free to reproduce portions of my work as appropriate. Best of all, e-mail me and let me know this website has been of use to you!

Navigational issues

Most of the essays reproduced here also link to note files and bibliographical details. The list of works cited for each individual essay may be accessed via the navigational button at the foot of each page entitled "Works Cited". The work originally to be found in footnotes to the essays can now be accessed by clicking each note link within the text OR via the navigational button at the foot of each page entitled "All Notes".

If you use the individual note links, a smaller pop-up window will appear at the relevant point in the notes page. Rather than close this window after you have read the relevant note, you can simply switch back to the main window, keeping the note window open in the background. This may save time for the notes to load up again when you click on the next note link.

The main navigational bar running along the left side of this page appears on all pages (except Notes pages). The first item "Home" refers to this page.