Dr Linden Bicket (MA M.Phil PhD AFHEA)

Lecturer in Literature and Religion

Biography

Background

In May 2020, I was appointed Lecturer in Literature and Religion in the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh, following my previous role as Senior Teaching Fellow in the School. Prior to that, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies in the Humanities, also at the University of Edinburgh.

I completed my doctorate in Scottish Literature at the University of Glasgow in 2012, focusing on the Catholic imagination of the Orcadian author George Mackay Brown (1921–1996). My research continues to explore the rich spiritual contexts of modern Scottish writing, and my publications reflect my interdisciplinary work in literature and religion. While my primary focus is on modern Scottish fiction and poetry, I am particularly interested in twentieth-century Catholic fiction and poetry, modern Scottish literature, and children's literature. My broader research interests include themes of faith and scepticism in literature.

Ongoing projects include research on the writings of literary converts associated with the interwar Scottish Literary Revival. Recent publications include a co-edited anthology with Emma Dymock and Alison Jack, Scottish Religious Poetry from the Sixth Century to the Present (Saint Andrew Press, 2024).

I currently serve as Director of Students in the School of Divinity. In this role, I work alongside our Student Support Officers to oversee the academic and pastoral support of undergraduate and postgraduate taught students.

Qualifications

MA M.Phil PhD AFHEA

Responsibilities & affiliations

I am a member of the Scottish Network for Religion and Literature.

External appointments

Assistant Editor for the journal of Scottish Catholic history, Innes Review

Member of Council and Trustee of the Scottish Catholic Historical Association

Associate Member of the St Andrew's Foundation for Catholic Teacher Education

Member of the International Association for the Study of Scottish Literatures

Member of the Association for Scottish Literary Studies

Useful Links

Innes Review - http://www.euppublishing.com/journal/inr

Undergraduate teaching

I teach on the following undergraduate courses:

Scottish Literature and the Religious Imagination

The Bible in Literature

Religion and Ethics in Literature

Postgraduate teaching

Scottish Literature, Imagination, and Faith

Issues of Religion and Ethics in Literature

Literature and Religion: Exploring the Connections

Approaches to Research: Religion and Literature

Religious Identity through Story 

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Yes

Past PhD students supervised

Past supervision includes Gemma King, 'Daughters of the Manse: A Critical Examination of O. Douglas' (PhD 2024).

Research summary

The spiritual contexts of modern Scottish Literature

Writing by literary converts of the inter-war Scottish Literary Revival

The Catholic imagination in twentieth-century British and American fiction and poetry

Patterns of faith and scepticism in literature

The Bible in literature

Theology and the arts

Children's literature and religion

 

Current research interests

Current research focuses on modern Scottish religious poetry, and writing by literary converts of the inter-war Scottish Literary Revival.

Affiliated research centres

In the press

I am a regular contributor to radio broadcasting, including:

'Thought for the Day' (BBC Radio Scotland)

'Sunday Morning With...' programme (BBC Radio Scotland)

'Prayer for the Day' (BBC Radio 4)

'The Daily Service' (BBC Radio 4)

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