Studies

This part of the website contains in-depth articles on specific topics. They discuss Q's novels, his short stories and his academic work. You can also find articles about members of Q's family and the influence they had upon him.

Many of the studies also provide information on the cultural and political climate that will cast new light on Q's life and his writings.

You can select from the whole list – or use the drop-down menu to limit your choice of subject matter to biographical material, literary works or Q’s academic lectures.

Q as Public Speaker and Lecturer in a Family Tradition of Public Speaking: the Inaugural Lecture	Andrew Symons	An Examination of Q's Inaugural Lecture at Cambridge 1913
Winifred Hutchinson: Q's Assistant. A Pioneer of Women's Education at Cambridge.	Jane Prince	An examination of the life and works of Winifred Hutchinson and Rosamond Philpott
The Ancestors of Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch: the Origins and Social Status of the Couch Family	Jane Prince	An exploration of the origins of the Couches and their social status
The Maritime History of the Couch Family	Jane Prince	A summary of the maritime history of the Couch family
Edwardian Children to Modern Women: the Friendship of Foy Quiller-Couch, Daphne du Maurier, Clara Vyvyan and Oenone Rashleigh	Jane Prince
Women's Contribution to the Scientific and Intellectual Life of Penzance in the 18th and early 19th centuries	Jane Prince	An exploration of the contribution of women in 18th and 19th Penzance with particular reference to the Penzance Ladies Book Club: the lives of Elizabeth Carne, Caroline Fox, Anne Borlase, Louisa & Matilda Millett
Helene Hanff and Q's Legacy	Jane Prince	A summary of Helene Hanff's engagement with Q's works
Fort Amity: a study	Andrew Symons	An examination of Q’s novel set in north-east America in the mid eighteenth century and how it reflects the author’s contemporary political concerns
Ia, a Love Story: a study	Andrew Symons	An examination of Q’s fifth novel, the first to be based in the far west of Cornwall
Bertha Couch and her Writing of the Life of Jonathan Couch	Andrew Symons	An account of the life of Bertha Couch and her biography of her naturalist father, Jonathan Couch, who was Q’s grandfather
John Keats in Context: a Study of the Keats or Keate Family in the Context of Q's Studies of the Romantic Poets	Andrew Symons	New research into the Cornish history of the family of John Keats
The Stories of Q Inspired by the Peninsular War	Andrew Symons	How Q used historical sources in his fiction set in the Peninsular War
Reflections on Hocken and Hunken	Andrew Symons	Some reflections on the style, structure and themes of Q's novel Hocken and Hunken.
P & Q: Alfred Parsons, Arthur Quiller-Couch, The Warwickshire Avon and True Tilda	Jane Prince	A discussion of Arthur Quiller-Couch's novel 'True Tilda' in relation to the journey he took to gather material for 'The Warwickshire Avon'.
The Family of Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch	Jane Prince	An account of the family of Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, exploring Q's relationship with his family and illuminating some of its less well-known members.
The Forebears of Jonathan Couch and Associated Families	Andrew Symons	An account of the forebears of Jonathan Couch, the grandfather of Arthur Quiller-Couch, and other associated families.
The Descendants of Jonathan Couch	Jane Prince	Information gathered from the census and birth, marriage and death records on the descendants of Jonathan Couch, the grandfather of Arthur Quiller-Couch
The Literary Careers of Mabel and Lilian Quiller-Couch, Q’s Sisters	Jane Prince	An examination of the lives and literary works of Lilian and Mabel Quiller-Couch who, although they never gained the recognition of their famous brother Q, were both prolific writers.
The Splendid Spur: a study	Andrew Symons	A study of Q's adventure story set in the English civil war
Harry Revel: a study	Andrew Symons	An in-depth look at a story that starts as a murder mystery and ends as a historical novel
Introducing Troy Town: a study	Andrew Symons	An introduction to Q's novel that is set in a fictionalised version of Fowey
Poison Island: a study	Andrew Symons	An examination of one of the novels that Q wrote during his most creative periods
The Blue Pavilions: a study	Andrew Symons	An introduction to the last of the novels that Q wrote in London before his move to Cornwall
The Philosophical Context of 'I Saw Three Ships': a study	Andrew Symons	A review of the influences on Q that contributed to the philosophical context in which this collection of short stories was written
Q's Family and Dead Man's Rock: a study	Andrew Symons	How the history and experiences of Q's own family can be traced in the novel
The Mayor of Troy: a study	Andrew Symons	An examination of how the novel reflects Q's political and social concerns
Thomas Bond and The Mayor of Troy	Andrew Symons	How Thomas Bond, a real historical figure, is presented in the novel
The Ship of Stars: a study	Andrew Symons	A study of the novel that Q's biographers believed to be his best work
Noughts and Crosses: a study	Andrew Symons	A consideration of some of the influences on this collection of short stories
Lectures on Byron & Shelley: a study	Andrew Symons	An analysis of Q's academic lectures on Byron and Shelley
A Lecture on Lectures: a study	Andrew Symons	An account of a lecture in which Q reveals his passionately held views on education
A Lecture on Tradition and Orthodoxy: a study	Andrew Symons	An account of a lecture in which Q explores his own attitudes to tradition with reference to the views of T.S. Eliot
Lectures on the Art of Reading: a study	Andrew Symons	An introduction to a set of lectures in which Q describes the importance of placing the child at the heart of education
Lectures on some Seventeenth Century Poets: a study	Andrew Symons	An examination of the political and philosophical context in which Q presented this series of lectures
The Medical Training of Jonathan Couch: a study	Andrew Symons	Medical education in London at the time when Q's grandfather trained to be a doctor
The Scientific Thinking of Dr Thomas Quiller Couch: a study	Andrew Symons	A consideration of how Q was influenced in his writing by the scientific thinking of his father
Q and the Hones Family: a study	Gerry Hones	Some personal reminiscences of the Hones family's links with Q
The Life and Writings of Richard Quiller Couch	Andrew Symons	An account of the life and work of Q's uncle, another distinguished member of Quiller Couch family
John Quiller Couch: a study	Andrew Symons	What we know about the life of John Quiller Couch, Q's uncle