
Claire Barnes' DPhil project (supervisor: Fiona Macintosh) charts the 20th century's philosophical and popular understandings of 'authenticity' and how these have been applied to classical tropes across this period - particularly those used to express a perceived 'authentic' connection with classical antiquity. The thesis considers the use of 'classic' and 'authentic' as constructs signifying value, and how both emerge in the socio-political and intellectual climate of the early 20th century - though it also examines the evolution and impact of thinking around authenticity and classics down to the present day. She has a particular interest in how authenticity resonates in the work of Christopher Logue, Kae Tempest, and EM Forster, and has published on the latter. Claire was the APGRD's Archive Administrative Assistant (2019-2023) and is co-producer and co-host of the APGRD Podcast.