How an English Teacher Uses the Relic App to Follow in the Footsteps of Historical Literary Figures

[Content Intent: Informational/Customer Success Story.

Audience: History enthusiasts in the consideration stage.

Rationale: While it seems that an interest in history is common across age, gender, and occupation, certain surveys suggest that millennials and individuals with higher education are slightly more likely to be interested in history (x and x). The following persona is therefore modelled after that demographic to ensure many readers can relate to the story.]

Owen McCallum is a Secondary English teacher at Islington Academy, Bournemouth, who frequently travels to the hometowns of historical literary figures. He has travelled all over the world to meet his heroes and has recently started using the Relic app to deepen his connection to their literary journeys and lived experiences.

How did you get into literature and history?

Owen’s love of literature and history began when he first read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein at age 14 and realised her resting place was near his house.

“My parents had just divorced and I felt it had been my fault. I deeply resonated with Frankenstein’s monster. It might sound weird, but I often went to read Frankenstein in the churchyard where Shelley was buried. I felt grounded there. Understood.”

His interest grew throughout his teens and he started to research the lives of his favourite writers. “I find it really fascinating to learn about how authors’ upbringing impacted their work.” He has visited the birthplaces and homes of writers all over the United Kingdom: Jane Austen's house in Chawton, where she wrote all six of her novels; Charles Dickens’ home in London, full of personal items and manuscripts; the Gothic Palace of Strawberry Hill that used to house Horace Walpole and the world's first private printing press.

“Yet, I always wanted more. A life isn't contained by four walls. I wanted to know where they went for walks to get inspired, what places and friends they visited and why. What they talked about. Relic allows me to follow completely in their footsteps. I can read snippets of their work anywhere they wrote it. It makes me feel even closer to them.”

Why did you decide to try Relic?

Owen discovered the app when he was searching for information about the challenge that led to Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein [link to other post]. “I actually hadn’t been aware that she wrote it in Switzerland. There is no dedicated museum there, but it turned out I could learn more about the challenge and her writing process with Relic.”

Deciding to plan a trip to Switzerland, he downloaded the app for free for a month to test it out.

He got to gaze up at Villa Diodati, the mansion Shelley had stayed at, and read Shelley’s early draft of Frankenstein as he walked along Geneva Lake. He learned more about Shelley’s strained relationship to her sister, Claire Clairmont, who had also been present at the mansion, along with snippets of the work of Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, and Dr. John Polidori, who all took part in the challenge.

He was able to truly immerse himself in their world through stories and photos of each individual, as well as old paintings of the mansion. “It was almost magical. Of course I had to get the app.”

Owen also emphasises the accessibility of the app. “[…] it’s so convenient. I always bring my phone with me, anyway.”

At his own pace, Owen was able to step into Mary Shelley’s shoes in a location that had impacted her work greatly, all through a single app on his phone.

How do you use Relic?

Relic has two primary features: the Follow feature, to allow you to follow in the footsteps of your historical icons by viewing a map of all of the locations they visited; and the Discover feature, which enables you to immerse yourself in the complete history of your present location by showing you the work of all relevant historical figures at the same time.

Owen prefers to use the Follow feature. “During a busy week, it's rare that I remember to use the app. But when I'm hiking or visiting the countryside, I make sure to check the app. It's amazing how often I discover that a historical figure used to have a friend they visited in Devon or something similar. It really makes me feel like I’m a part of something bigger.”

He even notes: “It's a bit like Pokémon Go. To be able to access the information, I need to visit different locations. Luckily, I really enjoy travelling.”

How could Relic be improved?

“It's still a new app, so there are many places with no data – especially outside of Europe. I went to visit Suwon in South Korea last summer to see Na Hyeseok’s birth place, but the app had never heard of her.” Since this interview, Relic has taken steps to add Na Hyeseok’s work to the app, including her paintings and writing challenging gender inequality in the 20^th Century.

If you have local history knowledge, you can support the app by becoming a contributor.

Conclusion

With Relic, Owen was able to truly, emotionally connect with the literary greats he’d looked up to since adolescence and follow in their footsteps beyond museum walls – all at his own pace and through an app on his phone.

You can get the app here [link to product page].