Six Contemporary English Poets
On this three week course we will look at representative examples of the variety of poetry that is being written in England at present, and where possible listen to recordings of the poets reading their own work. These will include … More details …
Dracula and The Picture of Dorian Grey: Literature of the 1890s
The period known as the fin de siècle was a time of rapid change and progress but also a period that saw a huge amount of fear over cultural, social, political and ideological change. Both these texts explore the shifts … More details …
Be Still My Beating Heart: Unenviable Proposals in Fiction
This study day will look at marriage proposals across a range of nineteenth-century fiction. Whilst there will be a light-hearted consideration of the many unenviable proposals that appear in fiction from this period. We will also consider the more serious … More details …
From Scarlet Pimpernel to Horatio Hornblower – reading four early twentieth century romance novels
What is it about the historical romance that has attracted readers and writers? Are they pure escapism? Perhaps we can find clues by looking at some of the twentieth century roots of the genre. We will discuss ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’ … More details …
Virgil’s “Aeneid” (Sarah Ruden verse translation)
In our reading and discussion of the “Aeneid”, we shall be looking at the mythology of the fall of Troy, the themes of fate and destiny, the importance of ‘pietas’ and ‘virtus’ in relation to the character of Aeneas. We … More details …
Reading Paintings – The Dutch Golden Era
This day-school opens with a survey of the Dutch Golden Age in politics and art. We begin with the establishment of the Dutch Republic in 1588 and end with the Rampjaar (‘Terrible Year’) of 1672 when the French invaded and … More details …