English Literature and Language

Please note that the ‘last booking’ date is only a guide. We reserve the right to close bookings earlier if courses are over- or under-subscribed. In order to avoid disappointment, please be sure to enrol as soon as possible. Registrations may not be processed until the following day if received after 3pm. 

This course aims to examine key themes in contemporary fiction with particular emphasis on humans and their relationship to nature.  Through reading and discussion, students will develop their knowledge of diverse forms of satiric, symbolic, and scientific representation. 

Number of Meetings

10

Course Leader

Dr Shirley Jones

CRN 28096/ENGL000

Course Fees

Course Fee: Full Fee: £155| Concession: £80

Please note that the ‘last booking’ date is only a guide. Courses may close earlier. In order to avoid disappointment, please be sure to enrol as soon as possible. Registrations may not be processed until the following day if received after 3pm. 

This course is a continuation of the popular European Literature in Translation course series, and this online opportunity will look at older European texts and demonstrate the forces that shaped early literature on the continent. 

Number of Meetings

10

Course Leader

Dr Alexandra Claridge

CRN 28099/ENGL000

Course Fees

Course Fee: Full Fee: £155| Concession: £80

Please note that the ‘last booking’ date is only a guide. We reserve the right to close bookings earlier if courses are over- or under-subscribed. In order to avoid disappointment, please be sure to enrol as soon as possible. Registrations may not be processed until the following day if received after 3pm. 

On this course we will look at three novels which in various ways respond to three major events in France’s history: the French Revolution itself, particularly the year 1794; the 1832 June Rebellion ; and the 1848 February Revolution which led to the foundation of the Second Republic.

Number of Meetings

10

Course Leader

Mark Halton

CRN 28098/ENGL000

Course Fees

Course Fee: Full Fee: £155| Concession: £80

Please note that the ‘last booking’ date is only a guide. We reserve the right to close bookings earlier if courses are over- or under-subscribed. In order to avoid disappointment, please be sure to enrol as soon as possible. Registrations may not be processed until the following day if received after 3pm. 

Henrik Ibsen is arguably the greatest playwright since Shakespeare. His works range from Symbolist dramas to ‘realistic’ plays that address social and psychological issues often found shocking at the time. He has been called the founder of modern drama. This course will examine two of Ibsen’s plays: A Doll’s House and An Enemy of the People both of which caused consternation and revulsion when first shown. The course will also consider how Ibsen’s innovative styles in works like Peer Gynt and Ghosts reveal a consummate artist whose dramas are both strikingly fresh but also deeply humane.

Number of Meetings

5

Course Leader

Dr  Kate O'Leary 

CRN 28101/ENGL000

Course Fees

Course Fee: Full Fee: £80| Concession: £40

Please note that the ‘last booking’ date is only a guide. We reserve the right to close bookings earlier if courses are over- or under-subscribed. In order to avoid disappointment, please be sure to enrol as soon as possible. Registrations may not be processed until the following day if received after 3pm. 

This course will introduce the writing of Elizabeth Taylor to new readers as well as allowing established readers to reread and review her work. This course will appeal to anyone interested in mid twentieth century fiction.  Students will be encouraged to share their ideas in seminar discussion.

Number of Meetings

5

Course Leader

Dr Shirley Jones

CRN 28100/ENGL000

Course Fees

Course Fee: Full Fee: £80| Concession: £40

Please note that the ‘last booking’ date is only a guide. Courses may close earlier.

In order to avoid disappointment, please be sure to enrol as soon as possible. Registrations may not be processed until the following day if received after 3pm. 

In this course we will consider the appeal of three of the most famous fictional detectives:  Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot and Lord Peter Wimsey.  We will explore character, methodology and setting in a selection of novels and stories.  We will discuss the wider significance of the classic detective genre.

Number of Meetings

3

Course Leader

Dr Shirley Jones

CRN 28097/ENGL000

Course Fees

Course Fee: Full Fee: £70/£35

Please note that the ‘last booking’ date is only a guide. Courses may close earlier. In order to avoid disappointment, please be sure to enrol as soon as possible. Registrations may not be processed until the following day if received after 3pm. 

This ever-popular comedy will be examined on this one-day course. Sparring couples, inept constables, a masked ball, romance nearly scuppered by a dastardly villain and tragedy only just averted form part of this witty, lively but sometimes worrying play. The course will consider the play in its time, themes of deceit and trickery, modern productions, dark motivations and the idea of commonwealth.

Number of Meetings

1

Course Leader

Dr Kate O'Leary & David Rice

CRN 28102/ENGL000

Course Fees

Course Fee: Full Fee: £55

Please note that the ‘last booking’ date is only a guide. We reserve the right to close bookings earlier.

In order to avoid disappointment, please be sure to enrol as soon as possible. Registrations may not be processed until the following day if received after 3pm. 

This course is for anyone who is interested in Byron’s poetry, from those who’ve heard his name but never dived in, to those put off by the sheer length of his most famous works, and those with a love of Byron’s work who are interested in exploring some of his popular and lesser known poems in depth.

Number of Meetings

1

Course Leader

Dr Sam Hirst

CRN 28192/ENGL000

Course Fees

Course Fee: Full Fee: £55

Please note that the ‘last booking’ date is only a guide. Courses may close earlier.

In order to avoid disappointment, please be sure to enrol as soon as possible. Registrations may not be processed until the following day if received after 3pm. 

The course will appeal to students with an interest in the Gothic or the Romantic period or with a desire to explore one of the eighteenth centuries most popular and influential genres. Students will be asked to read a novel or short texts for each week but we do understand that students will have to prioritise their reading so extracts will also be provided. All readings can be found free online or through the library and most are also available in cheap paperback editions. Students will be provided the opportunity to engage with critical arguments about the Gothic and produce creative work responding to the early Gothic. 

Number of Meetings

10

Course Leader

Dr Sam Hirst 

CRN 28298/ENGL000

Course Fees

Course Fee: Full Fee: £155/Concession: £80