Literature Courses in London

Curious about studying Literature and nineteenth century novels? Join us for this in-person          taster session where we explore aspects of two nineteenth century novels – Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey and Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre.

Explore and discuss the work of key writers from 19th century  Russian literature, including Chekhov's The Kiss, Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground and Turgenev's Fathers and Sons.

This in-person Literature course explores three novels by Jane Austen: Northanger Abbey, Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion. We will develop an appreciation of Austen’s narrative style and social critique through close analysis of her language, informing our reading by engaging with the literary, historical and critical contexts of these novels.

This class explores major voices from 19th Century French literature, discussing literary style, themes, and key contexts as a way of developing responses to celebrated French writers. From Balzac and Flaubert to de Nerval and Laforgue, come discover French prose and poetry produced between the Revolution and the Great War.

We explore the relationship between Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes through their poetry, tracing how they moved from a very close working relationship to separation and the artistic freedom that this gave Plath. 

We will read and discuss three classic plays: William Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi and August Strindberg’s Miss Julie. Focusing closely on structure, language and tone, we will analyse how dramatists across time have explored themes such as sexual politics, class structures, family relationships and revenge. Throughout the course, we will consider the social, cultural and theatrical contexts in which the three classic plays were produced.

On this in-college literature course we will read four depictions of mid-century British women’s lives, in very different settings and styles, by some of the most excellent authors of the 1950s: Barbara Pym, Doris Lessing, Muriel Spark and Shelagh Delaney.

Celebrated for its sparkling dialogue, spirited heroines, outlandish fashions, and sophisticated deceptions, Restoration Comedy raises questions concerning manners, morals, and the charm of dramatic illusion. We’ll explore how Aphra Behn, George Etherege, and George Farquhar utilise the elegance of comedic form and the role of the ‘rake-hero’ to press into deeper territory concerning gender relations, social customs, anxieties of the political landscape, and sexual mores.

We explore a careful selection of novels, in a variety of genres, that display the skill and virtuosity of  renowned mid-20th century Italian writers, including Natalia Ginzburg, Italo Calvino, and Giuseppe di Lampedusa. These works have withstood the test of time and are recognised as modern classics.   

Take a fresh look at Shakespeare, exploring selected plays in the company of an experienced theatre director. With performance in mind, we will examine the language and themes of two plays, watch and compare clips of stage productions and discuss the extraordinary variety to be found in Shakespeare’s work.