Literature & reading group courses
Discover the power of reading and analysing texts as a pathway to language learning. Our literature and reading group courses invite learners to explore stories, novels, and short texts while developing vocabulary, fluency, pronunciation and cultural awareness. Through guided discussion and shared reading, students build confidence, sharpen critical thinking skills, and experience the language in an engaging, meaningful way—together.
We offer these courses at different levels.
- Welsh advanced: grwp llyfrau / book groupCourse start date: Tue 2 Jun 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Macsen BrownGrŵp darllen ar lefel hyfedredd. Darllen a thrafod nofel Gymraeg mewn grŵp ar-lein cefnogol.
Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £59.00 Concession £59.00 - Italian 3: Cinque settimane, un libroCourse start date: Fri 5 Jun 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Ottavia CastellinaImprove your knowledge of Italian on this short literature course which will give you an opportunity to learn new vocabulary and practise your grammar by being exposed to authentic Italian texts. Each term learners will look at a new text and use it as a base to improve not only their reading skills but also their speaking, grammar and vocabulary.
Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00 - French 5: Flaubert : une vie, une oeuvreCourse start date: Wed 17 Jun 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Pierre PorcheronFlaubert est le contemporain de Baudelaire et, comme l’auteur de « Les Fleurs du mal », il occupe une position charnière dans la littérature du XIXème siècle. À la fois contesté pour des raisons morales et admiré pour sa force littéraire de son temps, il apparaît aujourd'hui comme l'un des plus grands romanciers de son siècle, avec en particulier « Madame Bovary », roman qui fonde le bovarysme, puis « L'Éducation sentimentale ». Il se place entre le roman psychologique de Stendhal et le mouvement naturaliste de Zola et Maupassant, ces derniers considérant Flaubert comme leur maître. Lui-même fortement marqué par l'œuvre d’Honoré de Balzac dont il reprendra les thèmes sous une forme très personnelle - « L'Éducation sentimentale » est une autre version de « Le Lys dans la vallée » et « Madame Bovary » s'inspire de « La Femme de trente ans » - il s'inscrit dans sa lignée du roman réaliste. Il est aussi très préoccupé d'esthétisme, d'où son long travail d'élaboration pour chaque œuvre : il teste ses textes en les soumettant à la fameuse épreuve du « gueuloir », qui consiste à les lire à pleine voix, parfois pendant des heures. On a également souvent souligné la volonté de Flaubert de s'opposer à l'esthétique du roman-feuilleton, en écrivant un « roman de la lenteur ». Enfin, son regard ironique et pessimiste sur l'humanité fait de lui un grand moraliste. Son « Dictionnaire des idées reçues » donne un aperçu de ce talent.
This course is designed for both advanced French learners as well as native speakers of French.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00 - French 4: à lire sur la plageCourse start date: Mon 20 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Pierre PorcheronVous aimez lire en francais et vous voulez découvrir des romans légers à lire en vacances. Venez les découvrir dans ce cours animé et interactif. C'est aussi une excellente introduction si vous ne lisez pas déjà de romans français.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00 - French 5 taster: littérature française contemporaine
Course start date: Wed 9 Sep 2026Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Anais PerdaemsLecture et discussions sur des oeuvres françaises à travers les siècles, ainsi qu'un aperçu historique et biographique d'écrivains français et francophones.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - Italian 4: lingua e letteratura Course start date: Mon 21 Sep 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Roberto MinardiMigliorerai la tua capacità espressiva attraverso la lettura e la discussione di un testo letterario e l'esercitazione grammaticale.Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Spanish 5: estudios literarios hispánicos Course start date: Mon 21 Sep 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Óscar Salgado SuárezSi te interesa la historia y la literatura española en este curso podrás conocer obras literarias enfocadas en su contexto histórico. Ideal si has estudiado español al menos durante cinco años, este curso te permitirán consolidar tu conocimiento de la lengua a través de obras literarias enfocadas en su contexto histórico.
Please note that you will be expected to have read the first 30 pages for the first class and you will then be expected to read around 30 pages per week.
Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £249.00 Concession £162.00 - German advanced: Literatur und Konversation Course start date: Wed 23 Sep 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Friederike SchroederDieser Kurs konzentriert sich auf Literatur und Konversation: Lesetexte aus der modernen Literatur, Videoausschnitte, intensive Spracharbeit und viele Möglichkeiten zur Diskussion. Please note that this class meets fortnightly.
Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - French 5: littérature française contemporaineCourse start date: Wed 23 Sep 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Anais PerdaemsIf your advanced French is a bit rusty and you wish you could reactivate your passive knowledge, this is the right course for you. This course will help you access your dormant French and bring it back to life. After attending this course you should be able join a level 4 or 5 course.
Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Arabic reading group Course start date: Tue 6 Oct 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Alaa SonjoqDo you want to start reading more fluently in Arabic while improving your knowledge of vocabulary and pronunciation? Then, come and join this friendly online reading class which focuses on practical, everyday texts. You will need to be able to read the alphabet and individual words to join this course. Suitable if you are studying at 2 lower module 1 level or above (more than 1 year of Arabic).Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - Welsh 5: clwb darllen / reading clubCourse start date: Thu 8 Oct 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Clare WhiteheadCome to improve your Welsh through reading a couple of short novels. This course aims at developing your understanding of the Welsh language as well as the pronunciation.
Books details in the course outline below.Please note that this course includes a week's break.
Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00 - Chinese 2: reading groupIf you want to have the chance to read Chinese characters, expand your vocabulary, improve your pronunciation, and strengthen your reading comprehension level, please join us on this lively online course to practise your reading. Suitable for people who have learned Chinese for at least 1 year and have learned to read Chinese characters.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00
- Italian intermediate book clubCourse start date: Fri 23 Oct 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Silvana VistolaThis course is for intermediate and lower intermediate learners of Italian (Italian 2 Upper and Italian 3 lower, or learners in their third or fourth year of studying Italian) who would like to improve their reading skills and learn new grammar and vocabulary through reading and discussing works of Italian fiction and/or non-fiction. The texts chosen may be in the form of easy readers to facilitate understanding. The chosen texts will be written in Italian, and discussions will be in Italian, though some English may be permitted, so learners will be able to stretch themselves and feel more confident about expressing their opinion and asking questions in class.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00 - French 5: reading groupCourse start date: Fri 29 Jan 2027
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Anais PerdaemsAimez-vous lire en français? Venez échanger vos impressions sur des romans sélectionnés par le groupe. Le premier livre à lire sera annoncé début Juillet.
Rendez-vous mensuels. Notez qu'il y a un autre groupe de lecture similaire, décalé d'une semaine tout au long de l'année, au cas où les dates vous conviendraient mieux. Notez cependant qu'il n'est pas possible d'alterner entre les deux cours.Course dates:
Term 1: 02/10; 30/10; 27/11
Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Welsh 4: clwb darllen / reading clubCourse start date: Thu 7 May 2026
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Clare WhiteheadCome to improve your Welsh through reading short novels in this supportive and structured group.
This course aims at developing your understanding of the Welsh language as well as improving pronunciation.
Books details in the course outline below. Please note that this club has a half term break on Thursday 28.05.2026.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00
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