London in the 60s: Muriel Spark, Margaret Drabble and Doris Lessing
This short literature course brings together work by perceptive observers of London life in the 1960s, including Muriel Spark, Margaret Drabble and Doris Lessing. These writers explore a city in flux, a place of shifting gender roles and social ambitions, where dramas of everyday life unfold in flats and offices, in pubs and parties. Reading Muriel Spark’s The Ballad of Peckham Rye, Margaret Drabble’s The Millstone, and a sele...
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This short course brings together a selection of writing published in the 1960s, to explore a city and a society in transition. In keenly observed, often unsettling stories, women writers are examining gender roles, social mobility and moral ambiguity in a London being reshaped by aspiration, alienation, and cultural change. We’ll read two novels – Muriel Spark’s The Ballad of Peckham Rye and Margaret Drabble’s The Millstone – and a selection of short fiction, including work by Doris Lessing and Penelope Mortimer. These writers bring sharp eyes, and at times a sly sense of humour, to their portrayals of characters who are navigating changing norms and expectations.
What will we cover?
We’ll cover a range of topics on this course, thinking about how these writers explore themes that include motherhood, employment, domestic life and social class. We’ll think about narrative techniques, voices and perspectives, and how these writers use them to illuminate the experiences of characters who have to negotiate the constraints and challenges of London at that moment.
We’ll also read secondary material about the social and historical contexts of the 60s and reflect on how this understanding can enhance our reading of the texts.
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
Develop your understanding and appreciation of themes and narrative techniques in the novels and short stories we study.
Develop your understanding and appreciation of the social contexts of 1960s London and literature.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is open to everyone who is interested in London stories - you don’t need to have studied literature before. Come ready discuss your own responses in a friendly classroom setting.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Work outside the class involves doing the reading for each week, and thinking in advance about questions provided for you by the tutor.
Teaching on the course includes: short presentations from the tutor, group discussion, small group activities and close reading and analysis. The tutor will encourage participation and interaction, providing opportunities for sharing responses and ideas.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
You’ll need to buy or borrow these novels, both published in paperback by Penguin:
Muriel Spark, The Ballad of Peckham Rye (1960)
Margaret Drabble, The Millstone (1965)
The tutor will provide links to and/or copies of all the other reading and class materials.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Look for other Fiction courses in our Literature programme under History, Culture and Humanities/Literature/Fiction at www.citylit.ac.uk.
Kate is a teacher and researcher in English literature. She holds a PhD in English from Queen Mary, University of London, where she has also taught on a range of literature courses. Kate’s specialist interest is twenty-first-century fiction, and she’s delighted to be teaching new City Lit courses about contemporary writing. Kate is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Authority, and a member of the British Association for Contemporary Literary Studies. She has published articles in academic journals and is now working on a book about contemporary novels and letters. Kate is fascinated by new writing, and only gradually coming to terms with the fact that there will never be enough time to read everything she’d like to.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
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https://www.citylit.ac.uk/london-in-the-60s-muriel-spark-margaret-drabble-and-doris-lessing3025558London in the 60s: Muriel Spark, Margaret Drabble and Doris Lessinghttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/category/autobiography-into-poetry-hw640-1024.jpg129129GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Literature/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Literature/Fiction22851177118711881228511771187<p>This short literature course brings together work by perceptive observers of London life in the 1960s, including Muriel Spark, Margaret Drabble and Doris Lessing. These writers explore a city in flux, a place of shifting gender roles and social ambitions, where dramas of everyday life unfold in flats and offices, in pubs and parties. Reading Muriel Spark’s <em>The Ballad of Peckham Rye</em>, Margaret Drabble’s <em>The Millstone, </em>and a selection of short stories by these and other writers, we’ll explore the social and psychological landscape of 1960s London. </p>003025552London in the 60s: Muriel Spark, Margaret Drabble and Doris Lessing129129https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/category/autobiography-into-poetry-hw640-1024.jpgInStockDaytimeThuKeeley StreetAvailable courses1 to 4 weeksWeekday2026-05-28T00:00:00+00:00May 2026Culture, history & humanitiesHLT379129129London in the 60s: Muriel Spark, Margaret Drabble and Doris Lessing10384129Kate Wilkinsonlondon-in-the-60s-muriel-spark-margaret-drabble-and-doris-lessing/hlt379-2526<p>This short literature course brings together work by perceptive observers of London life in the 1960s, including Muriel Spark, Margaret Drabble and Doris Lessing. These writers explore a city in flux, a place of shifting gender roles and social ambitions, where dramas of everyday life unfold in flats and offices, in pubs and parties. Reading Muriel Spark’s <em>The Ballad of Peckham Rye</em>, Margaret Drabble’s <em>The Millstone, </em>and a selection of short stories by these and other writers, we’ll explore the social and psychological landscape of 1960s London. </p>0000-Available|2026-05-28 00:00:00<p>This short course brings together a selection of writing published in the 1960s, to explore a city and a society in transition. In keenly observed, often unsettling stories, women writers are examining gender roles, social mobility and moral ambiguity in a London being reshaped by aspiration, alienation, and cultural change. We’ll read two novels – Muriel Spark’s <em>The Ballad of Peckham Rye</em> and Margaret Drabble’s <em>The Millstone – </em>and a selection of short fiction, including work by Doris Lessing and Penelope Mortimer. These writers bring sharp eyes, and at times a sly sense of humour, to their portrayals of characters who are navigating changing norms and expectations. </p><p> </p><p>This short literature course brings together work by perceptive observers of London life in the 1960s, including Muriel Spark, Margaret Drabble and Doris Lessing. These writers explore a city in flux, a place of shifting gender roles and social ambitions, where dramas of everyday life unfold in flats and offices, in pubs and parties. Reading Muriel Spark’s <em>The Ballad of Peckham Rye</em>, Margaret Drabble’s <em>The Millstone, </em>and a selection of short stories by these and other writers, we’ll explore the social and psychological landscape of 1960s London. </p><p>We’ll cover a range of topics on this course, thinking about how these writers explore themes that include motherhood, employment, domestic life and social class. We’ll think about narrative techniques, voices and perspectives, and how these writers use them to illuminate the experiences of characters who have to negotiate the constraints and challenges of London at that moment.</p><p> </p><p>We’ll also read secondary material about the social and historical contexts of the 60s and reflect on how this understanding can enhance our reading of the texts.</p><p> </p><ul><li>Develop your understanding and appreciation of themes and narrative techniques in the novels and short stories we study.</li><li>Develop your understanding and appreciation of the social contexts of 1960s London and literature.</li></ul><p>This course is open to everyone who is interested in London stories - you don’t need to have studied literature before. Come ready discuss your own responses in a friendly classroom setting. </p><p>Work outside the class involves doing the reading for each week, and thinking in advance about questions provided for you by the tutor. </p><p>Teaching on the course includes: short presentations from the tutor, group discussion, small group activities and close reading and analysis. The tutor will encourage participation and interaction, providing opportunities for sharing responses and ideas.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>You’ll need to buy or borrow these novels, both published in paperback by Penguin:</p><p>Muriel Spark, <em>The Ballad of Peckham Rye</em> (1960)</p><p>Margaret Drabble, <em>The Millstone</em> (1965)</p><p>The tutor will provide links to and/or copies of all the other reading and class materials.</p><p> </p><p>Look for other Fiction courses in our Literature programme under History, Culture and Humanities/Literature/Fiction at www.citylit.ac.uk.</p>LiteratureFictionvirtual10312984HLT379NONEThu28/05/26 - 18/06/2612:45 - 14:4512:4514:454 sessions (over 4 weeks)41 to 4 weeksDaytimeWeekdayKSKeeley StreetKate WilkinsonAvailable courses2026-05-28T00:00:00+00:00May 2026Culture, history & humanities129129London in the 60s: Muriel Spark, Margaret Drabble and Doris Lessinglondon-in-the-60s-muriel-spark-margaret-drabble-and-doris-lessing/hlt379-2526<p>This short literature course brings together work by perceptive observers of London life in the 1960s, including Muriel Spark, Margaret Drabble and Doris Lessing. These writers explore a city in flux, a place of shifting gender roles and social ambitions, where dramas of everyday life unfold in flats and offices, in pubs and parties. Reading Muriel Spark’s <em>The Ballad of Peckham Rye</em>, Margaret Drabble’s <em>The Millstone, </em>and a selection of short stories by these and other writers, we’ll explore the social and psychological landscape of 1960s London. </p>0000-Available|2026-05-28 00:00:00<p>This short course brings together a selection of writing published in the 1960s, to explore a city and a society in transition. In keenly observed, often unsettling stories, women writers are examining gender roles, social mobility and moral ambiguity in a London being reshaped by aspiration, alienation, and cultural change. We’ll read two novels – Muriel Spark’s <em>The Ballad of Peckham Rye</em> and Margaret Drabble’s <em>The Millstone – </em>and a selection of short fiction, including work by Doris Lessing and Penelope Mortimer. These writers bring sharp eyes, and at times a sly sense of humour, to their portrayals of characters who are navigating changing norms and expectations. </p><p> </p><p>This short literature course brings together work by perceptive observers of London life in the 1960s, including Muriel Spark, Margaret Drabble and Doris Lessing. These writers explore a city in flux, a place of shifting gender roles and social ambitions, where dramas of everyday life unfold in flats and offices, in pubs and parties. Reading Muriel Spark’s <em>The Ballad of Peckham Rye</em>, Margaret Drabble’s <em>The Millstone, </em>and a selection of short stories by these and other writers, we’ll explore the social and psychological landscape of 1960s London. </p><p>We’ll cover a range of topics on this course, thinking about how these writers explore themes that include motherhood, employment, domestic life and social class. We’ll think about narrative techniques, voices and perspectives, and how these writers use them to illuminate the experiences of characters who have to negotiate the constraints and challenges of London at that moment.</p><p> </p><p>We’ll also read secondary material about the social and historical contexts of the 60s and reflect on how this understanding can enhance our reading of the texts.</p><p> </p><ul><li>Develop your understanding and appreciation of themes and narrative techniques in the novels and short stories we study.</li><li>Develop your understanding and appreciation of the social contexts of 1960s London and literature.</li></ul><p>This course is open to everyone who is interested in London stories - you don’t need to have studied literature before. Come ready discuss your own responses in a friendly classroom setting. </p><p>Work outside the class involves doing the reading for each week, and thinking in advance about questions provided for you by the tutor. </p><p>Teaching on the course includes: short presentations from the tutor, group discussion, small group activities and close reading and analysis. The tutor will encourage participation and interaction, providing opportunities for sharing responses and ideas.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>You’ll need to buy or borrow these novels, both published in paperback by Penguin:</p><p>Muriel Spark, <em>The Ballad of Peckham Rye</em> (1960)</p><p>Margaret Drabble, <em>The Millstone</em> (1965)</p><p>The tutor will provide links to and/or copies of all the other reading and class materials.</p><p> </p><p>Look for other Fiction courses in our Literature programme under History, Culture and Humanities/Literature/Fiction at www.citylit.ac.uk.</p>LiteratureFictionconfigurable
11881187Fictionhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/literature/fiction1/2/285/1177/1187/11881/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Literature/Fiction
