Shakespeare is no longer the literary birthright of the English but has instead become a world heritage figure whose work is seen and studied in almost every corner of the literate world. The ideas and language of his plays and poetry have seeped into the consciousness of the English speaking world and his work is also translated and adapted to the point where many people think of him as their Shakespeare. We will be asking and hoping to find the answer to the question ‘What has Shakespeare done for us?’
Course Tutor Halima Alam
Venue: Monmouth Priory, Priory Street, Monmouth
Price: £25 per course, payable on the day
Tea and coffee will be provided. There will be a lunch break from 12.30 – 2.00 and there are nearby venues to have lunch or to buy a snack. Alternatively bring a packed lunch.
Future study days:
Elizabeth Gaskell- A Victorian Voice: 23rd March 2013, 10.30 –4.00 p.m.
This will be an opportunity to examine the impact of social, cultural and economic concerns on writers of the period. Gaskell touches upon many of the themes which are at the heart of works by Dickens and Eliot, yet she is over shadowed by these writers.
The course will attempt to reconsider Gaskell’s position as a writer of significance during this period. The specific focus will be on the novels Mary Barton and Wives and Daughters. There will also be references to extracts from other contemporary writers of fiction and non-fiction.
*Extracts from the novels and other works will be provided but some prior knowledge of the novels is desirable.
History into Literature: 27th April 2013, 10.30 –4.00 p.m.
This session will explore how writers have drawn on history as an inspiration for their writing both as a commentary on the past and as a means of illuminating the present. Key issues will be the extent to which the past is recreated, manipulated, even betrayed by being used to explore and explain the present. References will be made to the following:
The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Regeneration, Pat Barker, Dunsinane, David Greig
and selected poems by Seamus Heaney and Michael Longley
*Extracts from these texts will be provided alongside other additional resources
Shakespeare created more female characters than any other Elizabethan dramatist. He presents an astonishing gallery of every conceivable type of woman. ‘Unruly women,’ ‘outlaws,’ ‘the female Wild,’ and ‘the Other’ are just a few of the provocative terms used by scholars in recent years to refer to Shakespeare's heroines. These perceptions have helped us to take a fresh look at these characters while we are at the same time reconsidering the position of women within our own society. But are Shakespeare's women really unruly? Shakespeare created heroines who operate in, rebel against, attempt to rule, or sometimes are crushed by social structures. We will attempt to explore just why Shakespeare is so unlike his contemporaries in his treatment of female characters on the Elizabethan and Jacobean stage.
Advance booking is essential as places are limited.
To reserve a place or to make further enquiries email h.alam007@btinternet.com or telephone 01600 714963.
