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English Literature

Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby

In this course, Dr William Blazek (Liverpool Hope University) explores F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby. We being by thinking about the concept of the American Dream, focusing in particular on how some of the major characters in...

5 lectures

0:55:10

Dr William Blazek

Liverpool Hope University

English Literature

Shakespeare: Othello

In this course, Professor Lisa Hopkins (Sheffield Hallam University) explores six aspects of the critical reception of Shakespeare's Othello. In the first module, we think about the critical reception of the handkerchief, beginning with Thomas ...

6 lectures

0:57:40

Prof. Lisa Hopkins

Sheffield Hallam University

English Literature

Gothic Literature

In this course, we explore the history of the Gothic novel, beginning with Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto, and finishing with the literature (and films) of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries that have been influenced by the Gothic,...

14 lectures

2:09:05

Prof. John McRae

Nottingham University

English Literature

Stevenson: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

In this course, Professor Nick Groom (University of Exeter) explores Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde’. As we move through the course, we consider a number of topics including the novel’s interest in language and...

5 lectures

0:52:47

Prof. Nick Groom

Exeter University

English Literature

Shelley: Frankenstein

In this course, Professor Nick Groom (University of Exeter) explores Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. We begin by thinking about the life of Mary Shelley herself, focusing in particular on her fateful trip to the Villa Diodati with Percy Shelley in...

5 lectures

0:31:54

Prof. Nick Groom

Exeter University

English Literature

Steinbeck: Of Mice and Men

In this course, Professor John McRae (University of Nottingham) explores John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. We begin with a broad introduction to the world of the novel, focusing in particular on life in America during the Great Depression ...

10 lectures

2:11:28

Prof. John McRae

Nottingham University

English Literature

Golding: Lord of the Flies

In this course, Professor Nick Groom (University of Exeter) explores William Golding’s 1954 novel, The Lord of the Flies. We begin by thinking about the historical context for the novel, focusing in particular on the state of Britain and Europe...

9 lectures

1:18:50

Prof. Nick Groom

Exeter University

English Literature

Gothic Literature

For many, the genre of gothic horror is epitomised by the novels Frankenstein and Dracula. In this course, we explore the origins of the genre through lesser-known, but no less influential works, the Castle of Otranto (1764) and The Monk...

16 lectures

1:23:46

Dr Elly McCausland

York University

English Literature

Shakespeare: Hamlet

In this course, Dr John Lennard explores Shakespeare's Hamlet. In the first module, we explore the idea of Hamlet as a revenge tragedy, and think about how Shakespeare has complicated the basic structure. In the second module, we consider the...

5 lectures

0:53:30

Prof. John Lennard

Independent Scholar

English Literature

Poetry: How to Read and Analyse Poetry

In this course, Professor John Lennard talks through the craft of poetry in a course that draws on his international bestseller, The Poetry Handbook, which has been a favourite with both sixth-form students and undergraduates since its first...

15 lectures

2:49:30

Prof. John Lennard

Independent Scholar

English Literature

Love Through the Ages

This course explores the theme of love from the earliest English literature to the present day – from authors that you have likely heard of, such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Byron and Keats, to authors that are perhaps less well-known. This...

22 lectures

3:05:28

Prof. John McRae

Nottingham University

English Literature

Carol Ann Duffy: Feminine Gospels

In this course, Professor John McRae (University of Nottingham) explores Carol Ann Duffy’s 2002 collection, ‘Feminine Gospels’. After an introductory module in which we think about the poetry of Carol Ann Duffy in general and the collection as a...

22 lectures

3:07:07

Prof. John McRae

Nottingham University

English Literature

Orwell: Nineteen Eighty-Four

In this course, Dr Nathan Waddell (University of Birmingham) explores George Orwell’s 1949 novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. The first two modules provide broad context for the novel: in the first, we think about Orwell’s writing of the novel and the ...

9 lectures

1:14:37

Dr Nathan Waddell

Birmingham University

English Literature

Poems of the Decade (Edexcel)

In this course, John McRae (University of Nottingham) explores the twenty poems that make up the ‘Poems of the Decade’ cluster for A Level English Literature (Edexcel). Each poem is read in detail, with a short commentary highlighting aspects of...

19 lectures

2:42:16

Prof. John McRae

Nottingham University

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