In this course we explore one of the great elegiac novels of the mid-twentieth century. In Brideshead Revisited, an outsider is adopted by a wealthy family and is spellbound by their glamorous lifestyle, yet also exposed to unsuspected worlds of pain, conflict and loss. We will explore the ways in which Waugh works within and […]

Awe inspiring in its density of allusion and encyclopaedic detail, Moby Dick is one of the greatest literary achievements of the nineteenth century. This course will guide you through the novel’s expansive seas, exploring its presentation of ambition and demagoguery through the infamous character of Captain Ahab; its more philosophical mediations on mysticism and fate; and […]

Awe inspiring in its density of allusion and encyclopaedic detail, Moby Dick is one of the greatest literary achievements of the nineteenth century. This course will guide you through the novel’s expansive seas, exploring its presentation of ambition and demagoguery through the infamous character of Captain Ahab; its more philosophical mediations on mysticism and fate; and […]

In this 2-part course we begin with one of Shakespeare's major tragedies, 'King Lear' (Part 1), and end with one of his last plays, often described as a tragicomedy, 'The Tempest' (Part 2). Both plays deal with similar themes but in the later play Shakespeare gives his characters a second chance. 'The Tempest' one of […]

From its entrancing first scene to the final fulfilment of the witches’ prophecy, Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s darkest and most powerful tragedies – a compelling story of one man’s ruthless ambition to obtain the crown of Scotland by the foulest means necessary. Macbeth boasts an array of unpleasant ingredients - regicide; war; witchcraft and […]