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English Literature

Dickens: Hard Times

In this course, Dr Alfie Bown (University of Manchester) explores Dickens’ 1854 novel, Hard Times. As we move through the course, we think about the philosophy of Utilitarianism (thinking in particular about Mr. Gradgrind), about class (thinking...

6 lectures

0:52:39

Dr Alfie Bown

Royal Holloway, London

English Literature

Eliot: The Mill on the Floss

In this course, Dr John Rignall (University of Warwick) explores George Eliot's 1860 novel, The Mill on the Floss. The course begins by thinking about George Eliot herself and the place of the novel in her career. In the second...

5 lectures

0:51:13

Dr John Rignall

Warwick University

English Literature

Shakespeare: Henry IV, Part I

In this course, Professor John Roe (University of York) explores Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part I. The course begins by introducing the tetralogy as a whole (Richard II—Henry IV, Part I—Henry IV, Part II—Henry V), before focusing on the play’s four...

6 lectures

1:04:29

Prof. John Roe

York University

English Literature

Shakespeare: Henry V

In this course, Professor John Roe (University of York) explores Shakespeare's Henry V. The course begins with a brief introduction to the play as the fourth and final instalment in Shakespeare's second great tetralogy, before moving on in the...

10 lectures

1:04:45

Prof. John Roe

York University

English Literature

Shakespeare: As You Like It

In this course, Professor John Roe (University of York) explores Shakespeare's As You Like It – a play that was written in 1599, first performed in 1603, and first published in the First Folio, 1623. We begin by thinking about...

6 lectures

1:18:54

Prof. John Roe

York University

English Literature

Coetzee: Disgrace

In this course, Professor Derek Attridge (University of York) explores J. M. Coetzee’s Booker Prize winning novel, Disgrace. We begin in the first module with a broad introduction to the novel, focusing on the novel’s narrative voice, its use of...

5 lectures

0:47:43

Prof. Derek Attridge

York University

English Literature

Hawthorne: The Scarlet Letter

In this course, Dr Nicholas Lawrence (University of Warwick) explores Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic novel, The Scarlett Letter (1850). In the first module, we think about the tension in the novel between the traditional and the modern, focusing...

6 lectures

0:55:58

Dr Nick Lawrence

Warwick University

English Literature

Webster: The White Devil

In this course, we explore John Webster’s ‘The White Devil’, beginning by thinking about John Webster himself, before moving on to consider the play itself – its setting in Italy, and the presentation of the various male and female characters...

5 lectures

0:46:47

Prof. John Lennard

Independent Scholar

English Literature

Shakespeare and Politics

In this course, Professor Andrew Hadfield (University of Sussex) explores the political concerns relevant to Shakespeare’s plays. In the first module, we explore the political landscape of Shakespeare’s day, especially the right of the people to...

6 lectures

0:54:12

Prof. Andrew Hadfield

Sussex University

English Literature

Melville: Moby-Dick

In this course, Dr Kate McGettigan (Royal Holloway) explores Herman Melville's 1851 masterpiece, Moby-Dick. We begin by providing a broad introduction to Melville's life and career, including his experiences in the South Pacific and his brief but...

6 lectures

0:36:47

Dr Katie McGettigan

Royal Holloway, London

English Literature

Modernism: 3. Critical Perspectives

In this course, Professor Max Saunders (King’s College, London) explores how critical perspectives on modernism have changed over time. In the first module, think about how modernist literature was received at the time it was created and how it is...

5 lectures

0:48:23

Prof. Max Saunders

King's College London

English Literature

Middleton: The Revenger's Tragedy

In this course, we explore The Revenger’s Tragedy, a play which was written in the early years of the seventeenth century, but whose author is unknown. In the first two modules, we think generally about the Early Modern stage, before...

5 lectures

0:53:13

Prof. John Lennard

Independent Scholar

English Literature

Mitchell: Gone with the Wind

In this course, Professor Helen Taylor (University of Exeter) explores Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind. We start by thinking about tremendous impact of the novel, as well as the celebrated and critically acclaimed film adaptation starting...

7 lectures

0:51:15

Prof. Helen Taylor

Exeter University

English Literature

Jonson: Volpone

In this course, Professor Matthew Steggle explores Ben Jonson's early 17th-century comedy Volpone. The course begins by thinking about the setting of the play in Venice, and what associations that city might have evoked for Jonson's original...

6 lectures

0:47:35

Prof. Matthew Steggle

Sheffield Hallam University

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