Adult Courses

William Butler Yeats has written of a magical land full of myth and legend while at the same time exploring his own identity and that of his country. Seamus Heaney digs into the past to explore his own relationship with Ireland and growing up during a troubled time. Using Irish poetry as a springboard, you will take the time to explore...

'Exit pursued by a bear.' Originally published in the First Folio of 1623, The Winter's Tale contains Shakespeare's most famous and challenging stage direction. How can we resist such a play with a character like Autolycus who declares, 'Though I am not naturally honest, I am so sometimes by chance'? Considered either as a comedy or one of Shakespeare's late romances, the...

The making of dictionaries was a big theme in 18th century England, so Jane Austen, who so admired her 'dear Dr Johnson' and played word games at home, grew up in an atmosphere of linguistic controversy and interest. In this course, you will investigate what the linguistic expectations of the age she lived in consisted of and how Jane Austen herself was...

It was not only Tennyson who was keen to express how he felt. Poets throughout the ages have felt the need to show that human nature demands a mixture of sentiment and rationality. Indeed, Wordsworth wrote a volume entitled 'Moods of my own Mind'. It is these moods that will be discussed in this course of peaks and troughs, from hope...

Tess of the D'Urbervilles, The Mayor of Casterbridge and Return of the Native, set in Thomas Hardy's fictional Wessex and considered great masterpieces, tackle the sensational themes of love, loss, betrayal, infidelity and most notoriously a bridal sale. It will be particularly poignant to explore these works together in a setting not far from Hardy's beloved Dorset as well as looking at...

During the week, you will write short pieces in many different genres and you should be prepared to share your work with the rest of the group as that is how you receive the best feedback and learn skills from hearing others' work. You do not need any preparation or to bring anything to the class except a commitment to write...

The Situation Comedy or 'Sitcom' is the most recognisable, successful and international of all television genres. Tracing its origins back to Shakespeare, Molière and the Commedia dell'arte, the first television sitcom, Pinwright's Progress, was broadcast in the UK in 1946 and the world has been making them ever since. From Fawlty Towers and Red Dwarf to The Office and The Simpsons, this...

Our course poetry anthology, The Map and the Clock, has received rave reviews. Chosen by Poet Laureate, Carol-Ann Duffy, and Gillian Clarke there is something for everybody in this wonderful collection, whether you are experienced or new to poetry. Poems often have multiple interpretations and mean different things to different people. The tutor aims to create a relaxed atmosphere in which you...

Over the last 100 years, film and television have ushered in a completely new way of creating and telling stories. In this course, the tutor, a BAFTA nominated TV producer and children's novelist, will take you through the history of screen entertainment; from silent movies to sitcoms and box sets to blockbusters. Using clips from films and TV shows he will examine...

The Merchant of Venice, written between 1596 and 1598, is perhaps Shakespeare's most controversial comedy centred on love, money, prejudice and social injustice but particularly money and revenge. Shakespeare dramatises the competing claims of tolerance and intolerance, religious law and civil society, justice and mercy. Meanwhile, in the character of Shylock he creates one of the most memorable outsiders in all of...

Published in 1847, Wuthering Heights is a highly imaginative novel of passion, love and hate. Emily Brontë's eclectic style and the passionate overlay of the narrative have marked the novel as a work of genius. Aged only 30 when she died, Brontë has been acclaimed for her poetry as well as fiction. Her quiet life beset by illness and deaths, and...

This course has been devised in response to those of you who have already attended at least one of the tutor's other creative writing courses, enjoyed it and asked for more. This time, there will be new and challenging exercises and some repeats with a different slant using a range of stimuli to inspire you to write poetry, drama, short stories and...

The King of Navarre and three young friends vow to be celibate while pursuing their academic studies. Meanwhile, four young noblewomen, including the Princess of France arrive amused by the young men's pretensions and looking for romance. What can possibly go wrong? This is one of Shakespeare's frothier comedies but, at the same time, bittersweet. You will read the play and discuss...