Explore literature through the ages.

We've hand-picked a variety of English literature courses for you to choose from. Whether you are interested in twenty-first-century literature and culture, the tales of Babylon, or historical topics such as race and gender, we have a broad selection of literature that’s sure to suit a wide variety of tastes and interests.  

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You might be a newcomer to the world of literature and the great works of authors past and present, or perhaps you consider yourself somewhat of an expert. Whichever group you fall into, our friendly classes are the perfect environment to develop your skills and knowledge. Building on a curiosity or passion is what we do best! 

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Whether you prefer online learning from the comfort of your own home, or you want to attend an in-person class in your local community, we have a huge amount of flexibility to suit how you learn best. This means that you can pick the environment that’s right for you, giving you that piece of mind that you can learn in a place that you feel comfortable with. 

The support you’ll receive 

Our dedicated tutors will guide you through the different genres and time periods in English literature, helping you to develop your critical reading and analysis skills - perfect if you're a beginner.   

Our learning experience is one of the things that sets us apart, with many of our learners going on to achieve incredible things. You’ll learn at a pace that’s comfortable for you, with a friendly supportive tutor on hand to answer any questions you might have.  

Start your journey today and learn all about the works of Agatha Christie, Shakespeare and many, many more.  

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Literature: Iconic Scenes from 19th Century Fiction

This is a chance to revisit some famous literary moments from Regency and Victorian novels, to remember, discuss and enjoy them together, to introduce some that are less familiar, and to inspire further reading.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 01/10/2024 -
Tue 26/11/2024
Times:
1:30pm - 3:30pm
Duration:
7 sessions
Location:
Women's Institute Hall (Nottingham)
1 Main Street
Lowdham
Nottingham
NG14 7AB
Tutor:
Judith Hedley
Course code:
Q00016273
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
2 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £51.80

Literature: Crime through Time

For the last century, crime fiction has been the most popular and lucrative of literary subgenres. But this commercial success belies a formal inventiveness and experiment, a constant drive to ‘make it new’, which has long been central to the genre. In this course we will read six crime novels (and three short stories) which chart the development of crime fiction. As well as considering each of these novels in isolation from week to week, we will also use the seven week course to ask ourselves: how has crime fiction changed through the years, and how has it remained the same? No previous knowledge of crime fiction is necessary – everybody is most welcome!

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 01/10/2024 -
Tue 19/11/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
7 sessions
Location:
Blofield Court House (BLOFIELD)
28 Yarmouth Road
BLOFIELD
NR13 4JU
Tutor:
Joseph Williams
Course code:
Q00018194
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £58.80

Literature: The Story of the Detective Story

The detective story is one of the most popular literary genres, as well as one that has produced some classic novels. Each week we focus on a short detective story or novel, reading and discussing key passages. The selected novels are in chronological order, from the 19th century to modern times. We begin with Edgar Allen Poe and Conan Doyle, and end with Sophie Hannah. We’ll be able to share and debate interpretations, sharpen our critical and appreciative faculties, understand what detective fiction can tell us about the society and culture that produced it, and, hopefully, be inspired to read other works by the writers featured on the course.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 02/10/2024 -
Wed 13/11/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Wesley Hall (Barnet)
High Barnet Methodist Church
9 Stapylton Road
Barnet
EN5 4JJ
Tutor:
Brandon Robshaw
Course code:
Q00017365
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
9 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £60.00

Literature: Much Ado about Shakespeare: Henry IV Part 1

If you find Shakespeare daunting and wonder what all the fuss is about, or if you are a devotee who wants to share and deepen your enjoyment of his work this course is for you. An opportunity to look in some depth at one intriguing play, Henry IV Part 1, by reading, discussing and watching extracts of performances. The play brings together full range of Shakespeare’s mature style, introducing the famous Falstaff, with high- and low-life equally represented. Among the themes are fathers and sons, duty and pleasure, morality in war, government and rebellion, all as applicable now as ever.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 04/10/2024 -
Fri 13/12/2024
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
11 sessions
Location:
Nottingham Mechanics (Nottingham)
3 North Sherwood Street
Nottingham
NG1 4EZ
Tutor:
Hazel Salisbury
Course code:
Q00016278
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £84.00

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Membership Information

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
£15

Literature: Classic American Short Stories

This day school focuses on three short stories from the American literary tradition by Alice Walker, Ernest Hemingway, and Edith Wharton. The session includes tutor presentations and group discussions about each story. Resources will be available before the session for pre- and post-session reflection. During the day, we will analyse specific excerpts and broader cultural contexts, exploring how fiction connects to the real world. Join us for an engaging exploration of these iconic American authors and their contributions to literature.

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 19/10/2024 -
Sat 19/10/2024
Times:
10:30am - 4:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Norwich Millennium Library (Norwich)
Millennium Library
The Forum, Millennium Plain
Norwich
NR2 1AW
Tutor:
James Clarke
Course code:
Q00017993
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £25.20

Literature: Children’s Fantasy Novels

Interested in children's fantasy novels? This day school delves into classics like J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, Ursula K. LeGuin's A Wizard of Earthsea, and J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. No need to read the entire novels; we'll focus on specific chapters. Explore the literary significance and themes of these works, and discuss their lasting legacy. Resources will be available on Canvas for pre- and post-session reflection. The day combines tutor presentations with group discussions, connecting the novels to broader cultural contexts and examining how fiction relates to the real world.

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 23/11/2024 -
Sat 23/11/2024
Times:
10:30am - 4:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Norwich Millennium Library (Norwich)
Millennium Library
The Forum, Millennium Plain
Norwich
NR2 1AW
Tutor:
James Clarke
Course code:
Q00017990
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £25.20

Literature: Victorian Literature Through the Decades - The 1840s

During this course we will consider a wide range of novels that were pubished in the 1840s as a continuation of an exploration of literature published through the decades of Victoria’s long reign. We will consider a range of novels by both male and female writers: Barnaby Rudge (Charles Dickens 1841); The Luck of Barry Lyndon (W M Thackeray, 1844); Sybil (Benjamin Disraeli, 1845); Agnes Grey (Anne Bronté, 1847); Shirley (Charlotte Bronté, 1849). The 1840s were a prosperous time for many but but this decade was also known as the Hungry Forties. The 1840s also saw the growth of the realist novel.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 07/01/2025 -
Tue 01/04/2025
Times:
2:30pm - 4:30pm
Duration:
13 sessions
Location:
Exeter Community Centre (Exeter)
17 St. Davids Hill
Exeter
EX4 3RG
Tutor:
Greta Depledge
Course code:
Q00016886
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £100.80

British Novels in the 70s and 80s (Part 2)

This course will consider and analyse the following authors and their texts. These are: Strange Meeting - Susan Hill. So Long Hector Bebb - Ron Berry. Flaubert’s Parrot - Julian Barnes. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro. Innocence - Penelope Fitzgerald. These texts will provide a window into the different regions of Britain during two decades of major change in the social fabric and political nature of Britain, though several of our texts will trace these changes back to the earlier part of the twentieth century, and in doing so, we will encounter themes of identity, class and the decline of Empire. There will be much to prompt discussion and challenge our assumptions.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 08/01/2025 -
Wed 19/03/2025
Times:
2:15pm - 4:15pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Rose House (London)
70 Barnes High Street
London
SW13 9LD
Tutor:
Stephen Smith
Course code:
Q00017376
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £100.00

British Literature 1980 - 2011 (Part 2)

On this course we will examine the following novels: On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell (2004) Day - A.L. Kennedy. Affinity - Sarah Waters. The Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes. These texts will take us inside contemporary British fiction, and earmark those authors who have contributed to the evolution of a distinctive voice in British fiction in the last fifty years, from the years of Thatcher, New Labour to the present. We will explore each writers’ techniques and themes, and how they address the themes of British identity. Discussions will be lively with plenty of opportunities to voice your opinions.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 08/01/2025 -
Wed 19/03/2025
Location:
Friends Meeting House (Sutton)
10 Cedar Road
Sutton
SM2 5DA
Course code:
Q00017594
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £100.00

Literature: Selected plays by Aristophanes

Aristophanes (c.450-388 BCE) writing in the Fifth Century is regarded as the key author in Ancient Greek comedy. His plays will be studied, read and workshopped. We shall look at how his plays might be put on, and staged today. His plays often have structures similar to a sketch show and he uses many comic devices still popular with comedians today. His plays are a little rude though (sometimes very rude). We shall look at how he creates his comic characters and situations. We shall discuss the issues that he wants to write about and consider if these are still relevant to a modern audience trying to make sense of the political and social world today. Over ten weeks, two to three plays will be discussed and workshopped to appreciate the various theatrical devices that Aristophanes often uses.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 14/01/2025 -
Tue 25/03/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
The Greenleaf Centre (Walthamstow)
67-69 Greenleaf Road
Walthamstow
E17 6QP
Tutor:
Thomas Crowe
Course code:
Q00017605
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £100.00