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WEA courses
Displaying 1 - 10 of 45
Displaying search results for: "Literature"
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.
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Course Information
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Dates:Sat 19/10/2024 -
Sat 19/10/2024Times:10:30am - 4:30pmDuration:1 sessionsLocation:Norwich Millennium Library (Norwich)
Millennium Library
The Forum, Millennium Plain
Norwich
NR2 1AWTutor:James ClarkeCourse code:Q00017993How you'll learn:In venueAvailability:7 places remainingStatus:AvailableFee rangeFree to £25.20
Literature: The American Short Story
The postwar period saw a major change in the significance of the short story in the USA and Canada, as it developed into a form for more serious explorations of character and psychology.
Each week we will look at two stories by a major North American writer and discuss how they use such techniques as narration, subtext, and imagery to portray complex, layered characters. Featured writers include Ernest Hemingway, Raymond Carver, John Updike, Mavis Gallant, Shirley Jackson, and Elizabeth Strout.
In the final two weeks we will look at stories about Christmas in particular.
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Course Information
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Dates:Mon 18/11/2024 -
Mon 09/12/2024Times:2:00pm - 4:00pmDuration:4 sessionsLocation:Jubilee Hall Loddon (Loddon)
George Lane
Loddon
NR14 6NBTutor:Joseph WilliamsCourse code:Q00019239How you'll learn:In venueAvailability:6 places remainingStatus:In progressFee rangeFree to £33.60
History: Rediscovering the Great War’s Christmas Truce
The Christmas Truce is one of the most mythologised and celebrated events of the First World War, which has featured in film, song and fiction. In this one-off session, we will attempt to uncover the actual story behind the event, exploring the truce or truces through letters, reports, photographs and retrospective accounts. The course will be interesting to those with an interest in the Great War, and the manner in which that conflict has been interpreted in the century since its ending, but the course will also appeal to those with an interest in how societies shape and define themselves by their myths.
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Course Information
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Dates:Sat 07/12/2024 -
Sat 07/12/2024Times:10:00am - 1:00pmDuration:1 sessionsLocation:OnlineTutor:Stephen SmithCourse code:Q00019614How you'll learn:OnlineAvailability:10+ places remainingStatus:AvailableFee rangeFree to £11.10
Literature: Gawain and the Green Knight, the family-friendly version
The tale told by a fourteenth-century poem, and much quoted thereafter. I’m going to look purely at a retelling of the plot, with explanations of who all the characters are, rather than expecting you to understand Middle English, and certainly won’t be diving off into the adults-only versions that appear in some films. If you want a serious academic study, this is not the place for you (though we will look at similar and related stories to understand this one): if you want a fun fairy-tale that starts with Christmas at King Arthur’s court, come and join us!
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Course Information
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Dates:Tue 10/12/2024 -
Tue 10/12/2024Times:7:00pm - 9:00pmDuration:1 sessionsLocation:OnlineTutor:Jane WilliamsCourse code:Q00019859How you'll learn:OnlineAvailability:10+ places remainingStatus:AvailableFee rangeFree to £7.40
WEA Membership
WEA membership is changing: more information is coming soon!
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Membership Information
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Duration:12 monthsFee:£15
Literature: Christmas with Dylan Thomas
This course will explore the enduringly popular Welsh poet and writer, Dylan Thomas’ radio broadcast ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales.’ The session will introduce Thomas’ life, his memories of Swansea Christmases, and the extravagance of his style and the vividness of his recreation of a child’s Christmas before the Second World War. Whether one knows the work of Dylan Thomas or not, the course will introduce you to a unique voice, which is accessible and urgent and will unlock your own memories of past Christmases. The course will provoke lively discussions and the sharing of thoughts and memories as we examine the work.
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Course Information
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Dates:Sat 14/12/2024 -
Sat 14/12/2024Times:10:00am - 12:00pmDuration:1 sessionsLocation:OnlineTutor:Stephen SmithCourse code:Q00019847How you'll learn:OnlineAvailability:10+ places remainingStatus:AvailableFee rangeFree to £7.40
History: St. George - The Man and the Legend
Who was St George? Was he real, or just a character in a legend about a dragon and a princess? Was the dragon real - or perhaps symbolic of something else? If George existed, was he even English? When and where did he live? Given that he was made a saint, what is the connection between the man, the legend and the Christian Church? Is the legend just another way to look at the resolution of conflict – the light versus the dark, the triumph of good over evil?
In this two-hour session, we will examine some of the evidence about the existence of the man and any basis to the legend with Medievalist Terry Bloxham.
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Course Information
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Dates:Mon 16/12/2024 -
Mon 16/12/2024Times:10:30am - 12:30pmDuration:1 sessionsLocation:Friends Meeting House (Berkhamsted)
289 High Street
Berkhamsted
HP4 1AJTutor:Guest SpeakerCourse code:Q00018060How you'll learn:In venueAvailability:10+ places remainingStatus:AvailableFee rangeFree to £8.40
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.
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Course Information
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Dates:Tue 07/01/2025 -
Tue 01/04/2025Times:2:30pm - 4:30pmDuration:13 sessionsLocation:Exeter Community Centre (Exeter)
17 St. Davids Hill
Exeter
EX4 3RGTutor:Greta DepledgeCourse code:Q00016886How you'll learn:In venueAvailability:10+ places remainingStatus:AvailableFee rangeFree to £100.80
History: British History Through the Lives of 10 Women
This 10-week course is a re - run of the Autumn course and offers a unique exploration of British history by examining the lives and contributions of ten remarkable women who left indelible marks on society, culture, and politics. From ancient warriors to pioneering scientists and influential writers, each woman represents a distinct era in British history, shedding light on the struggles, achievements, and societal changes of their times.
Throughout the course, we will delve into the lives of these extraordinary women, analysing their impact on British society and their enduring legacies. By studying their stories, learners will gain a deeper understanding of key historical events, social movements, and cultural shifts that have shaped the fabric of Britain.
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Course Information
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Dates:Tue 07/01/2025 -
Tue 18/03/2025Times:10:00am - 12:00pmDuration:10 sessionsLocation:OnlineTutor:Kate AntoniouCourse code:Q00019208How you'll learn:OnlineAvailability:0 places remainingStatus:Waiting listFee rangeFree to £74.00
Literature: The Fables of Robert Louis Stevenson
The course presents all twenty-two “fables” of Robert Louis Stevenson, some as short as a few lines, others running to several pages, all of them challenging the reader with unexpected approaches to human life. We will read all the fables in six weeks, coming together on Zoom to share responses and questions, examine the literary merits and explore the ways the fables might enhance our understanding of ourselves and others we come into contact with day by day. There are podcasts for each fable to supplement our discussions, as well as space on the Canvas site to continue the Zoom discussions.
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Course Information
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Dates:Wed 08/01/2025 -
Wed 12/02/2025Times:1:00pm - 2:30pmDuration:6 sessionsLocation:OnlineTutor:Robert-Louis AbrahamsonCourse code:Q00019254How you'll learn:OnlineAvailability:10+ places remainingStatus:AvailableFee rangeFree to £33.00
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.
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Course Information
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Dates:Wed 08/01/2025 -
Wed 19/03/2025Times:2:15pm - 4:15pmDuration:10 sessionsLocation:Rose House (London)
70 Barnes High Street
London
SW13 9LDTutor:Stephen SmithCourse code:Q00017376How you'll learn:In venueAvailability:10+ places remainingStatus:AvailableFee rangeFree to £100.00