English Literature Talks and Workshops
Literature Workshops and/or presentations
As a mum of 2, I am well aware that studying in a classroom can be boring. I would like to bring history and literature to secondary school children in a more exciting and personal way – on location in London, and on Zoom.
My workshops are designed as an extension of the school curriculum and focus on important events, personalities, socioeconomics and stories about the everyday life of common (and not so common!) people. Participant interaction is an integral part of each session.
The literature workshops last for 90 minutes. The first half is an interactive presentation about the author, looking at their life and work in the context of the time. The participants share their experience (if any) of the writer’s work and discuss the ideas raised.
During the second half, we look at the book itself or an extract from it, including comprehension and inference, literary devices, characters and the author’s writing style.
It is recommended that the participants read the book before the workshop in order to gain maximum insight from the session.
The workshops can be presented in person or over Zoom, with a maximum of 6 participants.
They can also be delivered as lectures or presentations for adults. In this case the sessions will be 1 hour long, and can be either in person or online.
Roald Dahl, Going Solo
Roald Dahl is a favourite author of today’s younger kids. By the time they become teenagers, every English school child is familiar with at least a couple of his classics. Yet, some parents and critics are disconcerted by his wicked sense of humour and grotesque storylines – are they good or bad?
Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers
The canals were the product and the engine of the Industrial Revolution, and ultimately of Britain as the powerhouse of the world in the 19th century. Connecting the centre of trade in London with the industrial Midlands from the end of the 18th century, the 40,000 miles canal system was instrumental in shaping British economy and landscape.
The Lost World of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Conan Doyle is celebrated as the author of the Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Did you know that he wrote one of the first books about an encounter with prehistoric dinosaurs? We look at the life and times of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and how the contemporary discoveries in the field of palaeontology and the adventures of daring explorers inspired him to write this fascinating adventure story.
O.Henry, The Ransom of Red Chief
American short story writer O.Henry is a favourite with teachers around the world. His stories have so many elements that make them ideal for an English student of any age. Over only a few pages he creates skilfully crafted characters, fast pacing action, all literary devices imaginable, and, above all, irony, humour and unexpected endings. At the heart of the story is a message that teaches us to be kind, generous and forgiving.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
The tale of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins and his dwarf companions on a perilous journey in search of treasure guarded by Smaug the dragon is among the most loved literary classics of the 20th century. This is an introduction to J.R.R. Tolkien’s magic world of high fantasy and fast paced adventure.
Gothic Fiction and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Macabre graveyards in the midst of windswept moors, haunted mansions full of cobwebs and ghosts, tragic heroes and murderous villain, damsels in distress and doomed romance – Gothic fiction gives us the best – and worst – of horror and romance.
