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: Reading Poetry - Yorkshire Poets

In this online, 5-week course, you will read, explore and enjoy some key works by a selection of significant contemporary poets from Yorkshire. You will discuss and evaluate five key poets, spending a week with each, with scope to include a variety of individual poems by others and create some links between these. Alongside close reading of poems, you will learn to discuss literary criticism on each poet, British/English poetry and poetics generally, as well as exploring the backgrounds of each writer, their lives and their unique approach to the art of poetry; through this we will also look to understand how a particular sense of identity and place has been created through the work. This unaccredited course with a supportive tutor will bring you into the worlds of Yorkshire poetry and you may take your new-found analytical skills back to your community in a volunteering role. No experience is needed, just bring yourself and your enthusiasm!

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 22/11/2023 -
Wed 20/12/2023
Times:
2:45pm - 4:45pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Tutor:
Simon Haworth
Course code:
Q00012558
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
In progress
Fee range
Free to £37.00

Literature: The Man who banned Christmas - how Christmas was banned under Oliver Cromwell

It’s popularly believed that Oliver Cromwell and his period of rule known as the Protectorate banned Christmas. This one off course will seek to investigate this belief and consider what truly occurred in the period of the English Civil War and the years after. Our discussions will focus on the following questions and issues: • the nature of the Stuart Christmas. • the religious background during the early seventeenth century which contributes to the ‘banning’ of Christmas. • how Christmas was argued over in print and art. • how society in a broad sense reacted to the threat to centuries of tradition that such a banning of Christmas implied. • Why the banning of Christmas proved ineffective.

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 09/12/2023 -
Sat 09/12/2023
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Tutor:
Stephen Smith
Course code:
Q00011980
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
0 places remaining
Status:
Fee range
Free to £7.40

Literature: Be an informed theatre audience member

If you are aware that there is a whole world behind the proscenium arch (and you don’t know what that is!) but you enjoy a visit to see live theatre then this course is for you. We will look at all aspects of the theatre experience from knowing the right slang to use to the best places to sit!

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 03/01/2024 -
Wed 13/03/2024
Times:
10:00am - 11:00am
Duration:
10 sessions
Tutor:
Alison Warren
Course code:
Q00012511
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £55.50

Literature: Walt Whitman’s Epic Poem - Song of Myself

“One of the most outrageous poems in American literature”: that’s one way to describe Walt Whitman’s 52-part poem “Song of Myself”. Abounding in energy, embracing all aspects of life, including the human body, great landscapes and the joys and pains of life, the poem scandalised many British readers in the 1860s and liberated others from the constraints of Victorian morality. Whitman is sure to challenge you to re-examine your assumptions about the world and about poetry itself. Each week we will read about five pages, and in our Zoom session discuss the features of the reading and your responses, sharing views in a friendly community. Podcasts explaining each section supplement your experience of the poem. No previous experience with literature is necessary, only a willingness to set out on this epic journey.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 03/01/2024 -
Tue 26/03/2024
Times:
1:00pm - 2:30pm
Duration:
12 sessions
Tutor:
Robert-Louis Abrahamson
Course code:
Q00012180
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £66.60

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For just £15 a year, you can:

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Membership Information

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
WEA Membership

Literature: Forgotten Bestsellers from the 19th Century: 1850-1900

This course will consider a number of novels that became best-sellers when they were published in the 19th century but have since either been eclipsed by better known novels by the same writer or simply forgotten due to the vagaries of literary taste and popularity. Taking one novel from each decade of the second half of the 19th century we will look at the changing styles of literature trough the period.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 04/01/2024 -
Thu 28/03/2024
Times:
3:00pm - 5:00pm
Duration:
12 sessions
Tutor:
Greta Depledge
Course code:
Q00010204
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
5 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £66.60

Literature: 1914 and All That - First World War Poets Rupert Brooke, Sassoon, Wilfred Owen

The poetry of the 1914-18 War has been much studied in the past 70 years, and many of the poets that we shall consider are now firmly established in the literary canon. We are familiar with their work and familiar with what they had to write of the terror and pity of those years. Rather than rehearsing the themes often associated with them, this course will strive to open a number of new perspectives including the following influences on their poetry. These are: • Rupert Brooke - what might have been. • The influence of sexuality on Owen and Sassoon. • The impact of madness on Ivor Gurney. • Class guilt in these poets. • The dangers of memory in Edward Thomas.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 08/01/2024 -
Mon 18/03/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Tutor:
Stephen Smith
Course code:
Q00012029
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
7 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £74.00

Literature: True North - An Introduction to Scandinavian Literature in the Twentieth Century

This 10 week course will introduce the richness and complexity of modern Scandinavian literature. The texts we will discuss are: Heaven and Hell – John Kalman Stefansson. The Ice Palace – Tarjei Vesaas. Shyness and Dignity – Dag Solstad. The Royal Physician’s Visit – Per Olov Enquist. Doctor Glas – Hjalmar Soderberg. These five novels will introduce us to a range of different Scandinavian nations, ranging from Iceland to Sweden, and we will consider themes involving: • the traditions of storytelling. • the original Nordic noir in Doctor Glas. • the question of identity and psychological realism in The Ice Palace & Shyness and Dignity. • The historical novel in The Royal Physician’s Visit.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 08/01/2024 -
Mon 18/03/2024
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Tutor:
Steve Swift
Course code:
Q00012031
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
3 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £74.00

Literature: The World’s (Ancient Greek) Wives - Poems of Carol Ann Duffy

In this course we will read and discuss a number of poems featuring women from ancient Greece in Carol Ann Duffy’s collection. The World’s Wife. We will take a detailed look at the poems themselves, as well as the background myths and stories about their featured character. 

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 09/01/2024 -
Tue 26/03/2024
Times:
3:00pm - 5:00pm
Duration:
11 sessions
Tutor:
Kim Shahabudin
Course code:
Q00009202
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
1 place remaining
Status:
Waiting list
Fee range
Free to £88.00

Literature: Poetry as a Spiritual Practice

Discover the wonderful work of poetry with this creative writing course. Whether you are seasoned lover of poetry or just initiating an interest, you will love this course. This is a friendly course providing a nourishing blend between reading and writing poetry and you will be guided to look at poems through a spiritual lens. The aim is to help you discover how poems can deepen your spiritual practice and bring more awareness to your life and writing while practising having the self confidence to express yourself. It is ideal for those who love words and meaning and who want to benefit from a writing community to share ideas, poems and practice with others. Beginners and those with previous experience are welcome.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 09/01/2024 -
Tue 19/03/2024
Times:
6:30pm - 8:30pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Tutor:
Ione Harris
Course code:
Q00009880
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £74.00

Literature: Selected Novels of Charles Dickens - Further Explorations in Literature

This relaxed and friendly course will consider a number of novels written by Charles Dickens in the 1840s and 1850s. The novels covered will be 'Martin Chuzzlewit' from 1844, 'David Copperfield' from 1850 and 'A Tale of Two Cities' from 1859. Dickens wrote a range of novels, during the 1800s, which remain hugely popular to this day. This course contains three of his most popular novels, which explore a range of themes and issues from the nineteenth-century, whilst still remaining relevant to our lives today in the twenty-first century.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 09/01/2024 -
Tue 26/03/2024
Times:
2:30pm - 4:30pm
Duration:
11 sessions
Location:
Exeter Community Centre (Exeter)
17 St. Davids Hill
Exeter
EX4 3RG
Tutor:
Greta Depledge
Course code:
Q00012920
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £92.40