This 10-week course examines three groundbreaking novels of the twentieth century, in which the very essence of Enlightenment 'reason' is radically challenged. From the production lines of Brave New World, to the physical and mental brutality of Nineteen Eighty-Four, and the bureaucratic nightmares of The Trial, what we encounter, simply put, is the end of reason. But are these dystopian fantasies of the future or prophetic visions of our 21st century culture?
Fridays from 24th September at The Horsebridge Centre, Whitstable, 10am-12noon
Cost £75
Reading List: Brave New World - Huxley; Nineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell; The Trial - Kafka
In Search of Identity
What is identity? Is it simply a list of facts related to an individual, or a complex weave of narratives that no individual has control over? This 10-week course will explore the concept of identity through the study of three beautifully crafted, but very different novels: The Catcher in the Rye, The English Patient and Disgrace. Examining each novel in turn, we will consider different aspects of identity, from the angst of early adulthood, to wider considerations of nation and history.
Tuesdays from 28th September at Petham Village Hall, 10am-1pm. Cost tba
Reading List: Disgrace - Coetzee; The Catcher in the Rye - Salinger;
The English Patient - Ondaatje
Shakespeare's Genius: Hamlet and King Lear
Simply put, a superb course and one of Frank's favourites. This 12-week course focuses on two of the greatest works of literature - Hamlet and King Lear. Through detailed textual analysis, excerpts from film versions, in-class readings and group discussions, this course will encourage a new appreciation of these superb plays, and allow them to live in our minds once again.
Wednesdays from 22th September, The Horsebridge Centre, Whitstable, 10am-12noon
Cost £80
Reading List: King Lear; Hamlet; Shakespeare's Language by Frank Kermode
Truth in Fiction
A 10-week course studying three novels in which the line between truth and fiction is blurred. We will explore themes concerning identity and memory within the wider discourse of the concept of Truth. What is Truth? What is it to say something is true? Each novel deals with these questions in a different way. From the self-deceptions of a butler, to the self-delusions of a husband, and the self-justifications of a young girl, we will assess the fiction of Truth and the truth in fiction.
Wednesday evenings from 29th September, The Horsebridge Centre, 7pm-9pm.
Cost £75
Reading List: The Remains of the Day - Ishiguro; Atonement - McEwan
The Good Soldier - Ford Madox Ford
Tel: 01227-265870 or email: mail@frankjfoley.com