Frank Foley
Frank Foley
Three novels, ten weeks, infinite meanings...
"An Always in the Never" is a wonderful 10-week study group inviting you to explore ideas of time, meaning, and identity in three superb novels!
The subtitle of the group ~ "sublime literary moments and the capacity for wonder" ~ is a clue to the contemplative approach we'll take across the ten weeks. We are discussing literary novels that ask questions about the human condition, reveal deft psychological insights, and capture the sublime moments that give meaning to our lives.
These are poetic, philosophical books. I will encourage you to savour them, slowly, and give them your full presence ... I will encourage you to listen to them...
The quote "an always in the never" comes from the novel, The Elegance of the Hedgehog ... the third book of the group.
"Thinking back on it, this evening, with my heart and my stomach all like jelly, I have finally concluded, maybe that's what life is about: there's a lot of despair, but also the odd moment of beauty, where time is no longer the same. It's as if those strains of music created a sort of interlude in time, something suspended, an elsewhere that had come to us, an always within never. Yes, that's it, an always within never."
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbary
THE BOOKS ~ AN ALWAYS WITHIN NEVER
Olive Kitteridge
by Elizabeth Strout
Elizabeth Strout won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for fiction with Olive Kitteridge. Originally marketed as a novel, the work is in fact a collection of interrelated short stories, many, but not all, featuring the eponymous Olive.
Ah, Olive! Olive is life in all its beautiful ugly complexity. From afar, ordinary, average, part of the homogeneous centre, Olive is marginalised, strange, a unique individual, when viewed up close. Olive is oh so simple, and yet deliciously complex; she is tender and sensitive, emotionally intelligent and caring… but she’s also an emotionless sledgehammer, an insensitive blunt instrument, seemingly incapable of empathy. She’s funny and spiteful, she’s vulnerable and vindictive, she’s absolutely Olive Kitteridge and she’s every one of us too - and that’s why we love her.
The English Patient
by Michael Ondaatje
Michael Ondaatje is a Canadian poet, novelist and film-maker, born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1943. He has published seven novels and a number of poetry collections, and won the Booker Prize in 1992 for his novel, The English Patient.
Set in Italy during the Second World War, the novel interweaves the stories of four disparate characters as they try to make sense of their broken lives.
The novel addresses questions of identity and character, and the context in which this is judged, as well as issues of race, ownership and boundaries, and the importance of stories.
Join me for this fascinating 3-week course!
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
by Muriel Barbary
A publishing phenomenon when it was released in 2006, The Elegance of the Hedgehog asks existential questions about identity, meaning, and finding purpose in life, as well as exploring issues such as class, the value of art, and the obvious, but easily overlooked difference between appearance and reality.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog is a fascinating novel full of philosophical and cultural allusions, and always sparks interesting discussions in class, so book your place today!
COURSE SCHEDULE
01.
Introduction
Course overview and context. I will outline the books and authors, and we'll get a chance to introduce ourselves!
02.
Olive Kitteridge 1
Overview & Background context / Author bio
Main themes & ideas map
Opening pages
03.
Olive Kitteridge 2
We will explore passages from the first half of the book.
04.
Olive Kitteridge 3
We will explore passages from the second half of the book.
05.
The English Patient 1
Overview & Background context / Author bio
Main themes & ideas map
Opening pages
06.
The English Patient 2
We will explore passages from the first half of the book.
07.
The English Patient 3
We will explore passages from the second half of the book.
08.
The Elegance of the Hedghog 1
Overview & Background context / Author bio
Main themes & ideas map
Opening pages
09.
The Elegance of the Hedghog 2
We will explore passages from the first half of the book.
10.
The Elegance of the Hedghog 3
We will explore passages from the second half of the book.