Literature

Borderlines of Madness

We will explore various themes related to insanity and altered states of consciousness by examining a number of 19th-century works of fiction.

Supernatural Fiction: From Ghost Stories and the Uncanny, to Ancient Astronauts and the Occult

Supernatural fiction contains a wide variety of sub-genres or modes, including ghost stories, the uncanny, weird fiction, the eerie and the occult. On this course we will read short stories, essays, novellas and graphic novels by some of the most renowned writers of supernatural fiction, including M.R. James, Daphne Du Maurier, Arthur Machen and Alan Moore.

The Radical Bookshelf: Black British History through Literature

This course explores some of the radical reading materials that Black and Asian activists read, shared and learned from in Britain in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

Hitchcock on Flim

This course explores a range of approaches to a selection of Hitchcock’s most important films.

Servants in Literature, from Above and Below

This course explores how writers have used servants, both real and fictional, to understand and reimagine society.

From Pillow Books to Convenience Stores: Japanese Women’s Literature

From eleventh century classics to contemporary masterpieces, this course will trace the importance of female authorship to Japanese literature through a selection of extracts, short stories and novels.

Modern British Drama