Poetry and class in the context of society - Morning

Course Programme

10:00 Session 1 Dr Stephen Logan

11:15 Coffee

11:45 Session 2 Dr Stephen Logan

13:00 Session ends

Open any big anthology of English-language poetry and you’ll be faced with an illusion. The illusion is that, because all the poets wrote in English and their physical voices are mostly lost, they were part of a single literary community. But in fact, huge differences of education and experience are concealed by the silence of the page. Once you start trying to find ‘working class’ poets, however, difficulties impinge. There seem to be hardly any. Is this because they existed but have been excluded from the canon? Or is it because it wasn’t till recently that working class people as a whole had the chance to learn to read and write? We will in these two classes study these questions by reference to two poets: John Clare and Tony Harrison. Please bring copies of the following books with you:

1. https://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Clare-Major-Works/dp/0199549796/ref=sr_1_1?crid=RG55QOEIGLYQ&keywords=john+clare+complete+works&qid=1571853383&sprefix=john+clare%2Caps%2C198&sr=8-1                           
2. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Collected-Poems-Tony-Harrison/dp/0241974356/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Tony+Harrison&qid=1571852853&sr=8-1

It would be helpful if you could read beforehand the following two essays:

1. http://orwell.ru/library/articles/poetry/english/e_poetry                                                                   
2. https://fortnightlyreview.co.uk/2012/12/working-class-poetry/

Accommodation

Although this is a non-residential course, students requiring accommodation may be able to book B&B at Madingley Hall, as availability permits.

Please contact reservations@madingleyhall.co.uk or +44 (0)1223 746222 for availability and booking enquiries.

Lunch

A selection of sandwiches will be available to purchase in the Terrace Bar.

Additional requirements

ICE is committed to providing equality of opportunity and to a proactive and inclusive approach to equality. We aim to support and encourage under-represented groups, promote an inclusive culture, and value diversity.

Further information about student support.

Entry requirements

No academic qualification is required, and most courses are suitable for students who are new to the subject.

All teaching is in English (unless a foreign-language course). If your first language is not English, you need to satisfy yourself that you have the required near-native command of the language to get the maximum benefit from studying with ICE.

This course takes place at Madingley Hall, home to the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education.

About Madingley Hall

Madingley Hall itself is an impressive manor house dating back to the mid-16th century. The decoration of the Saloon and the formal Stair Hall was carried out 200 years later, and the whole fabric was renovated with great care around 1900. About four miles from the centre of Cambridge, the Hall stands in several acres of beautifully-maintained gardens and overlooks a landscape which has changed relatively little since it was laid out by Capability Brown. It is just four miles from the centre of Cambridge, and only 60 minutes from London, with excellent links to London airports.

Getting here

For those arriving by train, we have an arrangement with a local taxi company to collect students from Cambridge railway station for a small fee of £4.

We also now have a mini-bus service which runs between the station and Madingly Hall weekday mornings between 06:45 and 09:25 and evenings between 16:45 and 19:25. Please contact the reception desk at ICE for more details.

For more information see directions to Madingley Hall.