All Categories > Classics, Literature, Philosophy, Poetry & Politics
Course synopsis
There will be two main and contrasting strands to the material we look at this term. The first will be an examination of the life and poetry of Thomas Hardy. We shall be looking at both the Victorian background and his personal and aesthetic career as novelist and poet. Through specific poems we will trace his preoccupations with such issues as nature, love, social change religion and the passage of time.
The second strand will be a look at poetic verse as song lyric. This might be verse written specifically with musical setting in mind; musical setting of verse as in German lieder; or the deliberate co-operation of two (or more) writers to produce songs. The emphasis will be on popular song writers of the early twentieth century e.g Cole Porter, Ira Gershwin, Johnny Mercer and Lorenz Hart.
The real emphasis will be on engagement with texts and a willingness to examine them with an open mind. As always we welcome friends old and new.
This course begins on the 18th September 2025
Book your place
| Time/Place | Price | Sessions | Quantity |
|---|---|---|---|
Autumn 2025/2026 thursdays, 10:15 - 12:15 | £166 | 10 |
Note: places on courses and events are only reserved once purchased.
About the teacher
Les Berry
For many years before taking retirement I was a Senior Lecturer in the Department of English at the Manchester Metropolitan University, teaching across all of the department's degrees and...
