Surbiton English Lit

A short clinic on how to approach the IGCSE LIT P1 section on To Kill a Mockingbird. Advice on revision, planning and writing.

In this episode I interview Bee Huntley, a veteran of the English Dept, with over 22 years in teaching. This year she sat the January series of English Language exams as a way of sharing with the department and the students her experience of revising, practising and actually sitting a real exam. This episode is packed with valuable revision lessons for students of all subjects, but especially those sitting English Language.

Mr Allan and Mr Sebastian discuss the theme of cruelty in Of Mice and Men, and discuss which characters can lay claim to being the unhappiest on the ranch.

In this episode, we take a close look at the character of the Inspector in Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls'. An ominous figure appearing half way through Act 1 and disappearing half way through Act 3, Priestley allows us to observe the Birling family before, during and after they encounter the Inspector.

In this episode, we take a close look at Priestley's political views and messages. Written in 1945 and set in 1912, Priestley explores the length and breadth of the political spectrum in the first half of the 20th century.

In this episode, we take a close look at the theme of Power and Status in Priestley's drawing room political drama.

In this episode, we take a close look at the character of Sheila in Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls'.

A close look at the generational divide present in Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls'.

A close look at the central message of social responsibility and how the importance of it is conveyed in Priestley's Post-War masterpiece.

In this episode, we take a sideways look at Priestley's Post-War sociopolitical drama, refracting it through three analytical lenses.

In this episode, we take a look at the generational gap present in Priestley’s Post-War political drama and explore Priestley’s message to his audience of the danger of the fixed mindsets of the older generation.

A close look at the significance of this mysterious figure in Priestley’s powerful sociopolitical masterpiece.

Three of our best students unpick the intricacies of who’s to blame for the death of Eva Smith and how to characters respond to that blame in Priestley’s Post War drawing room drama. NOTE: this was recorded remotely during lockdown.

Jade and Grace discuss the themes of memory and childhood in part 1 of the novel.

Poppy and Ava discuss how the theme of science is significant in the first part of the novel.

An incisive exploration of the theme of Power and Status in Priestley’s mid-20th century sociopolitical drama.

What makes Shelia a compelling character? Two of our expert students explore the significance of this character in Priestley’s didactic drawing room drama.

Ms Rusholme gives a deep dive into the final chapters of Harper Lee’s Southern Gothic Bildungsroman on justice and injustice in 1930s America.

Ms Gladwyn explores the genre of the Southern Gothic in regards to Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird

Ms Gladwyn explores the topic of social class in Gothic Literature, a rigid class structure, the impact of rapid urbanisation and how Darwin’s views upset the Victorian apple cart.

In this episode, Ms Gladwyn explores the significance of Curley's Wife in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.

In this episode, Ms Gladwyn gives us an overview of the life and works of Edwardian author M.R. James - famed for his ghost stories. Gladwyn neatly sets James' work in its context and shows how he had a talent for causing terror by playing with the cultural anxieties of the time.

In this episode, Ms Gladwyn introduces us to The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, widely considered to be the first text in the Gothic genre.

In this episode, Ms Gladwyn takes us through the all-important theme of 'loneliness' in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.

In this episode, Ms Gladwyn explores the theme of 'The Dream' in Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men'.

Atticus is probably the most recognisable fictional representative of liberalism in the 20th century. However, how progressive is he really? This podcast looks at the values he represents and asks if he really is the liberal progressive we think he is.

It’s important when looking at this text that we don’t just look for justice in the events of the trial. Throughout Part 2 there are several vignettes that highlight the themes of justice, injustice and hypocrisy.

Aunt Alexandra: Attics’s sister, representative of the Old South, obsessed with lineage and class and an unwelcome ‘feminine influence’ for Scout. Is that the full story?

A whistle stop tour through some key parts of Part 1. These chapters look at the more nostalgic parts of the novel, but also chart the rising sinister tone that dominates the second half of the novel.

Whether it’s talk about pulling down statues of Southern Confederate generals or the debate around the presence of the Confederate flag in government buildings, the American Civil War of 1861-65 looms large in American history and politics, and casts a shadow even to this day. So, why does a war that ended 155 years ago still divide the nation? You’ll have to listen to the episode to find out. Enjoy!

This episode looks at the different types of racism that existed before and after the abolition of slavery in the 1860s. Even though Black Americans would be liberated from slavery in 1861, it wasn’t until 1968 that they had anything approaching equal representation under US law. Even in 2020, a double standard exists.

In this podcast we take a close look at the myriad historical and cultural references in the opening three pages of To kill a Mockingbird. I recommend reading along and annotating your copy of the text as we go. Enjoy!

In this episode we cover key facts about The Great Depression and apply it to the texts To Kill a Mockingbird and Of Mice and Men.

A brief introduction to Of Mice and Men to set you up before reading the text.

A brief introduction to TKAM before you start reading the text.

A whistlestop tour through each act of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

A whistlestop tour through each act of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

A whistlestop tour through each act of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

A whistlestop tour through each act of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

A whistlestop tour through each act of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

A whistlestop tour through a key chapter from Dicken's famous Christmas novella.

A whistlestop tour through a key chapter from Dicken's famous Christmas novella.

A whistlestop tour through a key chapter from Dicken's famous Christmas novella.

A whistlestop tour through a key chapter from Dicken's famous Christmas novella.

A whistlestop tour through one the key chapters of Dicken's text.