Close reading or critical analysis is a key skill in reading but how do we do it? Students often ask for examples so here goes … a simple example of how to do a close reading of a text. The … Read More
Getting to Grips with Romantic Poetry: What are Wordsworth and Coleridge saying and how can we work it out? I had a lovely email from a clearly hard-working and enthusiastic A’ level student in the UK who is studying Romantic … Read More
Imagine a paragraph of text, with some words underlined. The text is simple enough but the question terrifies you: identify the underlined phrases and illustrate their functions. This is part of someone’s study nightmare today – a question which seems … Read More
Can we really say ‘Happy Christmas’ this year? These are dark times. At the first Christmas Jesus stepped into a dark and hurting world. He came to live with us, right in our mess, offering hope. One of the names … Read More
Idealistic lovers from different backgrounds, scheming politicians. What could go wrong? Here’s a clue: it involves a handkerchief. I’ve just tidied up an old lecture on Othello, which I’ve published in the hope that it might help some of you … Read More
How do we approach essay questions when we feel stuck? Trying to launch into writing an essay from a blank page or screen is always going to be difficult because you have no foundation or building blocks to start with. … Read More
A lot of students are asking this right now. I don’t have a physical office for students to come and see me anymore so this is my attempt to reach out to try to help those of you who are … Read More
‘My lecturer says I’m wrong but I think my opinion is as valid as his / hers.’ Lecturers are not divine so cannot claim to be infallible but they are generally better informed than their students. They are also the … Read More
There are no websites that can check grammar for you 100% reliably but students often find the Grammarly site useful (and no, I have no link with them so am not getting paid for mentioning them!). Online guides are best used as … Read More
Luciano Branco, a French pastor, explains that our culture’s ‘Christmas’ lights celebrate light at what feels like the darkest part of the year. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world”, coming to bring light to the dark places in … Read More
Bullet Points If I run out of time it’s ok – I can just write lots of bullet points and the examiner will take out the bits that are relevant and give me good marks. If you have had a … Read More
It’s exam time. Cue sleepless nights, cramming and stress. How long should an exam essay be? How do I choose which exam question to do and which should I do first? How long should I spend on each question? How … Read More
‘Help! I have to choose a research topic!’ Students often email me with very open questions when they’re stressed and I am their last resort so I’m guessing this may be something along those lines. I feel for you. It … Read More
What difference does Jesus’ death and resurrection make? It’s crucial – if Jesus did not rise from the dead then Christians have no hope of life after death – he was just another good teacher. Paul asserts in 1 Corinthians … Read More
So your lecturer has asked you for a ‘close analysis’ of a piece of text. You have no idea what that means. What do you do? Panic. Not good – panic breeds paralysis and you no doubt have a deadline. … Read More
‘I don’t really know what’s relevant – I just get lost and the set texts don’t help because they’re too complicated’. There are two issues here: you find the set texts difficult to read and you’re not sure how to … Read More
“I’m hitting a text wall – I read a page over and over and the words just swim in front of me – nothing goes in.” Sounds like you’re having to mark too many exam scripts 🙂 . I’m tempted … Read More
Christmas celebrates the coming of Jesus to offer forgiveness and peace with God to all who put their trust in him but what we perceive to be Christmas tradition in the UK owes much to Dickens. Somewhere in the last … Read More
Please don’t over-think this. Read as much of the text as you can so that you can get the most out of the teaching time. If you can’t read much before the seminar or lecture do please still go! You … Read More
What is Plagiarism? Plagiarism is the deliberate unacknowledged use of someone’s else’s material ie passing off someone else’s ideas as your own. That’s why we have referencing systems 🙂 . Plagiarism is NOT repeating a point that your lecturer made … Read More
A tutorial is where you meet a lecturer either for a one-to-one session or as a small group, usually either in the lecturer’s office or a seminar room. You will probably have to read something to prepare for the tutorial … Read More
I can’t ask that question – my tutor will think I’m stupid Then ask me! I may regret this 🙂 but in an effort to find out how to help you all better I’m going to answer the top 5 … Read More
Freshers’ or Induction Week is most students’ introduction to University. Most people anticipate a fun-filled week of partying, getting to know what clubs are available and generally celebrating new-found freedom. There is an element of this but after the adrenalin-filled … Read More
Step 1 – learn things (you’ve been doing this since you were born) Step 2 – teach things (top tip: accept that it will not go to plan 🙂 ) Step 3 – learn how to learn and teach things … Read More
Exams – again… How do you survive? The bad news about resits is, well, they’re exams … again. The good news is that they are only exams and while no-one ever wants to do more exams than they have to, … Read More
How To Gain Confidence Surviving University requires more than academic skills. Increasingly students are being asked to do things to make themselves more marketable in the workplace so rather than ‘simply’ writing essays they often have to do presentations. Even … Read More
I’ve just seen a post on my Facebook page asking for ideas on research topics. This is tricky since I have no idea what sort of research it refers to. Students often email me with very open questions when they’re … Read More
Ever felt breathless, sick, heart pounding and racing, dizzy just before an exam or a presentation? That’s adrenalin (I’m not the right sort of doctor to pronounce on medical issues so I’m assuming that you will visit your GP if … Read More
Depression is not a weakness. It is an illness. There is help out there so please try it. If you can’t cope with seeing someone then please check out online resources as a starting point and then speak to someone … Read More
I know some of you are finding it rather tough at University at the moment so I’ll share some well known Churchillian motivational comments with you. Churchill suffered from depression or ‘the black dog’ as he called it so he … Read More
We have UK national elections this week. For most of this country’s history most people did not have the right to vote or freedom of speech. The 1832 Reform Bill enfranchised sections of the middle (but not working) classes. Before … Read More
If you live in the UK ( particularly if you are a woman) then these legal reforms affect you: your everyday freedoms, hopes and lifestyle are based upon them. They are surprisingly recent, some in living memory. I could have … Read More
It’s spring, which means that lambs are running happily around the fields (in my area at least) and students are running around in desperation worrying about how to face the coming exams. The good news is that you still have … Read More
‘My Colleague Is Always Belittling Me. What Can I Say to Him?’ It’s easy to see that violent or sexually inappropriate behaviour is bullying but constant belittling and criticism can make for a very unpleasant working environment and need to … Read More
Practical Stuff – I Feel Small Literally and Figuratively When I’m Around This Colleague Take a Step Back – Literally If they are taller than you walk up to them but keep a good step away – this evens up … Read More
Dealing With Bullies: ‘Aah But…’ ‘Every Time I Try To Say Something I freeze. I’m not Strong Enough to Confront Them’ Of course you will want to say something if a bully behaves outrageously but you may not be able … Read More
Stress doesn’t just come from the pressure of study (as if that isn’t enough). Universities are workplaces (even for students 🙂 ) and like any other workplace you may encounter bullies. So how do you deal with them? What follows … Read More
What can students do? Breathe. Eat as well as you can, sleep and exercise daily, preferably in fresh air. Take a few minutes to listen to your favourite music, go for a brisk walk. This is basic advice which you … Read More
‘Will my lecturer check all my references?’ I have never yet met a lecturer who has the time to check all the references for every essay. Have you any idea how many essays they have to mark? 🙂 Seriously… NB … Read More
What is Plagiarism and How Can I Avoid It? Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of someone’s else’s material ie passing off someone else’s ideas as your own. That’s why we have referencing systems 🙂 . Avoiding plagiarism is easy: give … Read More
The UK media tells us that the electorate is already bored with the coming general election. Shakespeare’s audience didn’t have this problem – most of them didn’t have the right to vote. They didn’t have freedom of speech either. 18thc … Read More
No sooner are we into the new year than students are starting to feel the cold hand of dread on their hearts as exam season approaches. There is no magic solution to exams but there are simple practical things you … Read More
I hope you’ll forgive this recycling 🙂 . The following is a round-up of previous blog posts on Christmas and Dickens. I wish you all a peaceful and very happy Christmas. Dickens and Christmas ‘Christmas day becomes a reassuring antidote … Read More
The Guardian has published an entertaining piece on Austen: Jane Austen in Quotes: 30 tips for a successful life. Yes it should be ‘quotations’ (to quote is a verb) and the famous “a single man in possession of a good … Read More
The American Psychiatric Association website provides some worrying statistics: According to a 2011 American College Health Association Survey, almost 1/3 of students reported feeling so depressed within the last 12 months that it was difficult to function and almost half … Read More
Student stress is not a surprise, it is inevitable. Student life essentially takes a lot of young people and puts them into a pressure cooker of academic expectation, myths about how great the student life is, together with the usual … Read More
Ever felt breathless, sick, heart pounding and racing, dizzy just before an exam or a presentation? That’s adrenalin (I’m not the right sort of doctor to pronounce on medical issues so I’m assuming that you will visit your GP if … Read More
My search for advice for students starting University came up with little to do with study, much to do with alcohol, partying etc. While it may be fun to read such stuff it can also stress students out because they … Read More
The bad news about resits is, well, they’re exams … again. The good news is that they are only exams and while no-one ever wants to do more exams than they have to, the ones you have already survived will … Read More
Yes. 🙂 OK there have been recent productions where white women have played the role but the text itself is pretty clear – apologies to my (white) niece who recently played the role – I may be female but I … Read More
This must be my heaviest blog title ever! Since the play raises issues of race, religion, politics, war (and just about everything else) my students have often raised the question of the Crusades. I’m Christian so a natural target for … Read More
Othello as warrior Othello, like many Shakespearean heroes, is ‘noble’, a warrior – thus associated with what was perceived to be ‘good’ state controlled violence for the good of society – a man of honour. Warriors are seen as men … Read More
Othello and The Storm Storm imagery is deeply significant in Shakespeare – cf King Lear, Macbeth and The Tempest. The storm represents chaos in the macrocosm that presages chaos in the microcosm of Othello’s soul. There was no storm in … Read More
Student stress is a very real problem, particularly around exam periods. Stress in its chronic form will fatigue students and make it harder for them to learn – it can create ‘brain fog’ 🙂 so everything is more difficult to … Read More
This is a roundup of my most popular posts on exams and how to survive them. I wish you good fortune in your studies! Exam FAQs: Which question should you answer first? How long should an exam essay be? What … Read More
‘I’m lost. It’s like the texts are written in a foreign language. All I can do right now is panic.’ What do you do? You probably know instinctively what works for you as a learner and you will know if … Read More
‘God on a cross—preposterous!’ Nietzsche attests to the intellectual difficulty in the figure of Jesus, innocent of any crime, condemned to a brutal death. Christ asserted that the sacrifice, whilst brutal as Nietzsche observes, was His choice: ‘I lay down … Read More
I get some interesting messages on the English Lecturer Facebook page: ‘The poet should prefer probable impossibilities to improbable possibilities.’ Mmm. This requires strong coffee :-). I go to Joyce for a response: ‘Time has branded them and fettered they … Read More
Where do pets come from? A newly discovered chapter in the Book of Genesis has provided the answer to “Where do pets come from?” Adam and Eve said, “Lord, when we were in the garden, you walked with us every … Read More
I’ve often been asked about lecturing as a career choice and I’m even getting queries from students overseas who want to know whether or not they might enjoy lecturing. To be honest I’m not sure how much I can help … Read More
This was taken from You Can’t Scare Me I’m A Teacher. It doesn’t just happen at school. I recall a seminar with 30 students: 22 late, 5 very late. 0 had attended all the previous sessions. At best they had … Read More
Milton was a rebellious student Milton went to Cambridge but was expelled after just one term for fighting with a tutor and was one of the last Cambridge students to be publicly flogged. Milton was a political rebel James II … Read More
What is an epic hero and do they have to do with Paradise Lost? When Milton was writing epic conventions were readily understood. Epic heroes still attract audiences (see films like Thor for an obvious example) but for some reason … Read More
What is epic and what does it have to do with Milton? Paradise Lost, you will no doubt have been told, is an epic poem – not ‘because it is long’ (as a student once informed me ingeniously in an … Read More
Moll is a variation on the biblical parable of the prodigal son (see below). He wants to be free to do his own thing so asks his father for his share of the inheritance in advance. He spends the money … Read More
‘I don’t really know what’s relevant – I just get lost and the set texts don’t help because they’re too complicated’. There are two issues here: you find the set texts difficult to read and you’re not sure how to … Read More
I’ve just had an interesting query about websites to help with grammar. There are no websites that can check grammar for you reliably, although Microsoft insists that its software can help :-). The real answer of course lies in studying … Read More
Full marks to anyone who sees how appropriate it is to have Jane Austen on a bank note given her practical concern with money in all its forms in her novels. Feel free to go and educate the BBC 🙂 … Read More
It’s just been announced that Jane Austen will feature on the new £10 bank note. This is part of an ongoing debate about why so few women feature on UK bank notes and whether or not this means that our … Read More
The eighteenth-century canon is still largely dominated by male writers but researchers have shown increasing interest since the 1980s in eighteenth-century women not only as readers but as writers. My students are often surprised to learn that freedom of speech … Read More
Extract from my free lecture on eighteenth-century literature, the Literature of Sensibility, women writers and readers: Women’s education was much debated throughout the century, not least in women’s novels but the generally accepted ideal was to educate women not for … Read More
Some time ago I was asked to give a lecture on Persuasion as a Romantic novel – a bit of a challenge because I’d never really seen it as such :-). However, I was lecturing on a Romantic Literature course … Read More
Swift was a humanitarian, deeply concerned with the political issues of his day and practically involved in supporting the poor and fighting for change. Gulliver’s Travels, much loved by children for its fantastical figures, tells us much about the political … Read More
Taken from my lecture on Gulliver’s Travels. There are some good things about Lilliputian society – Gulliver is impressed by their education system because they actually educate women. The thought of educating women may not cause too many ripples in … Read More
No, it’s not April Fools’ Day… Extract from The Huffington Post: Councillors in Devon are considering banning apostrophes from their street signs because of the “potential confusion” the punctuation causes… Council communications manager Andrew Lacey said: “Our proposed policy on … Read More
Who was Petrarch and why do lecturers in English Literature talk so much about him? Petrarch is a particularly important figure in Renaissance culture. Campbell argues that ‘Petrarch was responsible for the idea of romantic love which was celebrated in … Read More
Students are often rather put off by the term ‘Renaissance’, yet surprised to find themselves becoming fans of Elizabeth I and enjoying Renaissance literature in spite of the language… Stick with it guys. I don’t know who told you that … Read More
Taken from my lecture on The Tempest. The full Tempest Lecture text is available here. The Sea / Storm The sea can act as a powerful image of destructive power, as in Titus Andronicus: ‘I stand as one upon a … Read More
Taken from my essay, ‘”Minerva’s favourite Sholar”: Penelope Aubin Reconsidered’ – full text available here. Bizarrely, the terms ‘rape’ and ‘seduction’ are often used pretty much interchangeably in eighteenth-century writings. Women were often accused of passive consent in rape cases, … Read More
So why do people celebrate Christmas with presents? The Bible presents Christ coming to earth as God’s gift to humanity: ‘he will save his people from their sins’(Matthew 1:21). The Bible consistently stresses the need to share the love of … Read More
The first Christmas led to terrrifying bloodshed. Jesus may have come to bring peace between God and man but Herod (the political King of the Jews) was so afraid of the idea of the Messiah, ‘the king of the Jews’ … Read More
Christmas has always been controversial – right from the start: The virgin birth Even Mary found it difficult at first! Mary is clearly afraid of Gabriel initially. He reassures her, “Don’t be afraid! God is pleased with you”(Luke 1:28). When … Read More
What we perceive to be Christmas tradition in the UK owes much to Dickens. The following, including the image, is taken from Dr Jim Eckman’s article, ‘Charles Dickens and the Message of Christmas’, which can be read in full here. … Read More
Heathcliff Kills Puppy Yes, he does. Honest. Sorry about that. Why is close reading important? Why can’t I just skim through a book to get the plot basics? If you skim through Wuthering Heights you’ll miss the bit where Heathcliff … Read More
Lecturers do not usually tell students they’re plain ‘wrong’ unless they really are barking up the wrong tree, in which case they need to be told so that they can get back on track. Lecturers are not divine so cannot … Read More
‘I don’t really know what’s relevant – I just get lost and the set texts don’t help because they’re too complicated’. There are two issues here: you find the set texts difficult to read and you’re not sure how to … Read More
‘I’m hitting a text wall – I read a page over and over and the words just swim in front of me – nothing goes in.’ Sounds like you’re having to mark too many exam scripts :-). If you’re a … Read More
This one is for those of you who like bullet points to break text down. 🙂 Ways to make using journals easier: Ask your tutor if s/he can recommend journal articles. Use the index!! Journals usually have a table of … Read More
Journals are excellent sources for up to date research but on a practical level they are usually highly specialised, with a natural focus on research rather than teaching and are written with academics rather than students in mind. The language … Read More
Many first year students are starting to panic a bit now that the glow of the welcome parties has faded a bit and they’re faced with what seems like mountains of work. Take a breath. Seriously. You’ve only been at … Read More
Will I get bullied by other students if they think I’m stupid or if I do well? One of the great things about university is that bullying of the kind so depressingly common in schools is rare. You certainly won’t … Read More
I’m tempted to say “Man up and get on with it” but that’s not very helpful. 🙂 There are 2 kinds of texts: primary texts are the ones you’re studying and you should be reading the whole thing unless told … Read More
Why wouldn’t you? They are the best place to gain information on what the course requires and to get help to do well in your assessments. No-one’s going to arrest you for not attending (although some courses do have minimum … Read More
I know some of you are finding it rather tough at University at the moment so I’ll share some well known Churchillian motivational comments with you. Churchill suffered from depression or ‘the black dog’ as he called it so he … Read More
You are responsible for getting to class on time. You are responsible for buying and reading course books. You are responsible for taking notes in lectures and seminars (you may be lucky and have a lecturer who provides handouts but … Read More
Everyone else is smarter than me I’m the only one who doesn’t understand this I don’t belong here I’ll never get the hang of this I’m the only one with problems I can’t ask that question – my tutor will … Read More
A seminar is like a larger scale tutorial. You’ll have 1 lecturer and anywhere up to 30 students (sometimes a few more on popular courses). Seminars can take different forms and may include students doing presentations on set topics; lecturers … Read More
Lecturers generally hope that students will have read at least a good portion of the text because if they know nothing about it then they won’t understand a lecture on it, let alone be able to discuss it at a … Read More
‘My lecturer is staring at me – it freaks me out’. It’s highly doubtful that your lecturer is a looking at individual students during a lecture. We tend to focus on content, time-keeping, generally keeping an eye on the mass … Read More
Focusing for 50 minutes (most lectures are approx 50 minutes’ long) is difficult at first but it is good to train yourself to be able to concentrate and note-taking is a really useful skill. Please remember that the lecturer is … Read More
Students often feel nervous about entering a lecture theatre and there is a natural tendency to sit at the back. Sitting at the back gives you the reassuring feeling that the lecturer won’t notice you because you’re as far away … Read More
Lectures usually take place in large lecture theatres which may hold 300 students or so. You will generally find the whole year group gathered for that lecture so the size of lecture room will be determined to some extent by … Read More
A tutorial is where you meet a lecturer either for a one-to-one session or as a small group, usually either in the lecturer’s office or a seminar room. You will probably have to read something to prepare for the tutorial … Read More
It’s generally easier to go to university straight after school rather than going back to it years later when you have a job and a mortgage but that too is manageable. You do not have to make life or death … Read More
What if I decide university isn’t for me? Part 1 Please please give it a really good go. Attend the lectures and seminars, get to know other students, talk to your tutors and anyone else who can give you support. … Read More
It is normal to feel a bit lost in the first few weeks. The first week or so isn’t necessarily the most difficult because there are various introductory things to go to, no-one’s making demands on you and you’re probably … Read More
This is the first of a series of posts designed to help you as you go to university for the first time. Freshers’ or Induction Week is most students’ introduction to University. Most people anticipate a fun-filled week of partying, … Read More
Before the exam: Go to revision sessions! Read information about the exam on notice boards / course documentation. Check if there are restrictions on which writers or texts you can write on, for example. In the exam: Read the rubric … Read More
Which question should I do first? This is crucial: if you’re doing an exam with more than 1 essay, do the essay you expect to do best first. Do not leave the best to last! There are exceptions to this … Read More
This is probably the thing that has always worried my students most: seeing an exam paper and feeling that all the questions are impossible. First the bad news: there will probably be questions that you feel you can’t do (and … Read More
Exam season is nearly upon us so I’m going to start posting regular points on revision and exam technique which I hope you will find helpful. Students often worry about what to revise. The more lectures and seminars you have … Read More
New domestic violence legislation is being debated in the UK at the moment. In 1782 Sir Francis Buller, later known as ‘Judge Thumb’, ruled famously (I should say infamously) that a husband could beat his wife if the stick was … Read More
I hope in my site blog to give a voice to the past with quotations from great writers (some famous some not) but also fun facts about writers and the world they lived in. I hope that the material will … Read More