Apr
28
2:00 PM14:00

Politics and Prose class: Finding Mrs. Orwell

https://www.politics-prose.com/class/online-class-george-and-eileen-finding-mrs-orwell-2413

Eileen O’Shaughnessy, a college graduate and writer, married George Orwell (Eric Blair) in 1936, and shortly thereafter he left for the burgeoning conflict in Spain. Though Eileen followed him there, Orwell makes little mention of her in his now-famous Homage to Catalonia. Anna Funder takes this omission as a challenge and blends feminist social commentary, historical investigation, and imagination into a powerful account of a compelling woman and the Orwells’ complex relationship. This class will explore both George Orwell’s own version of his time in Spain and Funder’s investigations, combining short lectures on the Spanish Civil War with close readings of both books, plus class discussions of the themes raised in each.

Note New Dates: Two Sundays: April 28 and May 5 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET Online

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Nov
20
2:00 PM14:00

ONLINE CLASS: Spotlight: Isabel Allende's A Long Petal of the Sea

Through Politics & Prose:

From the Spanish Civil War to Chile's military dictatorship, Isabel Allende's A Long Petal of the Sea covers a lot of ground, both historically and emotionally. This spotlight will consider the historical and artistic background of Allende's 20th novel. We'll also explore how Allende develops her moving characters, and we will discuss what their journey means for all of us. Saturday, November 20, from 2 to 4 p.m.

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Oct
10
10:30 AM10:30

Fall for the Book Festival

From Holland in 1633 to Minnesota in the 1950’s to a fictional city close to the present, Carrie Callaghan, author of A Light of Her Own, J. Ryan Stradal, author of The Lagar Queen of Minnesota, and Bruce Holsinger author of The Gifted School, know that time, place, and character make an historical or fictionalized world a reality. Join the authors as they discuss how these literary elements come together to build a world the reader never wants to leave.

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Sep
21
1:00 PM13:00

Impossible to Forget: “Unlikeable” Female Protagonists

From Humbert Humbert to Dorian Gray to Oscar Wao, literature has long embraced complicated, unique, even unpleasant male characters. The ladies are now increasingly getting their turn, as contemporary literary fiction books headline female protagonists who don’t try to earn our affection. This class will examine two complicated women in two exemplary novels: Orchid & the Wasp by Caoilinn Hughes and If You Leave Me by Crystal Hana Kim.

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How much history, how much fiction?
Aug
15
6:00 PM18:00

How much history, how much fiction?

Historical novelists all bend the past to suit their narratives, but writers differ on their approach to the historical record. The first class will consider Ariel Lawhon’s ingeniously structured I Was Anastasia, which hews closely to the facts yet still spins a provocative story. In the second class we will discuss Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, which asks readers to take another look at the traditionally villainous Thomas Cromwell. Finally, we’ll explore Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad and its imaginative approach to the 19th century escape network. Throughout, we will discuss what responsibilities writers have to both contemporary readers and the past, and examine the tools writers use to make history believable. Three Thursdays: August 15, 22, 29, from 6- 8 p.m.

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