Literature: Stella Gibbons' 'Cold Comfort Farm'
Course details
Course code
Q00014832Course date
Number of classes
4 sessionsTimetable
Branch
Radcliffe On Trent BranchTutor
Judith HedleyFee range
How you'll learn
Venue
The Grange Community Centre (Radcliffe-oVicarage Lane
Radcliffe-on-Trent
NG12 2FB
Level of study
Entry Levels 1,2,3: If you have never studied this subject before and you’re not confident in your skills, Entry levels are a good starting point.
Level 1: Covers basic skills and knowledge needed for this subject
Level 2: Building on basic knowledge or experience. Similar to Grade 4/ C at GCSE or O level in England or Standards in Scotland.
Level 3: Learn about the topic in-depth and have a broad range of skills. Independent working Equivalent to an A level in England or Higher in Scotland.
Beginners: A perfect introduction if you have no experience and skills in this subject.
Improvers: The next step if you have basic skills or knowledge but want to progress them further.
Advanced: Build on the solid experience and skills you have in this subject, applying your skills and knowledge in a more complex way.
Course overview
Course description
This is a novel to be enjoyed and discussed on more than one level. It's a feelgood, fairy tale love story; it's a satire on the life and times of its author, Stella Gibbons; it's a parody of every earnest tale of country life - it even looks ahead from the 1930s to our own times of Skype, rundown railways and women clergy. Cold Comfort Farm encourages us to ask questions: What is the difference between satire and parody? Could an irreverent novel like this succeed today? And most of all, what was the 'something nasty in the woodshed' that traumatised Aunt Ada Doom?
Some aspects we shall study include:
- Stella Gibbons - not a one-hit wonder but an accomplished journalist, novelist and poet.
- Parodies and satire - what is Gibbons making fun of?
Readers can enjoy her adventures whether or not they have read Thomas Hardy, D H Lawrence or the 'loam and lovechild' bestsellers of the 1920s and 30s, Gibbons own time, but looking more closely at her parodies of their subject-matter and style can only add to that enjoyment. You may even go back to classic literature with a fresh eye.
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