When I was at school, I had a trusty mini dictionary in my bag and out it came in my lessons (not just in English) for any tricky words I needed help with. Dictionaries were a mainstay of pupils’ desks everywhere. Nowadays, we tend to rely on spell checks (but as we...
The Lord of the Rings (1954) is a text unlike any other. While millions of readers have no doubt picked up the books to give them a read, some fans may have gotten more than they bargained for in doing so. Perhaps Tolkien experienced a similar circumstance himself in...
How many of Shakespeare’s plays can you name? Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream are amongst the most well-known. But you may not be so familiar with one: The History of Cardenio – or simply Cardenio, as it’s more commonly known – is all...
Beyond Middle-earth Whenever the name J.R.R. Tolkien is mentioned, most people immediately think of Middle-earth, the enchanting realm that serves as the backdrop for The Lord of the Rings. However, Tolkien’s creative brilliance extended a bit further than a big...
Preserving Literary Integrity This September the 13th marks Roald Dahl Day. On the anniversary of his birth, to celebrate the works of such a prolific children’s author, schools across the world will dress up, read his works and raise money for charity. Recently...
You might have heard the word ‘dystopia’ before and know it to be a term with negative connotations. Perhaps you associate the word with ‘end of the world’ type scenarios, but it can be more nuanced than that – especially when it comes to its...
