Close reading is one of the greatest pleasures of literature, but we don’t always allow ourselves time for it — even as writers. This course offers the chance to look at how great writers craft their work in forensic detail, and to learn from their brilliance (and even their mis-steps!) With short extracts provided ahead of time, we’ll note and discuss imagery, tense, characterisation, dialogue, voice, metaphor and more. The close reading will lead into practical writing exercises that stretch us stylistically and can be used to inform and develop writing in any genre, complete with (optional) sharing and feedback in a supportive, inquisitive environment. Writers will include ‘classic’ authors like Jane Austen and Charles Dickens but also range over more modern writers like Toni Morrison and Hilary Mantel.
Cassie Werber is a journalist and novelist, author of OPEN SEASON (2024) and a forthcoming novel in 2026. She studied English Literature at Clare College, Cambridge where she honed her practical criticism skills with some of the UK’s best teachers. She loves poetry and plays and prose, but especially novels, where her taste ranges from Tolstoy to Tana French and back again.
Wednesdays
17th, 24th September, 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd October
12-14.00
Zoom
