Student work · teaching

Why do we need feminism? Thoughts from English Literature (Taylor’s Version)

As part of our session on feminism, writing and power, we looked at Mary Wollstonecraft's seminal 'Vindication of the Rights of Woman', a 1792 treatise that argued for the importance of women's education during a period where it was habitually denied. Expected to be little more than delicate parlour ornaments, women were not seen as worthy recipients of the kind of education offered to men - a state of affairs which Wollstonecraft laments, while pointing out its idiocy (surely men would prefer a wife with whom they can hold a conversation). As a thought experiment, I asked my students: 'If you could write a modern-day "Vindication of the Rights of Woman", what feminist - or gender-related - issue would you focus on, and why?' Here are some of the responses - you can also see a word cloud of the most frequently used terms above. Click on it to read more.

Student work

English Literature (Taylor’s Version): Monopoly

In the coming weeks and months, I'll be sharing the results of my students' 'reflection reports': a creative assignment in any format they wished, that reflected on one or more aspects of English Literature (Taylor's Version). To kick off, please enjoy this absolutely incredible Taylorfied version of monopoly. The board itself is fantastic, but even better are the Chance and Community Chest cards, which are packed full of witty references to all the books and poems we covered during the course. [Click above image to see more].