Taylorian 2020

50 The Herrick A lthough this academic year came to an abrupt end in March, that didn’t mean we were short on our weekly diet of intellectual and literary treats at the Herrick. Where does one begin with such a menu? The year got off to a start with the Romantic poetry of Kieron Winn, who joined us for National Poetry Day in October and read from his newly published book of verse, This Mortal Man. Mr Winn also led a combined L6th and U6th A Level class through Larkin’s ‘An Arundel Tomb’ before announcing the school winners of this year’s Poetry Prize. He took the shortlist of school poets for a poetry writing masterclass, introducing them to different forms of meter. His key message: the limitations of form are a creative force. Later in the Autumn Term, we invited Professor John Mullan, Head of English at UCL, to speak on 17th-century literature and the social and literary context surrounding the life and works of Oliver Goldsmith. We were joined by the Sixth Form students from St Helen’s and were entertained as much as informed by Professor Mullan. Now a permanent fixture in the academic calendar, come the Spring Term it was the start of David Andrews’s lecture series on American Literature 1870- 1940. What a treat for students young and old to sit and be the recipients of Mr Andrews’s great knowledge and love of American history and literature! Thanks to his meticulous research, updated each year, his lectures are a fully immersive experience – an immersion sadly cut short following the intrusion of COVID-19. We hope to see him back next year. Our in-house provision has been no less impressive. Mrs Cox got the ball rolling with her introduction to Queer Literature, followed by Mr Hilton-Dennis and Mr Jenkin exploring some of the lesser known forms of poetry – do you know your villanelle from your Petrachan sonnet? – and even asking the big questions of what poetry is anyway and who says if something is or isn’t. Is Eminem one of the most accomplished modern poets? The jury’s out. Mr Manley brought Shakespeare sharply into modern focus with his discussion of Surveillance in Measure for Measure, before Mr Robinson gave us both barrels of Renaissance realism. He took us into the court of Elizabeth I and presented a revisionist view of two of our sacred cows, Shakespeare and Philip Sidney, and how these two writers used and abused literary convention both to propel their careers and to write something of inherent literary value. Keeping with the historical, Mr Robinson then spoke about the Victorians and literary reactions to scientific and technological discoveries of the age. His discussion of Dickens’ short story, The Signalman, revealed a strikingly modern style that jarred with our usual perception of the Victorian great. Mr Mitchell caught us unawares and led us into stream of consciousness writing with William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury; Mr Richardson continued with an Anglo-American theme, exploring the unexpected rise in popularity of W.H. Auden’s poem, September 1939, in America following the attack on the twin towers in September 2001. We then welcomed back to the fold one of our 2016 alumni, Cameron Yule, who, having recently graduated in English Literature from Durham University, was looking to trial out his Masters pitch by taking us into the world of Modernism, Joyce, and the political history of Ireland. Such was the assuredness of his delivery and erudition that we invited him back for a follow-up session on Joyce’s literary legacy, and then to judge the final of the school’s Public Speaking Competition. Who better than a celebrity fromUniversity Challenge to pass verdict on the new generation of young bright things? Our final guest appearance came in the form of Ms Bergquist, who booked herself a permanent slot in the Herrick schedule with her fascinating 2018 talk on Milton’s indebtedness to the classical writers. This time round she was showing us round the Garden of Eden in literature and its manifestations both sacred and profane. And then, an offer we couldn’t refuse. Aman Arya in the Fifths, the most loyal of attendees of the Herrick and someone who is experiencing the joys of discovering brilliant and unusual literature for the first time: what the Herrick is all about. His topic was the representation of intellectuals in literature, and one couldn’t help but think at times, as ambitious and seriously researched as it was, that this was Aman holding a little Horatian mirror up to ourselves. With fellows like this in the vanguard next year, we have much to look forward to. I invite you all to join us each week and to have your mind stirred in unexpected ways. Mr M G Hilton-Dennis S&A Societies & Activities English Societies 2019-2020