Middle School Book Club Returns
Middle School Book Club is back. This term, they will be reading and discussing "A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams. We hear from some of the pupils and teachers who are involved in the book club and how they are feeling ahead of getting stuck into a new novel.
Dhylan (Divs): This Tuesday saw the first session of the Fourths’ and Divs’ Reading Group during the Hour, expertly hosted by Ms. Scott. The group started with an American classic, ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ by Tennessee Williams. It was very interesting to explore how the play acts as a critique of the Old South's outdated attitudes regarding feminism and race in the late 1940s. An alternative piece, narrowly missing the margin was the Norwegian play, ‘The Doll’s House’ by Henrik Ibsen. This intriguing play remains a top contender for future sessions. Under Ms Scott’s guidance, we are looking forward to more reading and more discussions on more plays and books in the future.
Ms Scott (Teacher): When I was doing my Master's, there was a reading group for esteemed London Universities' academics I used to go along to watch (rather than participate in) where they discussed the same book (James Joyce's Ulysses) for twelve years, just a few pages each session in a lot of depth (it is a really dense read). When they finished it, they started it all over again. It isn't the only group doing so - on the Radio 4 Today programme relatively recently they reported on a US group doing the exact same. I'm going to bring a section of that - might keep us going for the next twelve years?
Rien (Divs): This Tuesday, the first meeting of the Fourths’ and Divs’ reading group was held in EN32. The session commenced with us collectively deciding to delve into the renowned play, ‘’A Streetcar Named Desire’’ by Tennessee Williams. Set-in post-war America, the play serves as a lens into social challenges of the era. Next, we
plan to read ‘The Doll’s House’, a controversial and groundbreaking literary work of its time. In addition to reading a diverse range of texts the club gives a unique
opportunity to share ideas and analyse texts with great detail.
After reading both plays, we will discuss passages from other books which have caught our attention. Thanks to Ms Scott, the school now has a platform for students
to come together and celebrate their shared passion for reading and appreciating some of the most remarkable pieces of literature, which have come to define the
modern world.