2020 Programme

Saturday 25th January at 3.00pm:  Dr David Grylls spoke to us on

Jane Austen:  Life, Work, Afterlife  in  Woodstock Town Hall

Despite the fact that her life was short and undramatic, and her novels limited in place and time, Jane Austen (1775-1817) is rightly considered one of the great English novelists. This talk will concisely review her biography and then concentrate on her work, examining her distinctive themes and plot patterns.  Finally, it will consider the main criticisms of her work and her significance in modern culture, through prequels, sequels and film versions.  Dr Grylls is a Fellow of Kellogg College in the University of Oxford, and frequently reviews contemporary fiction for The Sunday Times.

Saturday 29th February at 3.00pm:  Dr Frances Wilson spoke to us on

Burning Man:  Tales of D H Lawrence  in Woodstock Town Hall  

D.H.Lawrence novelist, poet, essayist, was both fiercely attacked and extravagantly praised in his day. The critic F. R. Leavis called him ‘the great genius of our time’ His life was as dramatic as his work and he surely merits the attention of his latest biographer, Frances Wilson, who is known for her psychologically rich and imaginative approach to her subjects. Her previous books include 'Guilty Thing: A Life of Thomas de Quincy'.