By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The novels of the Brontë sisters are some of the most important and influential books of the Victorian era. In just a few years, the siblings Anne, Charlotte, and Emily Brontë published seven remarkable full-length novels which continue to be read, enjoyed, and studied by countless people around the world.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘Motel Architecture’ is not one of the best-known short stories of the British author J. G. Ballard (1930-2009), but it’s one of his most prescient. And this is an author who anticipated everything from Ronald Reagan becoming US President (in the late 1960s) to videocalls and virtual socialising via a TV/computer screen (see his ‘The Intensive Care Unit’ for the latter).
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
What was the longest UK hit single of 1968? Although ‘Hey Jude’ comes close to achieving that accolade, this 7-minute epic wasn’t even the longest song to make the UK charts in that year. But the song is vast, and its lyrics have attracted considerable speculation since ‘Hey Jude’ was released.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The American author Michael Crichton (1942-2008) was a pioneer of what became known as the ‘techno-thriller’. He wrote novels informed by the latest up-to-date science on a range of issues, but what sets him apart is his willingness to adopt a contrarian position on scientific and technological developments, as well as social questions.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
George Orwell’s 1945 novella Animal Farm is at once children’s fable and political allegory. This double-edged quality to Orwell’s short novel means that Animal Farm requires some words of analysis to be fully appreciated.