The annual Literary Society dinner was hosted this year by Abingdon School on 28 February. We were delighted to have the poet Ben Wilkinson read from his latest collection Same Difference. He reflected on the purpose of poetry and was particularly engaging on his ideas about the use of voice.
One of the areas that I was most interested in was the impact Philip Larkin had on his work, since Larkin is on our A level curriculum. Alongside a delicious dinner, we took part in a literary quiz which was a fun way to get to know the other people on our table. It turned out that literary anagrams are really hard!
Hester, Lower Sixth
This year, members of the Joint Literary Society have explored a broad range of topics, starting with some of the inspirational women writers on our new displays in the corridors of the Jean Duffield Building, including Hilary Mantel and the almost-forgotten but brilliant poet Charlotte Smith. We have done some beginners linguistics and etymology, unpicked crime and mystery novels, and done a deep critical analysis of Frosty the Snowman. Students have also undertaken an independent research project, with topics including LGBTQ+ poetry, a little-known genre of Photopoetry, and 80s musical versions of Shakespeare plays.
New members are always welcome!
Mr Muir, Head of English
