Amy Smith Literature

It has been a busy few weeks in the realm of engaging students with reading.

A long time has passed since my last blog post: too long!

Reflecting on my reading over the past year, I have found that I have been drawn to a considerable amount of historical fiction, most of which takes the lives of marginalised women as a starting point.

Anyone who follows me on Twitter/X or who has spoken to me about reading knows that I find non-fiction tricky to read.

When I started my teacher training, my PGCE tutor recommended that I read more Young Adult fiction.

Stevenson first introduces Dr Hastie Lanyon when Utterson goes to seek his help.

It might be surprising that a novel entitled The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde begins with a description of an entirely different character: Mr Utterson.

Stevenson introduces Hyde through Enfield’s description of the trampling of the young girl.

In a novel entitled The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, it may seem strange that Jekyll is introduced fairly far into the text: this allows Stevenson to build tension and mystery around the novel’s protagonist.

At the start of the play, Shakespeare parallels Macbeth and Banquo.