Organised by The British Library
Understand compelling characters (and why they’re so important) on this online course.
As readers we’re not interested in the fate of characters we don’t care about, so strong characters are central to the success of any work of fiction. But how do good writers introduce such characters, and how do they manage to give the reader such a keen sense of who they are?
This online course explores the value of reading fiction analytically, but without jargon, both for those who wish to read well in order to write well and for those who are simply interested in approaching literary texts in a more thoughtful way.
This course takes place on Zoom and we will email you a joining link the day before.
There will be an opportunity to ask the tutors Sarah Burton and Jem Poster questions during a Q&A.
If you require live captions please contact us as soon as possible at adultlearning@bl.uk
Pre-course task
A selection of short texts will be provided for you to read in advance of the course.
Tutors
This course is led by Dr Sarah Burton and Professor Jem Poster, whose co-written handbook for fiction writers, The Book You Need to Read to Write the Book You Want to Write, was published by Cambridge University Press in March 2022. Jem has published a collection of poetry, two novels and two critical editions. Sarah has published both fiction and non-fiction, for adults and children. They co-founded and taught the Master’s course in Creative Writing at the University of Cambridge and continue to write and to teach in a variety of contexts.
Previous skills, knowledge or experience
None required. All welcome.