English: Sonnet 116 – Shakespeare, Poems & Remaking Texts With Dr Katherine Hunt From University of East Anglia

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In this English session, Dr Katherine Hunt, Lecturer in 16th & 17th Century Literature in the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing at University of East Anglia, will focus on Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 to explore the connection between the printed versions of Shakespeare’s plays and poems, and how this affects how we read Shakespeare now.

You’ll read Sonnet 116 and think more about its original and later publication, in the context of Shakespeare’s time. You’ll think about the form of the sonnet and how it links to other love poetry you’ve read. You’ll also read a recent reworking of this sonnet by poet Jen Bervin, who turns the sonnet into an erasure poem by deleting some of its words. You will do a creative task inspired by Bervin in which you rewrite the sonnet yourself. What do we think about treating Shakespeare’s works in this way? (It will be helpful to have Shakespeare-Sonnet-116 – please click – available for the exercise).

In the session you’ll gain an insight into the relationships between poetry and printed texts, as well as a sense of what’s at stake in including Shakespeare in an anthology. We will also consider how Shakespeare’s poetry and plays connect, and ask questions about the status of Shakespeare in our reading today.

Lecturer Profile (Please Click): Dr Katherine Hunt

Our events are designed so that a group of students can take part from a classroom or students and teachers can take part as individuals, either from school or from home. This means that sessions will continue irrespective of possible school closures.

As a live, participative event, this session will not be recorded but slides and other resources will be shared after the event, where available.

Suitable for: Year 12 & 13 students (and equivalent) studying, or with a possible interest in studying, English and related disciplines.

Preparation/Pre-Reading: Students may wish to consider the topic in advance, with respect to challenges they may face or questions they have. Students can also think about questions they have about studying English at university level.

The IT Setup: The event will be run on Bluejeans (similar to Zoom) and participants will be able to join using laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. If you are joining as a school group, we recommend connecting with one device and projecting on to a whiteboard. You will be able to interact with the university via a microphone and/or typed comments and questions. Full details will be sent to those who have registered (see below) prior to the event.

Booking a Place: This is free for schools and colleges. If you would like to take part in this event, please register your interest using the link to the registration form below:

Register here