Category: Literature
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Chaucer’s View on Pardons for Sale
Our English Literature Group met on Tuesday 29 April 2025 to examine the Pardoner’s Tale in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales with our Group Leader David reading from the text in both Middle and Modern English. The sale of pardons was common practice in Chaucer’s time, although later on Pope Pious V outlawed the financial aspect of…
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Two Dramatic Changes and Confessions
Our Creative Writing Group met on Wednesday 16 April 2025 to progress some earlier stories and to start some new ones. We started with the thoughts of a star actress about to step on the stage in a West End production whose attention wanders back over her career, how it began all those years ago…
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Creative Writers Discuss Value of AI
Our Creative Writing Group met on Wednesday 02 April 2025 to read their work to the group and to discuss the value of AI (Artificial Intelligence) to the task of writing creatively. We started with a new version of a pilgrimage by coach where various members of the group contribute from their activities in our…
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Stories from Around the World entice
Our Creative Writing Group met on Wednesday 19 February 2025 with a simple brief that drew creative stories from around the world. The brief was to write on ‘Back to Reality’ or ‘A Dream’ or ‘A Walk’ or ‘Environmental Change’. It was made clear that the dream need not involve sleep, but could be an…
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After the Prologue come the tales!
Our review of the General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales came to a close on Tuesday 11 February 2025 for our English Literature Group with the last pilgrims and the introduction of the game. The last two pilgrims in the group had occupations which do not exist in today’s world. They were the Summoner and…
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Wide Variety in our Writing Group
There were thirteen of on 05 February 2025 for a lively session. We started by considering a discussion about writing a short comic play or panto that could appear at the next Winter Social. To follow the same theme, one of our members had written a short piece, in the style of a tabloid newspaper,…
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Canterbury with Chaucer continues…
Our series on Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales continued with David on Tuesday 28 January 2025. As well as meeting more of the party of 29 travelling to Canterbury in the latter part of the 14th Century, our analysis of the party and the descriptions provided by Chaucer came in for close examination. Why are only some…
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To Canterbury with Chaucer Begins!
On Tuesday 14 January 2025, our literary journey to Canterbury began under the guidance of David. We started with an introduction to the life of the Geoffrey Chaucer whose life is well documented. He held a number of interesting posts, some of which resulted in him travelling to France and Italy. His homes in London…
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Exciting Morning of Creativity
Our Monthly Meeting for November was once again a showcase for the creative talents of our members. There was a gallery of watercolour paintings, an oil painting, and a plentiful portfolio of 16 short stories and poems. Not to be outdone, there was a selection of home-baked culinary masterpieces being sold as part of our…
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So How & Where Does Sir Gawain End?
Our English Literature Group came to the end of the poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” and found out what happened to Sir Gawain and how it all ended. SPOILER ALERT – There is a happy ending! Our Group Leader David was able to take us beyond the text of the poem – thought…