David Brauner writes:
On 21st November, I visited St Bartholomew’s School in Newbury to give a talk to a group of sixth-form English students. I began by talking to the group about what studying English at university entails, what to look out for in terms of the provision offered by different English degrees and how best to frame their applications and personal statements. After fielding a number of questions, I then delivered a mini-lecture on two of their A-level texts, Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, focusing on the literary, social, political and historical contexts of the novels, their reception and their literary after-lives. After this, there was a lively discussion, with the students raising some interesting and challenging questions.