A Level English Literature students were among those treated to a fascinating talk when Professor Sarah Churchwell, Chair in Public Understanding of the Humanities at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, came into Coulsdon College on Tuesday 30th January.
Professor Churchwell is the author of Careless People which tells the true story behind FitzGerald’s much-loved classic The Great Gatsby. As such, she is uniquely placed to give a fascinating insight into both the book and 1920s American society.
Tackling difficult issues such as extreme wealth, racism and discrimination, she demonstrated that the society FitzGerald captured so memorably with its greed and love of money is not all that different from today’s world.
A Level English teacher Kathy Miller commented on the event, “Education is more than just passing exams; it is being inspired to learn and to think. Professor Churchwell certainly left us all thinking, and we are very grateful to her for bringing learning alive and applying it to our world.”
Find out more about studying English at Coulsdon College.
