Thinking AloudEnglish Blog

This is the first in an occasional series: Books I Should Have Read as an English Literature Graduate, But Am Reading Now. I am third of the way through Jane Eyre, and the verdict so far is: yes, it is absolutely worth reading. In fact, it is far sharper, funnier and stranger than the cultural fog around it sometimes suggests. I had expected moors, suffering, repression, possibly a man standing in a corridor being emotionally unavailable. I had not quite expected to like J

Confidence comes from a trust in your own thinking. Not memorising a pre-packaged essay and praying that the question behaves itself; not adding context at the end of a paragraph like an anxious Victorian chaperone; not sprinkling in the word ‘liminal’ and hoping sophistication will occur. Confidence comes from trust. Some students went into the exam hall this year not just with revision behind them, but with confidence, clarity and the beginnings of a lifelong desire to r

There is something deliciously subversive happening in Sweden. After years of being the poster child for sleek screens, cashless living and children who can probably code before they can tie their shoelaces, Sweden is quietly rowing back. Physical textbooks are returning to classrooms.

The Faction’s The Talented Mr Ripley is currently in Brighton and touring across the UK in the coming weeks. It’s definitely worth an evening of your time - slick, unsettling, and fiendishly clever theatre that lingers long after the lights go up. I’ll be keeping an eye on whatever this company does next.