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Contemporary

London’s Literary Landmarks: Exploring the City Through Literature

London has a rich literary history, with its streets and landmarks closely tied to the stories and characters that have shaped English literature. For students at KCL, the city offers a unique opportunity to step into the worlds of the authors and texts studied on campus. Here is a guide to some of London’s most iconic literary landmarks, perfect for a weekend exploration or an afternoon of inspiration.

1. Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre No literary pilgrimage in London would be complete without a visit to Shakespeare’s Globe. Located on the South Bank, this faithful reconstruction of the original Elizabethan playhouse is a testament to the enduring legacy of William Shakespeare. Whether you attend a performance or take a guided tour, the Globe offers a glimpse into the theatrical world of the Bard and the vibrant cultural life of early modern London.

2. Charles Dickens Museum For fans of Victorian literature, the Charles Dickens Museum in Bloomsbury is a must-visit. Housed in the author’s former residence at 48 Doughty Street, the museum preserves the rooms where Dickens wrote and lived. As you walk through the house, you’ll see personal artifacts, manuscripts, and first editions that bring to life the creator of Oliver Twist and Great Expectations.

3. Keats House In Hampstead, you’ll find Keats House, the home of Romantic poet John Keats. This Regency villa is where Keats wrote some of his most famous works, including “Ode to a Nightingale.” The tranquil gardens and period interiors make it easy to imagine the poet’s creative process. Regular events, such as poetry readings and workshops, are held at the house and serve as the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in his work.

4. Bloomsbury and the Bloomsbury Group The Bloomsbury district is synonymous with the Bloomsbury Group, an influential collective of writers, artists, and thinkers that included Virginia Woolf, E.M. Forster, and Lytton Strachey. Strolling through Gordon Square or visiting the nearby British Library offers a sense of the intellectual ferment that characterized this group. Don’t miss the chance to explore Woolf’s connections to the area, as her work often reflects the cultural and social shifts of early 20th-century London.

5. Poet’s Corner, Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey’s Poet’s Corner is a hallowed space where some of English literature’s greatest figures are commemorated. From Geoffrey Chaucer to T.S. Eliot, this corner of the Abbey celebrates centuries of literary achievement. As you stand among the memorials, it’s hard not to feel a profound connection to the writers who have shaped the English language.

6. Sherlock Holmes Museum Fans of detective fiction will enjoy a visit to 221B Baker Street, the fictional home of Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective Sherlock Holmes. The museum recreates Holmes’ Victorian sitting room, complete with period furnishings and references to his famous cases. It’s a fun, immersive experience for anyone who loves a good mystery.

Exploring these landmarks not only deepens your appreciation for the texts and authors you study but also allows you to see the city through their eyes. So, why not take a break from the library and embark on your own literary adventure through London? Who knows—you might just find inspiration for your next essay or creative project.

Categories
20th - 21st Centuries Contemporary Insights

Red Light, Green Light

By Jane Elliott

The Korean TV drama Squid Game is Netflix’s most popular show ever, having reached the number one spot in ninety countries. It tells the story of a diverse group of characters, all heavily in debt, who agree to compete in a series of traditional children’s games with untraditional stakes: losers are killed and the final survivor takes the entire jackpot.

Categories
Contemporary Life writing, Creative writing and Performance Long Read

‘The Normal Heart’ and the Morality of Being Gay

By Goh Wei Hao

Written during a different time, when the world was consumed by another virus, the themes of The Normal Heart remain extraordinarily relevant in today’s world.

The play is set in New York City, and takes place over a span four years in the 1980s — during the early days of the HIV epidemic when the virus did not yet have a name. It is centred around the writer Ned Weeks and the gay health advocacy group that he helped to establish along with closeted banker Bruce Niles, the free love advocate Mickey Marcus, and the self-described “Southern bitch,” Tommy Boatwright. Also part of this ragtag group is Dr Emma Brookner who pushes the group to campaign harder for their voices and her advice to be heard by the community.

After watching the 2021-revival of Larry Kramer’s largely autobiographical play, a question lingers in my mind: What does it mean to be a moral gay man?

Categories
Contemporary Long Read

17 days of June: on COVID-19, prescriptions and proscriptions, and the contingencies of care

By Pavan Mano

Common sense is an interesting thing. Particularly in those not infrequent moments when it becomes clear that it isn’t, in fact, all that commonly distributed and, quite often, doesn’t actually make very much sense. These moments offer an opportunity – even if quite often missed – to unwind, untangle, and unmake some of these articulations of common sense – hopefully in favour of something better. This is one such moment. After all, “pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew” (Roy 2020). We’ve been forced, collectively, to confront the question of care and the various conditions under which it’s extended to different degrees, to particular categories of people, in particular circumstances, and so on – the contingencies of care, in other words. In the face of the conspicuous insufficiencies that have been brutally exposed over the course of the past year and a half, it would be awfully remiss of us to eschew reimagining how our world and societies are arranged and organized.

Categories
20th - 21st Centuries Contemporary Life writing, Creative writing and Performance Long Read

NewThink: What would happen if we criminalised creative expression?

PhD student George Oliver shares an extract from a short-listed creative writing piece that speculates on the criminalisation of public creative expression…