Literature is dialogue; responsiveness.
Susan Sontag
e limitibus
Our motto e limitibus (beyond the limits) signifies our enthusiasm to extend pupils' thinking and their engagement with literary and intellectual endeavour beyond the confines of subject and syllabus.
We want our pupils to think outside the box.
Events that fall outside the usual requirements of the syllabus will come under the aegis of the Literary Society. From theatre trips to Romantic poetry expeditions, from recitation to celebration, we aim to extend and stimulate. Our flagship initiative, The Critical Essay Prize, is testament to this ideal.
The Critical Essay Prize
Excerpts from recent Critical Essay Prize winning essays
Poetry in the Quantocks
Without a doubt, one of the best things we do: after AS exams, the LVI English pupils head for the Quantocks and two days of Romantic poetry. Stopping points include Nether Stowey, Porlock Weir, Culbone Church, and Tintern Abbey: we read together the great poems and the pupils write some of their own.
Shakespeare Day
The Remove Recitals
Shakespeare's Birthday Recitals
Shakespeare’s Birthday Recitals happen as close to the Bard’s birthday as is possible: the evening consists of excerpts from his plays and poetry, prepared mostly by the scholars themselves. These may be monologues, soliloquies, duologues, sonnets, group scenes...the list goes on! In previous years, we have had Launce and his dog Crab from The Two Gentlemen of Verona, the Mechanicals’ play from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, to name but a few!
Writing Competition
Run by Mr Haslam, this encourages pupils to try their hand at any number of genres and styles.
Theatre Trips
Recent theatre trips include The Winter’s Tale at the Cheltenham Everyman Theatre. We encourage pupils to write the reviews.
Poetry, Prose and Port