Our second lesson will zoom into the finer elements of prose fiction. We’ll tackle narrative style, techniques and figurative language. You’ll discover a writer’s number one rule – show, don’t tell. Soon enough, you’ll have all the...

Our third lesson will zoom into the finer elements of prose fiction. We’ll delve into figurative language, imagery, rhythm, syntax and tone. We’ll review some basic language features before building on your understanding. To help us,...

Roses are red, violets are blue… What on Earth CAN’T a poem do? In this episode of Crash Course Kids Literature, we dive into the poems that make up Thanhhà Lại’s verse novel, “Inside Out and Back Again” and the figurative language that...

What makes poetry different from prose? We explore the technical aspects of poetry, from meter to figurative language to genre, and the etymology and literary history that connects Ovid, Petrarch, Sappho, Shakespeare, Donne, Wordsworth,...

Join us in our first lesson on Destroying Drama. We’ll explore the world of plays and playwrights, starting with information flow – how do we figure out what’s going on in a play? We’ll also break down a common play structure with the...

Richard F. Thomas, George Martin Lane Professor of the Classics, was born in London and brought up in New Zealand. He was educated at the University of Auckland (B.A. 1972; M.A. 1973), and at the University of Michigan (Ph.D. 1977). He...