As Richard’s inept rule chips away at the divine right he claims to possess, Shakespeare’s Richard II raises questions that still cut deep: When is it justified to remove an unjust ruler? Does a self exist apart from the roles we’re given? One of the most influential literary critics of the modern era, Harold Bloom, described the character of Richard as a “bad king but an interesting metaphysical poet.” Join fellow readers for lively discussion and in-class reading of this strange, luminous tragedy that invites us to consider questions of power, identity, and selfhood. Required Reading: Required Text: Richard II: Folger Shakespeare Library edition

Wuthering Heights is many things—a ghost story, a mystery, a multi-generational epic, a revenge tragedy—but it sure isn’t a love story. Through close reading and discussion, we’ll explore how the novel’s intense emotions often lead to control, cruelty, and harm rather than connection. We’ll consider its unusual structure, wild setting, and troubling depictions of childhood, class, and inheritance. Along the way, we’ll ask why the book is so often romanticized and what gets lost when obsession is celebrated as love. Required Reading: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë