Our year 9 English learners were fortunate enough to enjoy a virtual visit from accomplished author Sarah Ward for a masterclass exploring the gothic genre. For this masterclass, learners were immersed in the history of this rich genre and gained insight on how it has developed and changed to still be relevant for the contemporary reader. 

Unlike horror stories, Gothic fiction creates an atmosphere of tension and suspense for the reader using psychological techniques rather than relying on gore and violence. 

Having written four contemporary crime novels as well as publishing articles, reviews and short stories in publications such as the Guardian and Sunday Express, Sarah was the perfect professional to introduce this fascinating topic. 

During the session, Sarah talked learners through the history of the genre, explored its common themes and conventions and gave valuable tips about how learners can develop and create their own glitch stories. 

Reflecting on this session, learner Tamara shared "it was a fascinating masterclass about the world of gothic. It was especially eye opening to see how much variety there is within the genre and how they each contribute to its rich and eerie tradition." 

The benefits to this masterclass were multiple! Our learners will be studying gothic texts on the KS3 course, so this was the perfect introduction. In addition, learners are required to write a creative piece as a part GCSE English Language paper. It is important to introduce our learners to a wide range of creative writing practises and Sarah not only immersed our learners in the gothic genre but also shared writing techniques from the valued perspective of a published author. 

Thanks to Sarah for sharing your expertise with our learners.