We’ll read a selection of recent British writing, including memoir, fiction, and drama. Memoirs will likely include works by several of the following: Alec Guinness, John Osborne, Lorna Sage, P.D. James, John Mortimer and Muriel Spark. A portion of the course will comprise works dealing in one way or another with the defection of four “Cambridge Men” - Guy Burgess, Donald Maclean, Kim Philby, and Anthony Blunt - to the Communist cause and its lasting impact on British life and culture. Relevant texts: plays by Alan Bennett (“Single Spies,” “A Question of Attribution”) and novels by Banville (The Untouchable) and LeCarre (The Spy Who Came in from the Cold).

Depending on time constraints and text availability, the reading list may include recent fiction by Spark, James, and Andrew Miller as well as a play or two by Ronald Harwood (“Taking Sides,” “Mahler’s Conversion”).

Requirements: faithful attendance with an active role in class discussions; a number of short essays and several longer essays as well.