'When I am an old woman I shall wear purple, with a red hat which doesn't go and doesn't suit me...' (Warning by Jenny Joseph). Feisty older women will be the theme of our course. Picking a different novel each session, we'll look at plotting, characterisation and point of view. Where do our sympathies lie? How are the critical issues of time and memory handled? What conclusions can we draw from each heroine's life? Autumn term titles: 'Moon Tiger' by Penelope Lively, 'Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont' by Elizabeth Taylor, 'All Passion Spent' by Vita Sackville-West, 'The Secret Scripture' by Sebastian Barry, 'Memento Mori' by Muriel Spark. For the Spring term: 'The Dark Flood Rises' by Margaret Drabble, 'The Stone Diaries' by Carol Shields, 'School for Love' by Olivia Manning, 'The Night Guest' by Fiona McFarlane, 'Greenbanks' by Dorothy Whipple.