Rooms of Inspiration
Fota House is full of stories, anecdotes, things to see and experience that can inspire you to express yourself using a range of language styles.
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The Anglo-Irish Novel: Context and Creativity
The spaces and rituals of the house, along with the political turmoil outside the demesne wall form both backdrop and narrative. In this unit works by George Moore, Somerville and Ross and Elizabeth Bowen are discussed as exemplars of the type. Students are then set the challenge of composing their own piece of writing following a trip to Fota.
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The Last September - Cork in September 1920
Elizabeth Bowen's The Last September is set in the 'big house' Danielstown during the month of September, 1920. While inside the demesne walls the residents and guests are engaged in various genteel activities, outside the walls a vicious guerilla war is being fought. In this WebQuest, the students act as a team of journalists covering the main news stories that took place in Cork in September 1920. They must discover the 'violent realness' only half suggested to the reader in The Last September.
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