2026 Literary History Breaks with Richard Moore

Richard is a lecturer and creative writer, the author of over eighty plays and a number of musical works. He gained his first degree at the University of Cambridge and taught in schools for many years. In 1989 he gained his Ph.D. taking as his subject Christianity and Paganism in Victorian Fiction. He then went on to work as a Deputy Head and Head of English at Queen Ethelburga’s College, near York, before moving in 2000 into University teaching.

Since January 2000 Richard has been a part-time lecturer at Newcastle and Sunderland Universities and has run various courses for adults, particularly at Higham Hall in the Lake District. His particular academic interests are American Drama, the works of Shakespeare and Jane Austen, Irish Literature, Victorian Music Theatre and the 20th century Theatre of the Absurd.

The literature of crime and criminology

‘It is a dark night. There is no moon. You are approaching the old house on the moor. The house is allegedly haunted. There was a murder committed there in the 1860’s. A cruel unsolved murder. A murder with repercussions for you. And .....’

And what? How much we all enjoy such a hair-raising scenario. The vicarious thrill in sharing the excitement – from the comfort of a secure place – is undeniable. But of course crime literature is not all grand guignol shockers. There are crime stories which brilliantly examine the psychology of criminal and victim. There are others that fascinatingly link dark deeds to social circumstance, culture, brain disorder, or perhaps a dysfunctional background. And when it comes to the dark depths of the subconscious – of the Hyde within even the most accommodating Jekyll – well, then the waters become very murky indeed.

In this course we shall consider these and many other aspects of crime and crime-writing. 

The literature of legend and myth

Myth and legends have fed the imagination from the earliest recorded times. They also served to explain or at least provide a poetic metaphysical context for some of the great wonders as yet unexplained by science. In the past these could include eclipses, comets, the burst of spring and the icy hand of winter. In addition, rites linked to myths date back to earliest times. Whole rituals were built around corporate activity such as hunting and planting while rites of passage - marked in song, dance and sacred initiations – might lead us into the Mysteries of Eleusis, the realm of Ereshkigal, or to Hel (one l) in the depths of the dark Norse Underworld. 

Starting with the earliest surviving written myth – that of The Follower and the Holy Snake - this course will begin with an overview of Legend and Myth world-wide. Thereafter it will focus on European examples.

There is no supplementary charge for single accommodation on any of our activity breaks, and as normal, we can arrange free transport ( on your day of arrival and on your day of departure ) between the hotel and the bus and railway stations.

Details about all of our activity breaks are readily available - either download a copy from this section, ask for them during you stay, or just telephone the hotel and ask us to forward a programme for whatever activity you are interested in.