spring 2018
"This experience was amazing, the teachers were so implicated in their lessons; it was clear that they were sharing their passion and they did it through the best ways possible. The trips are a really good point too; having the opportunity to see the very place, which the poets were influenced from and to have the opportunity to work with the first manuscripts of these poems, it really bamboozled me so hard.... I have no word actually to describe how great it was."
"The strong points of this class are too many to list. But there's one that particularly struck me. I believe that the reading on the spot was incredibly striking and it made me analyse and see these literary works from a different perspective. We don't really realise that these famous authors were also simple human beings but seeing the scenes they were seeing, touching the paper they wrote on, and taking the same steps they took perfectly underlined this particular aspect. Their humanity and their fragility was highlighted and I truly appreciated it. Moreover, by handling the manuscript, one could see how writing really is a trial
and-error type of art, and that if one works hard enough and pours their heart into the page, one is able to create the same magic that Wordsworth, the Shelleys and Byron created."
"I just wanted to say that the staff was fantastic and they did an amazing job."
"Après avoir passé quatre ans à analyser des textes édités, j'ai énormément apprécié en apprendre plus sur la création artistique,
ce que je n'avais jamais fait. Je pense que cette étape, même si selon Barthes et la prétendue mort de l'auteur, serait indispensable dans les premières années d'étude d'un étudiant en lettres. Sans pour autant tomber dans l'étude biographique,
l'organisation du séminaire a remis en avant le fait que les textes sont avant tout produits par des humains, et cela a permis
d'avoir une approche des textes également émotionnelle. La qualité d'enseignement de la part de notre professeure, ainsi que
du professeur de Lancaster. De par leurs amples connaissances, et de par leurs organisations de séminaires, le groupe a
été en mesure d'étudier de manière optimale. Le staff qui a organisé, du côté de Lancaster, et du côté lausannois, sont
aussi à féliciter pour leur dévouement et leur professionnel.
merci beaucoup aux personnes qui se sont donné de la peine pour organiser ce séminaire atypique ! En somme, leur plus grande force a été de nous montrer que ce séminaire, pour le moins original, devrait être la norme si les ressources financières le
permettraient, en raison de sa capacité à générer des connaissances et des échanges humains fantastiques. Merci !!"
"The structure of the course was also well thought-out, as we were able to prepare the texts in advance during the 5 weeks of
seminars at UNIL, before going in-depth during the seminars in Grasmere and Chamonix. There was a good balance of work/study, discovery of the landscapes, and bonding with the other students and participants. Overall, it was a unique
mixture of factors that allowed for the most incredible learning experience. The blog has been an interesting and
fun feature to use throughout the seminar - perhaps this should be extended to other classes as well! The 'musings' segment in particular opens new points of discussion, perhaps because it is anonymous."
"This module allowed an access to the texts and material like no other. We really could go in depth. The walkings were wonderful to get as close as possible into the authors' mindset when they wrote their texts."
"I just want to thank Enit, Rachel for having organised that trip so well. I'm so sad that it is already over and I wish I could do this experience again and again. They motivated me to start writing again and made me rediscover Wordsworth again. Thank you everything again !"
"The strong points of this class are too many to list. But there's one that particularly struck me. I believe that the reading on the spot was incredibly striking and it made me analyse and see these literary works from a different perspective. We don't really realise that these famous authors were also simple human beings but seeing the scenes they were seeing, touching the paper they wrote on, and taking the same steps they took perfectly underlined this particular aspect. Their humanity and their fragility was highlighted and I truly appreciated it. Moreover, by handling the manuscript, one could see how writing really is a trial
and-error type of art, and that if one works hard enough and pours their heart into the page, one is able to create the same magic that Wordsworth, the Shelleys and Byron created."
"I just wanted to say that the staff was fantastic and they did an amazing job."
"Après avoir passé quatre ans à analyser des textes édités, j'ai énormément apprécié en apprendre plus sur la création artistique,
ce que je n'avais jamais fait. Je pense que cette étape, même si selon Barthes et la prétendue mort de l'auteur, serait indispensable dans les premières années d'étude d'un étudiant en lettres. Sans pour autant tomber dans l'étude biographique,
l'organisation du séminaire a remis en avant le fait que les textes sont avant tout produits par des humains, et cela a permis
d'avoir une approche des textes également émotionnelle. La qualité d'enseignement de la part de notre professeure, ainsi que
du professeur de Lancaster. De par leurs amples connaissances, et de par leurs organisations de séminaires, le groupe a
été en mesure d'étudier de manière optimale. Le staff qui a organisé, du côté de Lancaster, et du côté lausannois, sont
aussi à féliciter pour leur dévouement et leur professionnel.
merci beaucoup aux personnes qui se sont donné de la peine pour organiser ce séminaire atypique ! En somme, leur plus grande force a été de nous montrer que ce séminaire, pour le moins original, devrait être la norme si les ressources financières le
permettraient, en raison de sa capacité à générer des connaissances et des échanges humains fantastiques. Merci !!"
"The structure of the course was also well thought-out, as we were able to prepare the texts in advance during the 5 weeks of
seminars at UNIL, before going in-depth during the seminars in Grasmere and Chamonix. There was a good balance of work/study, discovery of the landscapes, and bonding with the other students and participants. Overall, it was a unique
mixture of factors that allowed for the most incredible learning experience. The blog has been an interesting and
fun feature to use throughout the seminar - perhaps this should be extended to other classes as well! The 'musings' segment in particular opens new points of discussion, perhaps because it is anonymous."
"This module allowed an access to the texts and material like no other. We really could go in depth. The walkings were wonderful to get as close as possible into the authors' mindset when they wrote their texts."
"I just want to thank Enit, Rachel for having organised that trip so well. I'm so sad that it is already over and I wish I could do this experience again and again. They motivated me to start writing again and made me rediscover Wordsworth again. Thank you everything again !"
Spring 2017
"I really enjoyed meeting teachers and students from Lancaster University. It was a great experience to talk about our different classes and ways to tackle literature, more specifically Romanticism. Going to the Lake District with people from this area was also very interesting. Before this course, I had a theoretical idea about Romanticism but walking into the footsteps of the writers helped me to have a better understanding of their works and of the importance of spots in them."
"Thanks to this course, I am more aware of the richness of nature and I am more sensitive to its sounds, smell, and colours."
"This was a one-of-a-kind experience that I will not forget and has drastically enhanced my knowledge of Romanticism giving me an in-depth and special connection to the poems. I also loved reading the poems out loud and as a class. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to study with Enit Steiner, Rachel Nisbet, and Simon Bainbridge. Wonderful people and a dynamic course filled with memories and seminars that have left a lasting impact on my studies of Romanticism. I hope the University continues to support this study trip."
"The trip formula, it is really unusual and challenging. It enables us to see things and people from a different perspective. Generally speaking, connecting a class with trips is an excellent idea. The cohesion of our group, both among Lausanne and Lancaster students, creates a very positive atmosphere."
"I enjoyed sharing my experience and literary knowledge with the Lancaster students and it was interesting to be exposed to their way of thinking and way of being, and mingle our cultures and customs."
"The trips and study of the texts on location made a significant difference in their reception and understanding. Everything was very well organized, and the objectives of the course clear from the beginning."
"One evening during our trip in the Lake District, we as the Swiss students were asked whether being in the Lake District changed our perception of the poems we read. My answer was and still is: "Yes, definitely!". English Romanticism seemed to me 'theoretical' and somewhat abstract before. This course and being in all these places turned the Romantic Literature into something real, as if it was coming alive, starting to breathe and developing a life on its own. Comparable to Victor Frankenstein's creature that suddenly opens its eyes and sees for the first time, this course was like a moment of realization and "seeing" what was dark and not discernible before. This happened in different situations, whether through the amazement about the scenery we looked at while reading a poem, through the physical activity of hiking in the Lake District and around Chamonix or through carefully opening a handwritten book from 1800 with my hands. I know this time I will not forget what I have learnt in this course that easily because it was a completely different approach to experience literature."
"Though reading poetry requires nothing more than imagination and diligence, reading in situ certainly aides the mind to recreate the vision of the poet."
"Thank you so much Enit and Rachel for an amazing experience that will stay with me as one of the best of my university career!!"
"Thanks to this course, I am more aware of the richness of nature and I am more sensitive to its sounds, smell, and colours."
"This was a one-of-a-kind experience that I will not forget and has drastically enhanced my knowledge of Romanticism giving me an in-depth and special connection to the poems. I also loved reading the poems out loud and as a class. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to study with Enit Steiner, Rachel Nisbet, and Simon Bainbridge. Wonderful people and a dynamic course filled with memories and seminars that have left a lasting impact on my studies of Romanticism. I hope the University continues to support this study trip."
"The trip formula, it is really unusual and challenging. It enables us to see things and people from a different perspective. Generally speaking, connecting a class with trips is an excellent idea. The cohesion of our group, both among Lausanne and Lancaster students, creates a very positive atmosphere."
"I enjoyed sharing my experience and literary knowledge with the Lancaster students and it was interesting to be exposed to their way of thinking and way of being, and mingle our cultures and customs."
"The trips and study of the texts on location made a significant difference in their reception and understanding. Everything was very well organized, and the objectives of the course clear from the beginning."
"One evening during our trip in the Lake District, we as the Swiss students were asked whether being in the Lake District changed our perception of the poems we read. My answer was and still is: "Yes, definitely!". English Romanticism seemed to me 'theoretical' and somewhat abstract before. This course and being in all these places turned the Romantic Literature into something real, as if it was coming alive, starting to breathe and developing a life on its own. Comparable to Victor Frankenstein's creature that suddenly opens its eyes and sees for the first time, this course was like a moment of realization and "seeing" what was dark and not discernible before. This happened in different situations, whether through the amazement about the scenery we looked at while reading a poem, through the physical activity of hiking in the Lake District and around Chamonix or through carefully opening a handwritten book from 1800 with my hands. I know this time I will not forget what I have learnt in this course that easily because it was a completely different approach to experience literature."
"Though reading poetry requires nothing more than imagination and diligence, reading in situ certainly aides the mind to recreate the vision of the poet."
"Thank you so much Enit and Rachel for an amazing experience that will stay with me as one of the best of my university career!!"