Oxford Australia Blog

Sharing our love of education, language, and books

Category: Literature

  • Children’s literature quiz: test your knowledge

    The last thirty years have witnessed one of the most fertile periods in the history of children’s books: the flowering of imaginative illustration and writing, the Harry Potter phenomenon, the rise of young adult and crossover fiction, and books that tackle extraordinarily difficult subjects. The Oxford Companion to Children’s Literature provides an indispensable and fascinating…

  • Memorable Mums in Literature

    Mother’s Day is coming up and here at OUP we’ve got a question: who is the most memorable Mother in literature? Is it a woman like Marilla Cuthbert who came into motherhood late when she adopted a strange little redhead, or one like Mrs Bennet whose poor nerves only desire is to see ‘one of…

  • Charlotte Brontë was born on this day

    Charlotte Brontë was born 199 years ago today at Thornton, West Riding of Yorkshire. The third child of a clergyman and elder sister of Emily and Ann Brontë, Charlotte was employed as a teacher and governess before achieving literary success with the publication of Jane Eyre. To celebrate her birthday, here are five interesting particulars…

  • What was your favourite childhood read?

    Today is International Children’s Book Day.  A love of books and reading is close to all of our hearts here at Oxford Australia so we are celebrating the day by asking staff around the office to share some of their favourite childhood reads. Here are some of their answers: “I have so many but one book in…

  • Victorian Fairy Tales

    This newly published anthology contains 14 imaginative tales are full of whimsy, fantastical happenings, dark happenings and, of course, sometimes even fairies. Many are by authors who you would not necessarily associate with fairy tales; John Ruskin, Rudyard Kipling, William Makepeace Thackeray all have stories included in this anthology. Adding to the charm of the tales are…

  • Born on this day: Kenneth Grahame

    Kenneth Grahame was born 156 years ago today in Edinburgh, Scotland. Shortly after his fifth birthday, Grahame and his three siblings moved to Berkshire to live with their Granny Ingles, after their mother’s death from scarlet fever. He was taught to row by his uncle, and loved the countryside, especially the upper part of the…

  • Literary inspiration for your Valentine message

    Need inspiration for a romantic phrase to write in the card to your valentine? Or a sweet phrase for a DM Valentine tweet?! Why not let the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations inspire you? Here are some lovestruck quotations to help you express your feelings on that most romantic of days: My heart was not in me but with…

  • Which classic have you always wanted to read?

    To celebrate the launch of a new reading group, the Oxford World’s Classics team asked staff in Oxford offices around the world – which Oxford World’s Classic have you always wanted to read? [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcaf9IbXBiE&w=560&h=315] And it got us talking here in the office; were we prepared to answer that question? Were any of us prepared to admit…