Intro
Welcome to the October issue of the Grammaticus Newsletter! This one is something of a Halloween special, with a selection of season-themed resources available on the website. From book reviews and poetry to podcasts and film tips... I hope you'll find something of interest! Until next month, take care!
Books & Literature
Book review: “Starve Acre” by Andrew Michael Hurley
First published in 2019, Starve Acre is eerie and suspenseful, but in a very elegant, subdued way. Its rural setting and folkloric elements place it firmly in the tradition of English folk horror genre.
Queer in more ways than one: “Carmilla”, a Gothic literary classic
Enormously influential as it has been, Dracula had a notable antecedent in the form of an even more ground-breaking, yet lesser known, vampiric antagonist – Carmilla – created by the Irish novelist Sheridan Le Fanu.
Culture & Media
Horror cult classics: my top 3 Spooktober tips
Here are some suggestions on how you might spend your evenings this Halloween season – or, if you’re anything like me, most evenings during the entire year!
Learning English
Let’s talk about mushrooms!
In this blog post I’ll present some of the basic words you’ll need when describing mushrooms in English. You never know when they might come in handy!
A poem for Halloween: “Theme in Yellow” by Carl Sandburg
In this post you can read Sandburg’s Halloween-themed poem “Theme in Yellow.” It is a playful, festive, and deeply evocative poem – unusually written from the perspective of a pumpkin!
“Haunted Houses” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
In spite of the eerie title, this poem is actually a comforting and sentimental meditation on the transience of the material and the permanence of the spiritual. [The post contains vocabulary exercises for English language learners.]
A creepy glossary of doom and gloom
In the days leading up to Halloween, one of the highlights of the dark season of the year, I’d like to share some adjectives that you can use when talking about the weird, the sad, and the gloomy.
Listening tips
Listening tips for the Halloween season
If you love a good spook and want to improve your listening skills, why not listen to some scary podcasts? They are readily available, free, you can listen to them whenever you want!
Promo
Private lessons
Looking for an English, Latin or Classical Greek tutor? Look no further! I'm an accredited teacher with 20+ years of experience, and would love to work with you! Check out the Classes page on the Grammaticus website and don't hesitate to contact me for more information!