English

Stories give shape to the confusion of life.

The English curriculum at Pomfret is vigorous and vibrant. By examining words, sentences, characters, and plots, our students learn what it means to be human. English courses at Pomfret challenge students to engage fully with the texts, their teachers, and their peers in discussion-based classes. Students write often, in a variety of genres, from the analytical to the personal to the imaginative.

Sample Courses

Term » Literature of the Great Depression

It might be hard to imagine, but the 1930s were a great literary decade in America. In this course, we will steer clear of John Steinbeck’s more highly acclaimed, depression era novels like Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men to focus on Steinbeck’s other gem of the 30s: In Dubious Battle. Never a cornerstone of American Literature classes across the United States, In Dubious Battle is an unbelievable tale of a fruit-pickers strike in California and the ensuing battle between labor and capital. In 1935, Clifford Odets published Waiting for Lefty, a play of seven short vignettes revolving around a mid-30s taxi cab strike. In addition to reading these texts, we will watch Tom Ford's award winning film, The Grapes of Wrath, listen to and interpret Woody Guthrie's "Dust Bowl Ballads," and view important artwork of the era

Term » ADV The Magic Realism of Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami, a former Japanese jazz club owner, and later-day marathoner is a writer of incredible imagination and ingenuity. To read and appreciate Murakami, one must surrender the ego and give oneself up to the worlds he creates. In a 2011 New York Times profile, the author rightly declares that Murakami has established himself as the “unofficial laureate of Japan — arguably its chief imaginative ambassador, in any medium, to the world: the primary source, for many millions of readers, of the texture and shape of his native country.” Students wishing to take this course must be prepared to read with total focus and to aid in written interpretations and elucidating class discussions. Murakami demands our full attention and in return, readers will get an all-expenses-paid cultural exchange voyage extraordinaire. Buckle up! We will begin by reading some short stories, mostly from his collection, The Elephant Vanishes. The majority of the term will feature his award-winning 2002 (English translation - 2005) novel, Kafka on the Shore. Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to develop their own critical reading and writing skills, as well as engage in group discussions, individual projects, and, potentially, creative writing exercises.

Term » ADV Invisible Man: The Quest for Identity in a Racialized America

“I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.” This course will dive deep into Ralph Ellison’s epic tale of one man’s search for his identity. Invisible Man raises important questions: Who are we? Can we be who we want to be? Or are we nothing more than who society says we are? The nameless African-American narrator, a descendant of slaves, begins his journey in the American South; he migrates north to Harlem, seeking opportunity and fleeing injustice. Harlem in the 1930s serves as the primary setting of the novel. The Invisible Man’s quest for self-actualization is at once uniquely a plunge through African-American history but also into the universal human story of seeking the self. This is one of those novels that will make you view and judge the world, perhaps even yourself, differently. You will both mock and relate to the narrator as he is thrown about by the cruel world and then question and cheer the narrator as he plots his revenge. Finally, reading Ralph Ellison’s masterpiece allows us, at once, to measure how far we’ve come as an American society and to see how far we still need to go.

Term » ADV The Works of Anton Chekhov

This course will introduce students to the life and works of Anton Chekhov, one of the greatest playwrights and short story writers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chekhov's plays and stories are known for their complex characters, nuanced portrayals of human relationships, and exploration of the human condition. Through close reading, discussion, and analysis, students will gain a deep appreciation for Chekhov's literary genius. The course will feature some of Chekhov's most famous works, including his plays, Uncle Vanya, The Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters, and The Seagull, as well as his short stories, such as "In the Cart," "The Bet," "Gooseberries," and "The Darling." We will explore Chekhov's style, themes, and techniques, and how they contributed to his unique place in the literary canon. This course is ideal for students interested in literature, theater, psychology, and history.

Term » ADV LA Noir

The city of Los Angeles has always served as a source of fascination for America and the world, and, throughout the 20th century, its history and culture have been shaped by the enigmatic style/genre called noir. In this course, we will explore the literature and film that came to represent the city and, to an extent, the nation. From hardboiled detective stories to movies that reveal the dark underbelly of American culture, the work we do in this course will hopefully allow us to learn more about ourselves and the way that the stories we tell define us. We’ll read and watch works by Raymond Chandler, Dorothy B. Hughes, Howard Hawks, and Joel and Ethan Coen, among others.

Our English faculty comprises teachers who love the literary arts and make it a large part of their lives. The Department also offers an exciting annual lineup of visiting authors, further broadening the horizon of what is possible for our students.