Hi, I’m your new tutor

It’s nice to meet you.

Hi there.

Please, come in, sit down. We haven’t started yet – barely anyone’s arrived! Maybe if they’d been at home studying instead of partying with Tommy Fong and co, things would be kicking off by now.

What can I call you, by the way? Ashley, right, right. How about Ash? No, okay, no problem!

Have you done the reading? We’re meant to be looking at Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein this week, though I’d like to start off with a group exercise. Get everyone to know each other, now people are falling in. I was thinking names and an interesting fact – here, I’ll start.

I’m Steve Rider, your new tutor, I’m currently studying Lord Byron for my doctorate – focussing in on Don Juan particularly. I’ve always seen a bit of myself in Donny Johnny, as Byron would have called him! My interesting fact would be that I have a third nipple, which I inherited from my dad.

By the way – can I ask, Ash, what’s up with the walking stick? Did you hurt yourself or something? Ah – it’s not important.

I’ve set up a google form for my office hours, by the way, so just fill it out and let me know what you’d like to talk about and when you’d like to come. I’m pretty busy, so please don’t just show up randomly.

What do we all think about the book? I’ve read it four or five times over the years, so personally I’m getting a bit sick of it, but I liked it the first time. Honestly – I’m a much bigger fan of her husband’s writing. Same thing for the Brownings, you know? I’ll never understand why some of the female authors are remembered so much more fondly than their male counterparts.

Anyway, I digress – let’s open up our Frankenstein‘s to page 17.