Henley Arts Society

THE Arts Society Henley’s next talk, “The Fall into Knowledge: The Story of Prometheus”, by Mary Sharp, will be at Henley Rugby Club on Thursday, March 20.

The morning session is at 10.45am and the afternoon session at 2.15pm.

Prometheus was a Titan who, according to Greek legend, created the human race and then famously incurred the wrath of Zeus by stealing fire from the gods to preserve it. The punishment that Zeus devised was both cruel and ingenious.

This lecture goes back to original sources to retell the story, explore the remarkable parallels with Adam and Eve and trace its influence from Reubens to Henry Moore and from Frankenstein, through Great Expectations to the Alien movies.

Mary will explore our enduring interest in the ideas that thread their way through the numerous adaptations and reflect on what they reveal about our changing attitudes to religious belief.

Mary is an experienced broadcaster and teacher with particular expertise in literature and drama. She worked for many years for BBC Radio 4 producing some of its most popular programmes including Start the Week and Woman’s Hour before joining the senior management team as a commissioning editor.

She subsequently worked as a teacher and director of sixth form at a leading girls’ grammar school.

Mary now runs her own company, Opening Up Literature, which offers literature courses for adults, including studies of Shakespeare and creative writing. Her most popular course is “Telling Tales”, which explores how writers and artists have reinvented classical stories.

She is also a professional bridge teacher and lecturer.

Nigel Balchin