Our focus will be on four finely crafted, highly regarded novels drawn from across a century and more. Each has a distinctive setting. We will explore narrative styles, themes and techniques and approaches to building character. What is memorable about each work and how does this affect or maybe influence our own thinking and enjoyment? To benefit fully from our discussions, it would be helpful if you could read the following in advance.  Conrad ‘Heart of Darkness’ (1902):  Forster  ‘A Passage to India’ (1924): Achebe  ‘Things Fall Apart ’ (1958): Banville  ‘The Sea’ ( 2005)