Students help recreate Hardy's classic novel for today's teens

Weymouth students have helped recreate a classic Thomas Hardy novel for today's teenagers.

Year 10 students from Wey Valley Academy have collaborated with Bournemouth University in a series of workshops to compare the life and times of Hardy's fictional teenager, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and her friends in the 19th century.

Working with the university's Dr Trevor Hearing and Associate Professor Sue Sudbury, the students took Tess's tragic story and improvised scenes based on their own experiences and thoughts with the support of teacher Mark Chutter.

Dr Hearing said: “In this innovative and collaborative co-creation, the teenagers brought a high level of energy and imagination to the project.

“They managed to observe and understand in a vivid and self-generated way the lives and lifestyles of contemporary young people in Dorset and reflected on what has changed and perhaps what has not.”

The workshops included discussions, writing, improvisation and performances and were designed to contribute to the curriculum and student assessment.

Associate Professor Sue Sudbury added: “This creative work was inspired by remarkable historical fiction which has attracted the attention of a global readership to Dorset for over a hundred years – it is interesting to see that it still has a resonance in the lives of young people. in Dorset today. This reflects well on the school and we would like to thank Mark Chutter and Wey Valley Academy for making this co-created research possible.”