Welcome to Wokingham Literary Society
A love of reading is all you need.
We are a friendly group of people who enjoy books, ideas and lively conversation. Our monthly meetings cover a wide range of books, authors and subjects, from fiction and biography to history, art and much more, with plenty of opportunity to chat with other members over tea.
You don’t need to be an expert or a dedicated bookworm to join us — just an interest in books and an enjoyment of good company. Our meetings are relaxed and welcoming, whether you read widely or simply enjoy hearing about what others are reading.
We also have monthly ‘I Have Been Reading’ Zoom meetings, where members share books they’ve enjoyed and exchange ideas for future reading, together with occasional informal poetry groups.
New members and visitors are always welcome. Come along and see what you think.
Our Next Meeting
19th November 2026
Emily Brontë
David James
Emily Brontë died at just 30, leaving behind one of literature’s greatest novels, Wuthering Heights, and a small but remarkable body of poetry. This fascinating talk explores her life, work and the social world in which she lived, while considering the enduring mystery surrounding the woman and the genius behind the novel.
David James describes his talk: It is said that everyone has a novel in them. For Emily Brontë, that one novel turned out to be Wuthering Heights; now regarded as one of the great masterpieces of literature. One of the famous Brontë sisters, Emily died at just thirty, just one year after the publication of Wuthering heights.
This talk will discuss both her groundbreaking novel and her lesser-known poetry, putting her literary output in context with what we know about her life and the social conventions of the time. With so relatively little autobiographical material left to us, and with just a single acclaimed (albeit posthumously) masterpiece to her name before her early death, it is no wonder that the intrigue and speculation as to the personality and genius of Emily appears to overshadow that of her more prolific, and in Charlotte’s case, famous, literary sisters.
It has been said that theories about Emily Brontë are, perhaps, only exceeded in number by theories about Shakespeare. This talk will be mine.