A third-place finish in an essay writing competition has ensured a student at Selby College has taken away a special prize.
Jade Evans claimed a top three spot in the University of York’s Locating Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in Youth Cultural Consciousness contest thanks to her interpretation of the text, which greatly impressed judges at the learning institute, the York Press reports.
Ms Evans said: “I hadn’t really read the novel before but I enjoyed researching it and comparing how attitudes have changed. I’m really surprised I came third.”
Dr Amritesh Singh of the University of York noted it was highly interesting to see the manner in which Ms Evans read the novel, explaining the panel was particularly engaged with how her interpretation of the story served to reflect her own concerns about politics and wider society.
Ms Evans’ English Language tutor Georgia Cottrell encouraged the youngster to enter the competition – and the teacher revealed she is always keen to get her students to read as widely as possible and to consider the context of the reading.