Matthew was pleased to launch the British Library’s Discovering Literature website at the Speaker’s House at the Houses of Parliament. 

The launch event gave parliamentarians, academic and literacy industry stakeholders the opportunity to see Discovering Literature first-hand. British Library learning were also on hand with laptops and iPads to demonstrate the new site. 

Primarily aimed at A Level and GCSE students and their teachers, Discovering Literature uses original manuscripts, primary source material and brand new original content to illuminate the historical, cultural and political contexts in which the greatest English texts were written. 

The site features over 50 literary works and 8000 pages of collection items, explored through 25 short documentary films shot in locations such as Jane Austen’s House Museum, Brontë Parsonage Museum and Charles Dickens Museum. 165 newly-commissioned articles written by 60 leading experts including novelists, academics and teachers enrich the site with contemporary research. 

Launching the event Matthew said: ““Being interested in literature myself and enjoying authors like Thomas Hardy and poets like John Keats from an early age, I was concerned to learn that a recent survey found that a majority of young people find it hard to perceive classic authors as real people. Discovering Literature aims to challenge that perception by bringing to life some of the greatest literary works of our time." 

Matthew continued: “The Government has placed significant emphasis on the importance of literature in the school curriculum and I believe that by giving young people the means to access classic authors and poets we will ensure that classic works are not lost to the younger generation but are celebrated and passed on to future generations.”