It’s time we challenged the sacred cow of An Education

“Wayward teens who fancy a night out at the movies are in luck. So long as they opt for An Education, they shouldn’t have to buy their own tickets. Their anxious parents should prove only too happy to stump up. The extracurricular adventures of Carey Mulligan’s cute 16-year-old ought to make good enough date fodder. Nonetheless, they turn out to be the basis for a strictly conformist sermon. The prodigal daughter sees the error of the ways. She repents. She seeks the guidance of a wise elder and embarks on the path of righteousness. It leads unswervingly from sex, drugs and rock’n’roll to Oxford’s dreaming spires and Beowulf’s sacred text …” (more)

[David Cox, Guardian, 2 November]

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