Has anybody ever read Educating Rita?

Question

We are studiying it for our GCSE 18/19Century Drama. I was jst wondering if anybody has read the play and give me their opinions on it. Thank you.

Answer 1

i think the title is familliar but i dont know it sorry good luck though

Answer 2

The story has several themes. Rita is a working class girl, unhappy with the expectations of her from her husband and family, e.g., to sit in the pub and the need to have children. She goes to university and new insights light up her life. She leaves her husband but does not have an affair with her professor although the syggestion throughout is that she might. Her professor meanwhile is bored with his life and drinks too much. His wife is having an affair with a family friend, possibly because she is bored with her academic, hard-drinking husband. In summary, the themes are betrayal, boredom and how new knowledge lights up people's lives. The betrayals are between married couples. The boredom is accentuated when Rita's female flatmate commits suicide. Rita wanted to be like her!
It's a lovely play showing that no matter what lifestyle one has, there is boredom and betrayal at every step and joy in learning new things.

Answer 3

I *love* this play! I think it's still a very valid piece of work - woman is entrapped by society's expectations of her as a woman (not to mention male oppression) and she's trying to get herself out of it. I guess she thinks that everything is rosier on the other side, when you're all learned, yet Frank is just a total mess and his life's falling apart.

Also, Frank's pretty condescending at the start, yet is forced to eat his words and it's 'Rita' who ends up the one with the upper hand. I think he sneers at her previous attempts to broaden her horizons and possibly at stuff he doesn't understand (e.g. Rubyfruit Jungle - he thinks is trash but is someone's account of breaking free and realising she is a) a lesbian and b) not like everyone else.)

As a 30-something student, I've seen plenty of women who start at college or uni as a way of bettering themselves, particularly if they've been with a guy in the past who has treated them badly. The transformation in these women is immense - it gives them confidence that they didn't have before and their attitudes change from that; the actual coursework is merely a sideline.

Sorry if this is rambling, I'm going off the top of my head here. I love this play though! Are you going to watvh the film too? Julie Walters is great :-)

Answer 4

It is an excellent book/play/film and perfect for your study. Please read the book before you do anything else as seeing the film you will not get the true value of the book/script.
I know when it came out at the time it had the same effect as the film Shirley Valentine and men did not like their partners or wives to read it just in case they did what the character does. Go off and discover who and what they are. That they are a person in their own right and that they can change their life for the better however male stuck in their own ways and not liking any change,causes conflict. Many social issues to go over who is right who is wrong or are they both right etc.

Answer 5

yes and i have had the great fortune of seeing it performed on stage as well.what do i think of it? i think its an amazing story of how the upper/middle classes can actually 'need' and 'benifit' from the lower/working classes at one stage or another.we all need to look below our stations in life, and remember that we are all equal, class for class, human

Answer 6

ive read it what a great down to earth kinda book... its really good, so dont try and cheat read it for yourself!!! and im sure its supposed to be for 20th century drama... perhaps im wrong its been a long time!

Answer 7

Yes It's a bit old but it's good.

Answer 8

herd of it n sounds like a gd book. but never read it all.