English Literature

Course summary

Because you like to read interesting things and talk about them! In this course, we engage with how some of the greatest contemporary and classic writers deal with the biggest themes and issues in society. The texts enable us to discuss what it means to be human, how we define good and evil, the impacts of discrimination, how gender and sexuality can be viewed, how people manipulate power, and more. We also look at critical thought to consider how movements like feminism, postmodernism, and ecocriticism have shaped our understanding of the world. Ultimately, English Literature is about enjoying, studying, and unpicking excellent works so, if you love reading, you should take this course. You will study the following topics: • Prose: comparing two novels such as The Handmaid’s Tale and Frankenstein which have a linked theme (one must be pre-1900). • Poetry: the Poems of the Decade Anthology. • Poetry: a specified poet such as Christina Rossetti. • Drama: a play such as Dr Faustus. • Drama: a Shakespeare play such as Hamlet or Othello. • Coursework: an essay comparing two texts of your choice.