English Literature

Course summary

The course offers students an engaging and far-reaching study of the literature of various time periods and genres. ‘Aspects of Tragedy’ and ‘Elements of Crime’ provide the thematic focus for the examination units, with texts such as ‘Death of a Salesman’, ‘Othello’ and ‘Brighton Rock’, and ‘When Will There Be Good News’. A non-examination unit allows students more independence as they study prose and poetry through the lens of a number of established critical approaches, such as feminism, Marxism, ecocriticism, and canonical study. Students explore these critical approaches, alongside their own ideas, in two essays focused upon areas for study that they individually choose, plan, and write.