English Literature

Course summary

Are you an avid reader? Do you love discussing ideas, characters and themes in plays, poems and novels? If so then the A Level in English Literature is a varied and thought-provoking course which will give you the opportunity to read, enjoy and explore Literature. Throughout the A Level course, you will analyse, explore and discuss your thoughts on a range of literary works and genres. The course is separated into three key areas – Drama, Prose and Poetry – to give you the opportunity to explore a range of genres, styles and contexts from across literature. Amongst the range of texts studied will be a Shakespeare play, accompanied by a critical anthology, a post-1900 novel, and poetry from the twenty-first century. This provides students with an excellent breadth of literary study. Aside from being highly enjoyable, this A level is highly valued by universities, being a facilitating subject. It will be a real asset when applying for a number of different University courses due to its critical, analytical and evaluative nature. It will be particularly useful for any future career which involves some measure of writing skills or communication. You need to be enthusiastic about reading in order to enjoy this course. You will have a keen interest in written communication of all kinds. You also need to be able to engage in discussion about how words and linguistic patterns create changes in meaning. You need to be able to discuss the philosophical and cultural contexts of a text and how texts have been received over time by literary authorities. Students who study this course will be given opportunities to visit theatre performances, if available, and there are often lecture-style events at local universities.