English Literature

Course summary

The A Level encourages independent study of poetry, drama and prose texts through history from 1500 to the modern day. In the first year, we study ‘Love through the Ages’, as a shared context. We examine various aspects of love common to narratives, such as unrequited love, adultery, marriage and sex - against the background in which they were written. Then we consider them in the light of our modern-day sensibilities. In the second year, students embark on an independent coursework project where they examine two texts they have chosen which are connected by an idea or theme of their own choice. We also study either ‘World War One and its Aftermath’, examining such themes as imperialism, nationalism, propaganda, slaughter, heroism, cowardice, masculinity, life on the home front, peace and memorials, or ‘Modern Times: Literature from 1945 to the Present Day’. This explores such areas as wars and the legacy of wars; personal and social identity; changing morality and social structures; gender, class, race and ethnicity; political upheaval and change; resistance and rebellion; imperialism, post-imperialism and nationalism; engagement with the social, political, personal and literary issues which have helped to shape the latter half of the 20th century and the early decades of the 21st century.