English Literature

Course summary

In our course—Love Through the Ages- the theme of love, one of the most central themes in literature, is explored across time. Working from the belief that no text exists in isolation but is the product of the time in which it was produced, English Literature encourages students to explore the relationships that exist between texts and the contexts within which they are written, received and understood. The course enables students to investigate and connect texts, drawing out patterns of similarity and difference using a variety of reading strategies and perspectives. We encourage students to debate and challenge the interpretations of other readers as they develop their own informed personal responses. Studying texts diachronically (across a very broad time period) is at the centre of the specification, which means students are required to read widely across a range of texts and connect them across time and topic— exploring everything from Medieval to modern day texts.