English Literature

Course summary

If you love reading, discussing, and analysing a range of literary texts, A Level English Literature is for you. You’ll be taken on a literary journey through history, examining writing from the Middle Ages to the Elizabethan period, from a Victorian novel to texts written in the 21st century. The course covers everything from short poems to long narrative verse, Early Modern Drama to American plays, Modernist fiction and unseen poetry, as well as the fathers of English Literature: Chaucer and Shakespeare. You’ll explore connections across these literary works, examining the contexts in which they were written and responding critically and creatively to their themes and ideas. Essay writing is a core skill, and you will learn how to craft an academic essay which draws on a range of interpretations of each text. A ‘facilitating’ subject, favoured by universities for a range of degree courses, English Literature is an important choice for careers in journalism, teaching, public relations, media, politics, publishing, law and more.