English Literature

Course summary

This course is for those of you who are passionate about literature and are prepared to read extensively. The course texts span over 400 years of English literature allowing you to study texts in depth and place their production in several social and historical contexts. It will prepare you for the critical and theoretical frameworks of analysis typical of higher education. You will study a minimum of eight texts over two years. These texts will include examples of prose, poetry, and drama. At least three of these texts must have been published before 1900 (one by Shakespeare), at least one work published after 2000, and one unseen text. In addition, you will consider the genre of Gothic Literature in depth. The course requires you to consider how writers shape meaning, the different ways in which these meanings are interpreted over time, and the way the texts relate to one another and literary traditions, movements, and genres. You will also consider carefully the cultural and contextual influences of both the writer and the reader.