English Literature

Course summary

Students study eight texts – three drama, one of which must be Shakespeare, three poetry, and two novels. We currently look at the poetry of Rossetti and students are most likely to study the figurative delights of Sylvia Plath and the poetry of Ted Hughes. Our Shakespeare play is the tragic tale of daughters betraying their father and making him mad: King Lear while the paired drama texts are likely to be John Webster’s macabre tragedy Duchess of Malfi and Tennessee Williams’ stormy and passionate A Streetcar Named Desire. The non-exam assessment is the most exciting part of the course offering the freedom to compare texts of our choosing and permitting students to write about aspects of the texts, which particularly interest them. In lessons, students will be encouraged to discuss and debate their interpretations, while experiencing a full gamut of teaching styles, to aid them in moulding their own theories. Those who enjoy history, are captivated by the psychological workings of the human mind, or simply relish the “detective” work involved in deconstructing a piece of writing to discover a writer’s hidden meaning, will all relish this course.