English Literature

Course summary

English Literature is about more than just enjoying reading a book - although that is an essential qualification for choosing the subject! It is the study of how writers have grappled with the human condition through drama, poetry and prose. It also the study of how different cultural conditions have shaped both literary texts and the responses of readers. Students will read a wide variety of texts from Chaucer through to the novels written in the 21st Century. They will be encouraged to explore the relationships that exist between these texts and the contexts in which they were written, received and understood. They will also develop the ability to think analytically and to organise their ideas into an academic form.