English Literature

Course summary

English Literature A-level’s historicist approach to the study of literature rests upon reading texts within a shared context. Working from the belief that no text exists in isolation, but is the product of the time in which it was produced, the English Literature A-level encourages students to explore the relationships that exist between texts and the contexts within which they are written, received and understood. Across the course, students will study texts both diachronically (produced across a very broad time period) and synchronically (produced within a clearly defined time period). The course consists of two categories of study: ‘Love through the Ages’ and ‘Modern Times: Literature from 1945 to the present day’. In the first category, students will study the following texts: ‘Othello’ by William Shakespeare ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F Scott Fitzgerald AQA Pre-19th century poetry anthology In the second category they will study the following: ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ by Tennessee Williams ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ by Margaret Atwood ‘Feminine Gospels’ poetry collection by Carol Ann Duffy. Students will also study ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ by William Shakespeare as part of an independent critical study.