English Literature

Course summary

In A Level English Literature, there are two broad themes: ‘Love through the Ages’ and ‘Texts in Shared Contexts - Modern Times: 1945 to the present day’. In Year 12, for ‘Love through the Ages’ students will study the novel form before studying Shakespeare’s Othello, Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and an anthology of pre-1900 poetry. Students will start to read for and write their Non Examined Assessment, which will require them to choose two texts (one of which must be pre-1900) and write a comparative essay on a theme of their choice. In Year 13, students will study ‘Modern Times: 1945 to the present day’; Feminine Gospels, a collection of poetry by Carol Ann Duffy; and compare The Color Purple to A Streetcar Named Desire. Successful students have a love of reading and an analytical mind, and are prepared to engage in extended writing and classroom discussion.