English Literature

Investigate identity, emotion, and society with our exciting English Literature degree

Study English Literature at St Mary's London to deepen your love of stories, discover new voices, and build career-ready skills through coursework grounded in real-world application. As an English Literature student, you'll engage in these skills by reading across genres, geographies, and time periods and learning to develop skills in critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity which will enable you thrive in the world beyond university.

The three pillars of our approach at St Mary’s focus on how:

• The ‘Humanities’ ignite possibility. In our English Literature courses, you’ll develop strong foundations in a subject you love and develop your critical understanding of the discipline.

• The ‘Humanities’ promote individual and collective flourishing. Your courses will empower you to be creative, engage, and develop cultural and artistic appreciation and expression.

• The ‘Humanities’ for Future Challenges. As an English Literature student you will be able to consider how your studies can be applied to a fast-changing world.

Our BA degree programme is designed to give you a comprehensive understanding of the history and development of literatures in English, covering topics and questions such as:

• What is the relationship between English renaissance history, poetry and theatre?

• To what extent is Gothic literature ‘subversive’ and why does that matter today?

• How did conceptions of gender develop from the nineteenth to the twentieth centuries in the novel?

• What is the relationship between senses and feelings in literature of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries?

• How does contemporary literature offer insight into who we are and the world around us?

Study amid vibrant literary history
St Mary’s shares its campus with Strawberry Hill House, the home of the Gothic imagination where Horace Walpole wrote the first Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto. Our BA in English Literature focuses on the humanities as an applied subject which is used to communicate knowledge across a range of media and contexts, and the course offers opportunities to work in collaboration with local heritage institutions.

Learn through real-world partnerships
Through various partnerships we hold in the humanities, you'll have the opportunity to see real-life applications of your learning through field visits and engaging assessments and in-class activities. Together we work to enhance your capacity to analyse literary sources and communicate your ideas, while encouraging you to consider the ways in which literature connects with other forms of media and offers insight into the contemporary world.

Expert teaching and support
St Mary’s English Literature is a close-knit community which supports students to express their own ideas, explore their creativity, and realise their ambitions. You'll learn in small seminar groups which emphasise discussion and debate as well as knowledge exchange. You'll be taught by literary specialists with expertise in a wide range of subject areas.

Learn in the capital
Studying at St Mary's gives you access to London's diverse literature scene and world-renowned libraries. You can visit places like:

• The British Library

• Shakespeare’s Globe

• The Sherlock Holmes Museum

• The George Inn

• Charles Dickens Museum.

Why St Mary’s?
You will gain skills and support to make a positive impact – for yourself and for others – through high-quality teaching, real-world experience, and a community that lifts each other up. Our campus is a London oasis – blending city energy with open green spaces to think, connect, and grow.

Most of the modules are assessed with essays and other written forms, supplemented, where appropriate, with examinations, presentations, and contributions to digital content such as blogs, wikis and the like.