English Literature (Q66)

English literature is a broad, accessible and stimulating subject. If you are interested in reading between the lines and being challenged by new ideas and ways of seeing, then this course is for you. You'll study an exciting range of texts from many different periods and settings, including novels, drama and poetry, and discover multiple approaches for reading and interpreting them. You'll take a fresh look at familiar texts, and this will help you encounter new texts and ideas with confidence. You'll also develop your skills of analysis and communication.

Key features of the course

• Learn how to analyse a wide range of texts, including novels, drama and poetry

• Discover the historical and cultural contexts that have shaped English literature

• Explore the work of famous authors alongside lesser-known but equally fascinating writers

• Have the option of studying creative writing or English language alongside English literature

• Develop advanced skills in analysis, evaluation, communication and critical thinking that are highly valued in the workplace

Course Modules

This English literature degree has three stages, each comprising 120 credits.

In Stage 1, you’ll encounter a variety of different times and places and engage with some fascinating people, artworks, ideas and stories. This broad foundation in cultural analysis will help you develop the skills and the confident, open approach you need to tackle more specialist literature modules at Stages 2 and 3.

In Stage 2, you'll take a behind-the-scenes look at how stories are made and interpreted across a diversity of periods, from Shakespeare to Ali Smith. You'll analyse and respond to novels, dramas, poems, fairy tales, and short stories, discovering new ways of reading literature.

In Stage 3, you can focus on two different periods in English literature: from Shakespeare to Jane Austen and from Dickens to the present day. Studying both will provide you with an advanced knowledge of a very wide chronological span of English literature. Alternatively, you can study one of the period-based modules and another that focuses on either creative writing or English language and creativity.