English Literature

Course summary

A-level English Literature enables you to read widely in texts from different genres and periods and to achieve an informed response through discussion, presentation and writing. You will study the big themes in life: love and death, light and shade, and everything important in between, reading some of the best books ever written and reflecting on some of the best stories ever told. Studying English Literature at A-level is not something that happens merely in the classroom but is a set of skills and experiences of real and transferable use in the wider world. You will gain the control to express yourself clearly and confidently in an increasingly inarticulate culture, exploring the world anew through a fresh set of perspectives. English Literature at A-level balances a strong grounding in the core of English literature with the chance to explore or specialise in modern literature, literature from around the world, aspects of English language and related intellectual traditions such as aesthetics, gender studies, history, linguistics, philosophy and psychology.