English Literature

Course summary

The course engages students in a study of a broad range of literary texts from different time periods and genres. Exploration of some of these texts will engage students in the exploration of how the theme of love is presented in literature from across the ages whilst others will encourage them to consider how the First World War was presented by writers writing both during and after the conflict. Year 12 Students will read, discuss and analyze Shakespeare’s play “Othello”, a selection of pre-1900 love poetry and a prose text which may be either “Jane Eyre”, “The Great Gatsby” or “Atonement”. A consideration of how the theme of love is treated by writers across the ages will be undertaken using these texts. Understanding of these will be assessed by a terminal examination at the end of the course. Year 13 A variety of texts written during and after the First World War will be studied, to include “Regeneration,” “My Boy Jack” and the poetry collection “Up the Line to Death.” Again, understanding of these will be assessed by a terminal examination at the end of the course. Students will also complete a coursework assignment, which will engage students in a personal critical study where they must compare two texts, negotiating their choice of texts and essay titles with their Literature teachers.