English Literature

Course summary

If you enjoy reading and exploring writers’ ideas and techniques, then this is the course for you. English Literature introduces you to great writers who open your mind to new ideas and ways of thinking. It gives you the chance to explore feelings, themes and context through the study of a wide range of literary texts: poems, plays and novels. Component 1: Drama In this unit, you will study a Shakespeare play and a modern drama with the focus on either tragedy or comedy. Texts may include Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ and Tennessee Williams’ ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’. Component 2: Prose The texts you will read in this part of the course will share a theme, for example, ‘Women and Society’. At least one text will be written before 1900. Component 3: Poetry Students are required to study two selections of poetry; one specified post2000 poetry text and either one specified selection of poems from one pre- or post-1900 text. This will be either a single named poet or a literary movement.