English Literature

Course summary

The English Literature A Level gives students the chance to attain a broad overview of literature through the ages and across genres. It prepares students to study English Literature at degree level and allows them to choose an area of literature that they are passionate about. It incorporates several other subject areas, such as history, philosophy, theology, science, sociology, drama and politics and would marry well with any of these subjects. For the A Level you will study: Drama – either features of a comedy or tragedy, with focus on a Shakespeare play e.g Othello/Twelfth Night and one other play (such as A Streetcar Named Desire or The Importance of Being Ernest). Prose – you will compare a modern and pre-20th century text with a shared theme, such as Women and Society or Science and Society, which allows for a contextual overview of how women or science has changed over time and how this has been reflected in literature. Examples of texts you may study include The Handmaid’s Tale, Never Let Me Go, Tess of the D’Urbervilles and A Thousand Splendid Suns. Poetry – you will study Poems of the Decade – a book of 21st century poetry. In the exam, this will be compared with an unseen poem. The last examined component is the study of a particular poet or poetry movement, such as Christina Rossetti, The Romantics or Modernists. Finally, 20% of the grade is from coursework. For this, students choose a focal point and two related texts. There is scope here to be independent and undertake research, which is an essential skill for university. Students are also able to choose a drama text or a poetry text, if they wish. Examples of texts which students have compared are: • Americanah and Things Fall Apart, with a focus on the presentation of Nigerian culture. • Jane Eyre and The Wide Sargasso Sea, with a focus on female ‘otherness’. • Atonement and The History Boys, with a focus on the coming-of-age.