English Literature

Course summary

The syllabus celebrates literature in all its forms, allowing a wide variety of texts and periods to be taught over two years. The course includes traditional texts from the Literary Canon, such as Hamlet and Paradise Lost, as well as modern classics such as Beloved, The Great Gatsby, A Streetcar Named Desire and The Handmaid’s Tale. The coursework component, which focuses on post-1900 texts, is often the most popular. Recent choices include White Teeth, The Bell Jar, Equus, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, The Wasteland, Fleabag and the lyrics of Bob Dylan to name a few. The step up from GCSE to A level is substantial; students learn to incorporate contextual factors and critical perspectives into their writing. We look at texts in their wider context of literary theory and scholarly debate, leading to a more holistic understanding and an enriched appreciation of the concept of Literature.