English Literature

Course summary

WHY STUDY ENGLISH LITERATURE? Students will study a broad range of English literature, including Shakespeare and dystopian literature, gaining a wide understanding of poetry, prose and drama from across time and place. Not only will students develop the analytical skills they gained at GCSE, but they will also learn how to construct an argument supported by literary criticism and contextual knowledge. Lessons will also allow students to develop their ability to discuss and debate their conceptual and personal interpretations of texts, skills which are vital for university. CONTENT OF THE COURSE: Students will study Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and George Orwell’s 1984 for their Comparative and Contextual Study paper on Dystopian literature. This unit also requires students to research the dystopian genre and the contexts of their set texts. They will also read dystopian fiction beyond the classroom to prepare for the unseen extract element of this paper. For the Drama and Poetry pre-1900 examination, students will study a play by Shakespeare and compare pre-1900 drama with poetry; for example, students might compare work by Chaucer with Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband. Students will also complete two pieces of written coursework, one of which will be a comparative essay.