ENGLISH LITERATURE

Course summary

Studying English Literature has its benefits for future studies, employment and personal development. All courses and employers look at English as being an essential component of an employable person. You will study a wide range of novels, plays and poetry, from modern literature to texts written up to 500 years ago. Learning about the importance of context and how a writer’s background, contemporaries and the society they lived in have all influenced their writing. You will learn to analyse at a much deeper level than required at GCSE, and be encouraged to be creative and intuitive in your response to texts. WHAT WILL I STUDY? Along with aspects of literary theory and criticism, you will develop an understanding of the layers of meaning in literature, and how themes are introduced and explored. You will be encouraged to research independently and apply your wider knowledge to the study of set texts and the wider world of literature. WRITERS WE WILL EXPLORE • F. Scott Fitzgerald • Shakespeare • Alice Walker • Ian McEwan • Owen Sheers • A variety of poets By the end of the course, you will be responding to literary work with critical perception and sophistication.