English Literature

Any A Level subjects can be combined. A Levels can also be studied alongside a BTEC Level 3 Certificate.

You will study an AS Level in the first year of this course.

AS and A Level English Literature provides students with an introduction to the discipline of advanced literary studies and presents opportunities for reading widely and for making creative and informed responses to poetry, prose and drama.

Develop your analytical and critical thinking through literature on our dynamic course. We use poetry, drama and prose texts to explore the philosophical, historical and psychoanalytical perspectives of some of the greatest writers in the English canon. What can fiction tell us about what it means to be human? How will our interpersonal relationships change as society becomes more technologically advanced? How important is literature in our increasingly technological world.

On this course you will:

• Study a wide variety of texts, covering the major literary genres of poetry, prose and drama
• Read a range of literature by a variety of authors in different historical periods, considering how the political, social and literary context can illuminate writers’ ideas
• Consider the use of structure, form and language in texts
• Enhance your analysis of different narrative techniques, evaluation of literary criticism and draw comparisons between different texts
• Develop your ability to research and cultivate a reasoned argument
• Have the chance to attend theatre trips, author talks, events and take part in creative and academic writing competitions

This course is ideal if you enjoy the thrill of a great book and are prepared to share your ideas, as well as have them challenged by others.

The AS qualification is assessed through two examinations: a Poetry and Drama exam, and a Prose exam. Assessment for the A Level qualification is assessed by coursework (20% of the final A Level grade) and three examinations (accumulatively 80% of the final A Level grade): a Drama exam, a Prose exam, and a Poetry exam.

What topics will I study?

You will study a wide variety of texts from different periods and genres, including poetry, prose and drama. Our aim is to give you breadth and experience, so expect to read a variety of literary forms and styles, written in different historical periods.

In the AS qualification (first year) you will study:

• A 20th Century American play: Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire
• A selection of twenty 21st Century poems from the Poems of the Decade anthology
• Two novels connected by the theme of ‘science and society’:

      o A 19th Century novel: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

      o A 21st Century novel: Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go

In the A Level qualification (second year) you will study:

• Key postcolonial theories which describe the long-lasting effects of colonialism and Empire. You will choose two texts from a set list of postcolonial novels, which you will use to write a 2500-3000 word comparative coursework essay.
• A Shakespeare play: Othello
• The Romantics – we study the historical, cultural, and philosophical tenants of Romanticism. We analyse a selection of poems from five key poets of the movement from the English Romantic Verse anthology: Blake, Wordsworth, Byron, Shelley and Keats.
• Unseen poetry – we learn how to approach and analyse unseen poetry and compare it with taught poems from the Poems of the Decade anthology we studied in the first year.
• We revise the play and novels that you studied in the first year, as we are also assessed on these texts for the A level qualification.

What experiences will I get?

During the course there will be a number of opportunities for you to take part in enrichment such as theatre trips, author talks, film screenings, lectures and events such as National Poetry Day.

What can I study alongside this course?

This course can be combined with others and goes particularly well with other Humanities and Arts subjects.

Next steps: You could go on to university level education, and/or a range of careers. English Literature is highly regarded by universities, and particularly sought after due to the academic writing skills you will develop on the course.

You will need eight GCSEs at grade 4 or above (including English Language and Maths).

You will have access to a university-style lecture theatre which we use for revision lectures, film screenings and events. Our Learning Resource Centres (LRCs) give you access to books, articles, journals and electronic resources to help you with your studies.

There are some costs of materials and resources.