English Literature

Course summary

This is a skills-based approach to exploring range of texts, including poetry, drama, and prose from different social, political and historical contexts. The course aims to develop an understanding and appreciation of British literature and develop personal responses to texts, as well as students’ ability to critically analyse and evaluate a range of texts. There is also a significant comparative element to the course which challenges students to interpret texts from different contexts and draw links between them. Students will be exposed to a range of genres and writers, and challenged to become critical readers, exploring the methods that writers use to engage, intrigue, and convey messages to their readers. The course will cover: • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley • The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood • A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams • Othello by William Shakespeare • Selected Poems by Christina Rossetti • Poems of the Decade poetry anthology You’ll enjoy this course if you like reading, but also if you enjoy learning about great characters and plots. You’ll enjoy it if you like working out meaning behind language and how writers get across their ideas to have an impact on you – the reader – or an audience.