English and Comparative Literature (Including Placement Year)

Take yourself on a literary adventure around the world. Our BA English and Comparative Literature offers a unique opportunity to explore English literature alongside writings from across the globe, both in English and in translation. We place the study of English firmly in the global context from which it emerges, and explore the ways in which English interacts with the literatures of Europe, the US, Caribbean and beyond.

Deepen your knowledge of literary traditions and movements across a variety of genres in order to develop your skills as a reader and to sharpen your critical intelligence. Studying different literary traditions from around the world and across history enables you to understand literary movements and developments in their global context, whether in relation to the evolution of the epic, the novel or poetry.

From ancient texts to contemporary literature, from US literature to Petrarch and the English Imagination, our course provides the chance to immerse yourself in a wide range of topics, whilst also providing the opportunity to focus on a specialist area of your choice. Topics covered include:

US and Caribbean Literature

Modern Literature

Petrarch and the English Imagination

The Victorians

Essex has nurtured a long tradition of distinguished writers whose work has shaped literature as we know it today, from past giants such as the American poets Robert Lowell and Ted Berrigan, to contemporary writers such as mythographer and novelist Dame Marina Warner, and Booker Prize-winner Ben Okri.

Your degree in literature takes place in the Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies, which is home to a variety of Academic disciplines. You will have the opportunity to benefit from seminars, lectures and events from all the disciplines available in the department. These include film studies, drama and theatre studies, creative writing and journalism.