English Literature

English Literature at Winchester pushes the boundaries of the discipline, giving you the opportunities to enjoy a thought-provoking mix of traditional and modern materials. From Chaucer to rap poetry, you can choose from almost 800 years of the best writing in English on a course that fires your imagination, sharpens your own written and communication skills and allows you to think critically and creatively about literature and much more beside.

Guided by our supportive teaching staff, who are all part of the university’s thriving literary research culture, you study the ideas of the most exciting critical thinkers in contemporary cultural debate, using innovative learning and teaching methods. And there’s the flexibility to add to your study of literary texts with modules in English Language and/or Creative Writing.

Year 1 provides the foundations for your studies of literature with modules designed to develop your skills of critical analysis, research, and writing. This is achieved through the study of a wide range of fiction, poetry, and drama from across the historical periods. You will study early literature in its context, explore the boundaries between literature and other types of texts like films, and have modules on poetry and world literature.

After the first year, the majority of modules are optional, allowing you to engage with the writers and movements that most inspire you.

In Year 2, you can choose from all the major literary figures and movements, from Shakespeare to modern fiction. Modules examining American literature and Film, and Children’s Literature and Young Adult Fiction are also available.

In Year 3, a specific collection of writing, a particular theme or critical theory is considered in detail and a wide variety of topics exist. These include Literature and Psychoanalysis, Other Worlds and Fantasy Fiction, Utopian and Dystopian Fiction, and modules from our vocational suite such as Teaching and Communicating English. Modules here tend to be closely related to the research interests of teaching staff and engage with cutting-edge developments in the discipline. In your final year you will also be guided through personal tutorials to complete a dissertation in a subject area of your choice.

A degree in English Literature opens many doors. A range of highly transferable qualities, including analytical thinking, evaluative and research skills, self-discipline, and effective written and spoken communication, enables you to excel in a variety of fields not just confined to the arts. Graduates have gone on to become teachers, lecturers, journalists, writers, actors, publishers and producers.