MA English Literature

MA English Literature is an open and flexible programme designed to give you the possibility of exploring the full diversity of English literature.

We want you to join in the debates over the nature of literature, the future of English literature, and the past and new cultural experiences of writing and communication which are shaping our lives, with our team of active researchers and committed teachers. We see research as a public activity, and the course offers ways in which to explore the research process as engagement in the cultural conversation.

Our modules offer the opportunity to research a diverse range of literary periods and forms – from the Early Modern to Contemporary fiction, engaging with genres including historical fiction, fantasy literature, modernism, e-writing, and film. The MA also explores a wide range of critical and theoretical approaches, including historical and textual analysis, ethical reading, cognitive poetics, and critical theory.

This course will:

• Enable you to analyse and interrogate literary, critical and theoretical texts
• Help you present your ideas in a convincing and structured way to a range of audiences, both academic and non-academic
• Allow you to discuss and argue in an informed, thoughtful and sensitive way, including the ability to compare critical approaches and different methodologies
• Enhance skills in high-level academic writing, including the construction of an argument, knowledge of a wide field of debate, and persuasive and lucid written communication
• Develop independent research, including compiling bibliographies, understanding the range of academic tools and use of the internet or research