Course summary

The MA in English Literature offers you the opportunity to focus on the areas of English literary studies that fascinate you, with modules covering literature from the medieval period to the present day. You can choose to study literature before 1800, as well as selecting from specialist modules in Creative Writing, Victorian Literature, and Modern and Contemporary Literature. This course will allow you to deepen your existing knowledge, discover new fields, and acquire the skills to enable independent research at an advanced level. You will explore how texts are created and are shaped for different readerships, developing your understanding of textual editing, book history, and material culture. You’ll also select from option modules, which allow for specialist study of an author, theme or genre. Here the topics can range from twenty-first century fiction, to Victorian novels, to Renaissance drama. On this MA, your dissertation can be in any period of English literature from the late medieval period onwards. If you have a strong record in carrying out research projects, you could choose to do an extended dissertation – this is often a route for students who want to continue to doctoral study or pursue a career with a particular emphasis on research skills. Whichever areas of English you choose to focus on during your time here, you will benefit from our excellent teaching, our fantastic library facilities, and high-quality academic support.