Course summary

If you choose to study English Literature at Lancaster we will take you on an exciting journey through a vibrant array of authors, genres, historical periods, literary movements, techniques and critical approaches. We offer a degree that is intellectually stimulating, provides a wide variety of study choice and turns out graduates with excellent employment prospects. You can study writers dating from the middle ages to the present day, and choose genres and periods that particularly appeal to you. Some of the genres you may encounter include science fiction; gothic; utopia; world literature; the graphic novel; travel writing and slave narratives. You’ll discover a wide range of authors, from which could include classics such as Geoffrey Chaucer, John Milton, Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, Charlotte Bronte and Oscar Wilde and more modern and contemporary authors such as Virginia Woolf, Jean Rhys, Chinua Achebe, Samuel Beckett, Margaret Atwood, Jackie Kay and Carol Ann Duffy. Flexibility is built into our degree programme, meaning you can immerse yourself in English Literature or combine it with another complementary subject. Our academics are passionate about English Literature and they teach our courses from the first year onwards, meaning they are available to help you. Our keen emphasis on employment means you will develop professional skills as part of your studies. We offer a number of placement and internship opportunities, which could include classroom experience in schools, a short placement in a creative or heritage organisations and internship opportunities, as well as a separate placement year degree. There is a strong international emphasis to our work and you may have the opportunity to spend your second or third year at one of our prestigious partner universities. There may also be opportunities for short study trips.