Overview

The BA (Hons) English at the University of Exeter explores literature from the medieval period to contemporary writing, combining close textual study with historical, cultural and theoretical perspectives. The course encourages students to examine how literature reflects and challenges ideas about society, identity, power and human experience while developing strong analytical and communication skills.

What You'll Learn

• English literature from different historical periods, including works from before 1800 and modern writing.

• Literary criticism and theoretical approaches to interpreting texts.

• Poetry, including poetic form, language, history and interpretation.

• Novels and the development of narrative forms across different periods and cultures.

• Renaissance literature and its political, social and cultural contexts.

• Modernism, Romanticism and other major literary movements.

• Literature in relation to gender, race, empire, sexuality, identity and power.

• Creative writing and approaches to developing original literary work.

• Digital cultures, adaptation, film, comics and other relationships between literature and media.

• Independent research, academic writing, critical reading and effective communication. 

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to analyse literary texts using appropriate critical, theoretical and historical approaches. They will understand how literature develops within changing cultural and social contexts and be able to compare different interpretations of literary works. Students will develop the ability to conduct independent research, evaluate scholarly sources and construct clear, well-supported arguments. They will also be able to communicate complex ideas effectively in written and spoken forms, apply critical thinking to unfamiliar texts and, where selected, use creative approaches to develop original literary work. The course strengthens independent judgement, research ability and analytical understanding of English literature across diverse periods and forms.