Comparative Literature and Film

Comparative literature and film studies together develop your ability to analyse stories told across different media, languages and cultures. Literature and film both construct narrative, create character and address the most fundamental human questions; studying them in comparison reveals both the shared conventions of storytelling and the distinctive possibilities that each medium offers. At Queen Mary University of London, this four-year full-time degree takes seriously the interdisciplinary nature of its subject, engaging with texts and films from across linguistic and cultural traditions and bringing the analytical tools of both literary criticism and film theory to bear on questions of history, politics, gender, identity and cultural representation.

You will read literary texts in translation and in the original languages you develop, study films from a wide range of national cinemas and genres, and develop skills in close reading, formal analysis, historical contextualisation and theoretical interpretation. The comparative dimension means you are constantly asked to think across boundaries, whether between literary and cinematic form, between different cultural traditions, or between different historical periods. Queen Mary's programme benefits from London's extraordinary range of film venues, archives, festivals and cultural institutions as well as the university's strong research profile in both literature and film.

A typical tariff of around 136 points is expected.

Graduates pursue careers in film and television, publishing, journalism, cultural criticism, arts management, museum and gallery work, education, broadcasting, international cultural organisations and academic research. The analytical and interpretive skills the degree develops are broadly transferable, and many graduates proceed to postgraduate study in film studies, comparative literature, cultural studies, translation or related fields.