English Literature

English literature is the study of texts written in English across the full sweep of the tradition, from Old English poetry and medieval romance through the Renaissance, the Restoration, and the great novel-writing centuries to the diverse global literatures in English produced today. It is a discipline that develops close reading and critical interpretation as its central skills, training you to engage with language precisely and to think carefully about how texts work, what they mean, and how they relate to the historical, cultural, and social contexts from which they emerge. The study of literature is also an education in imaginative empathy, in the experience of encountering the world as it has been seen by others with very different experiences and perspectives.

At the University of Chester, this four-year degree includes a foundation year, which builds the reading, writing, and analytical skills needed to engage fully with degree-level literary study. Following the foundation year, you will read widely across English literature from the earliest periods to the present day, developing your skills in critical analysis, textual interpretation, and scholarly argument. You will engage with the major literary forms, including poetry, fiction, drama, and the essay, and with the critical and theoretical frameworks that inform contemporary literary scholarship.

Contextual studies situate the texts you read within their historical and cultural circumstances, and you will have opportunities to develop depth in particular periods or themes that interest you as the degree progresses.

Graduates from English literature programmes develop skills in reading, writing, and critical analysis that are valued across many professional fields. Publishing, journalism, and communications roles draw directly on the close reading and clear writing skills the degree cultivates. Education, at secondary and further education levels, is a major career destination, typically requiring an additional teaching qualification.

Heritage, library, and archive work, as well as roles in arts administration and the cultural sector, draw on the subject knowledge and analytical abilities of literature graduates. The civil service, law, management consultancy, and many other professional fields value the analytical and communication skills that a strong literature degree develops. Postgraduate study in English literature or creative writing is a common next step for those who want to pursue the subject further academically.