Scottish Literature

Scottish literature is a field of extraordinary richness and range, encompassing writing in three languages, English, Scots and Gaelic, across more than a thousand years of literary history. From the medieval makars and the poetry of Robert Burns to the fiction of Robert Louis Stevenson and the remarkable literary culture of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, Scottish writing has made distinctive and influential contributions to world literature. Studying it at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland's oldest and most internationally significant university, means engaging with this tradition at its source, with access to remarkable libraries, archives and a living literary culture.

This four-year full-time programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study in a different national literary context and to think comparatively about Scottish literature in relation to other traditions. You will develop skills in close reading, critical analysis and literary argument alongside a broad and deep knowledge of the Scottish literary tradition. You will engage with questions of national and cultural identity, with the relationship between language and literature, with the social and political contexts in which writing is produced, and with the contemporary literary scene in Scotland.

You will also encounter Scottish writing in dialogue with the broader traditions of British and world literature.

Graduates from Scottish literature move into careers in education, publishing, journalism, the arts, broadcasting, cultural policy, heritage and literary organisations. The analytical and writing skills developed through the degree are transferable across a wide range of sectors, and the specialist knowledge of Scottish culture and literature is particularly valuable in organisations engaged with Scottish cultural life. Many graduates also pursue postgraduate study in Scottish literature, English literature, creative writing, education or cultural studies.