English

You have a passion for literature. We have a challenging course that will inspire your reading, and develop your critical and imaginative abilities.

Greek tragedy to contemporary poetry

Christopher Marlowe, William Wordsworth, Lord Byron, Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath, A S Byatt – throughout the centuries Cambridge has traditionally been associated with writers. That tradition continues today, but it’s not the only reason our students find studying English at Cambridge stimulating and rewarding.

"One of the best things about English is that it can incorporate lots of other subjects and interests. There’s plenty of room for individuality within the course, even whilst studying the compulsory papers." - Freya

Our course covers English literature from the Middle Ages to the present day, and on the way includes Greek tragedy. By ‘English’, we mean primarily the literature of the British Isles in English, but we also encourage you to study how English relates to other literatures, in particular post-colonial, American, international writing in English, and classical and modern European literature. You can explore some of the issues which have shaped our literature and language, such as English and European life and thought. You can also take papers on literary criticism and theory and opt to study a foreign language, or the literary uses of the English language.

If you think this sounds extraordinarily wide you’re right, but throughout the course you’ll have a great deal of freedom to focus on and develop your own interests. Within a literary period you could work in detail on particular texts, or find out how a particular genre changes in the course of a period, or study a single major author. Each student has a personal Director of Studies at their College, with whom they decide their course of study.

Entrance requirements

Whilst the most common A level subjects studied by our undergraduates include modern languages, history and classics, we welcome applicants with a broad range of academic backgrounds. However, we do require an A level in English Literature or English Language and Literature.

We also look for critical independence and intellectual promise, but the one essential qualification is a real passion for literature: you’ll have read widely, even voraciously, and well beyond your examination syllabus..

Teaching and resources

Our Faculty has been central in the development of the study of English as an academic subject – we were the first in the UK to encourage the study of English literature up to the present day – and continues to support some of the most eminent scholars and teachers.

Teaching is provided by a combination of Faculty lectures and seminars, and College-based supervisions and classes. The amount and quality of supervision is one of the greatest benefits of the English course at Cambridge: working either in small groups or even on an individual basis with your supervisor, you’ll have the opportunity to develop and put forward your own arguments and ideas, and explore in depth areas that particularly interest you.

All students have access to our excellent Faculty Library, as well as to their College libraries and the University Library. In addition to these, our web pages are updated frequently and include links to online resources. One of the features is a ‘virtual classroom’ for students taking the paper in Literary Criticism. Why not visit our website to try out some of our practical criticism exercises for yourself?

A wide choice of options

Over the first two years, Part I of the English course gives you a general foundation in the study of English literature, life and thought from the Middle Ages to the present day. The structure allows you both to experience the range of material and to focus on individual works, authors, genres or themes within the periods you study.

The third year (Part II), includes various options such as classical and other literatures, and the history of ideas. You can work on novels, films, lyrical and narrative poems, or a range of dramatic material extending from Aeschylus to Ibsen, Beckett and Tony Harrison. The choice of optional papers takes account of the recent expansion of ‘English’ literature to include postcolonial and related writing, and includes topics such as American Literature, Literature and Visual Culture, and Literature Written since 1979. Other papers focus on shorter historical periods than in Part I, or concentrate on one or two important writers. You may choose to engage directly with philosophical and theoretical issues in papers on moral and political thought, and on the history and theory of literary criticism. If your languages are good, you may want to take a paper from Modern and Medieval Languages, such as ‘Dante’ or ‘The Body’. You can also take papers from the Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic; and Classics courses.

Assessment

We’ve pioneered various different forms of assessment and 35 per cent of each Part can now be taken by non-examination methods. We normally assess Part I papers by written examinations taken at the end of your second year. However, many students submit a dissertation of 5,000 words (on a subject of their choice) instead of one exam, and a portfolio of three essays in place of another. In Part II there is a compulsory dissertation of 7,500 words on a topic of your choice, and you can offer a second dissertation in place of a written exam. In both Parts it’s possible to submit your own original compositions which could be critical or creative writings. These can play a part in the overall assessment of your performance in the course.

A chance to be creative

Many of our students are actively involved in creative writing and in both Parts of the course you may submit your own original work. Although the Faculty doesn’t give formal classes in creative writing, there are practising poets and novelists among our members. Through the Judith E Wilson Fund, we support a poet or playwright in residence who frequently offers workshops, and we organise lectures and readings by a wide range of leading writers, producers and visiting lecturers. In the past these have included novelist Jeanette Winterson, poet Denise Riley, film and theatre director Nicholas Hytner, novelist and scriptwriter Hanif Kureishi, poet Kamau Braithwaite, and poet and critic Professor Geoffrey Hill.

Within the University, there are a number of prizes for poetry and prose writing (open to all Cambridge students) and you can take advantage of the opportunity of writing for the student newspaper, Varsity, a training ground of many now-established writers and journalists. On the other hand, if you’re a budding actor, the ADC Theatre may become your second home (after the Faculty Library of course).

And after English?

Well-known figures such as Jeremy Paxman, Emma Thompson, Quentin Blake and Sam Mendes show the varied and successful paths that our English graduates follow.

A significant number (about 10 per cent) choose to do research, while many more use the analytical and communication skills they develop here in careers ranging from journalism to jazz, and including publishing, teaching, the legal professions, finance and management consultancy. And some, of course, become writers and actors.

Course outline

Part I A broad sweep of English Literature Years 1 and 2 You take seven papers, some of which are taught throughout the two years while others are taught in one particular term. Two papers are compulsory: English Literature and its Contexts, 1300–1550 The Plays and Poetry of Shakespeare The remaining five are chosen from the following: English Literature and its Contexts, 1500–1700 English Literature and its Contexts, 1688–1847 English Literature and its Contexts, 1830–Present Literary Criticism European Languages and Literatures English Language for Literature, 1300–Present English Literature and its Contexts, 1300–Present (an open dissertation) Early Medieval Literature and its Contexts, 1066–1350 In addition, one of your seven papers can be from four options borrowed from the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic: Insular Latin Language and Literature; Old Norse Language and Literature; Medieval Welsh Language and Literature; Medieval Irish Language and Literature.

Part II Developing and extending your own interests Year 3 There are two compulsory papers: Practical Criticism The Comparative Study of Tragedy in Literature, Art and Music from Classical Greek Drama to the Present. There’s also a compulsory dissertation of 7,500 words on a topic of your choice. For your other two papers, you can choose from a wide range of options. These papers change from time to time but usually include papers on: American Literature The History and Theory of Literary Criticism The English Moralists Post-Colonial and Related Literature. You can ‘borrow’ papers from other courses as well, such as Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic; Modern and Medieval Languages; and Classics. The full list of options can be seen on the Faculty‘s website.