English Literature and Drama

English literature and drama is a combination that explores two art forms which have always been in conversation with each other. Literature is the art of language, the novel, the poem, the essay, and the story told in all their forms. Drama is the art of performance: the text that becomes live action in the presence of an audience.

Studying them together means tracing the overlaps and tensions between these modes, understanding how stories move between page and stage, and developing the critical and creative vocabulary to engage with both written and performed works. The combination cultivates skills in close reading, critical analysis, and aesthetic response that are among the most transferable a degree can offer.

At the University of East Anglia, English literature and drama is taught in an institution with a distinctive and celebrated culture of creative and critical engagement. UEA's English department is internationally known for the quality of its literary scholarship and creative writing, and this reputation shapes the intellectual atmosphere in which the programme is taught. The drama dimension draws on the vibrant performing arts culture of the institution and the wider cultural life of Norwich.

The typical entry tariff of 120 points reflects a programme that values genuine engagement with texts and performance, read widely, think carefully, and write clearly, as its core expectations. You will study dramatic literature alongside fiction, poetry, and criticism, and you will engage with the theory and history of both forms.

Graduates of English literature and drama go on to careers in publishing, journalism, teaching, arts administration, theatre, broadcasting, film and television, writing, marketing and communications, and the civil service. The skills the combination develops, close attention to language, the ability to construct and communicate arguments, and an understanding of how different forms of storytelling work, are foundational to professional life in any field that involves engaging seriously with language and ideas. Postgraduate study in English, drama, creative writing, or journalism is a common next step for those who want to develop their expertise.