English Literature

Our BA English Literature is truly global and politically engaged, offering a wide range of module choices from different places, cultures & historical periods. Studying English Literature at Essex will revolutionise the way you think about literature. We'll challenge you to reflect on how literature shapes, and is shaped by, the world.

Drawing on key texts and ideas, you'll develop critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills that will help you make your own mark. Our BA English Literature is truly global and politically engaged, offering a wide range of module choices from different places, cultures and historical periods. You will study everything from foundational texts and authors, including The Epic of Gilgamesh , Dante and Ovid, through to the most challenging contemporary texts from the last decade.

You'll ask and answer important questions. What did love, death and race mean in the Renaissance? What is the legacy of slavery in the Americas and how is this reflected in different genres of writing?

How did suffragettes change the world and its literature? Whether it's dystopian fiction, the Caribbean origins of zombie narratives or the issue of human and non-human rights in a digital age, we'll ensure you pursue your interests to the fullest and that you'll be supported by experts in the field.