English Literature/French

English literature and French is a degree that combines two of the richest literary and cultural traditions in the Western world, engaging with texts in two languages and developing the analytical and critical skills that close reading demands in both. English literature takes all writing in English as its subject, from medieval poetry to contemporary fiction, examining how texts work, what meanings they produce, and how they relate to their historical and cultural contexts. French brings another great literary tradition, from medieval romance and the theatre of Racine and Molière through the Enlightenment and Romanticism to the nouveau roman and contemporary francophone writing.

At the University of Glasgow you will study across five years on a full-time programme, including a sandwich year with work placement. You will explore all aspects of literature in English from early modern to postmodern, benefiting from expertise across American, Irish, and postcolonial literatures, critical theory, creative writing, and the relationship between literature and other arts, media, and science. The French strand develops your language skills to a high level alongside literary and cultural study, enabling you to engage with primary texts in French and to situate those texts in their historical and social contexts.

The programme is demanding: reading widely and writing precisely in two languages develops a kind of intellectual flexibility and cultural breadth that few other degrees can match.

Graduates of English literature and French enter careers across publishing, journalism, translation, education, the civil service, cultural organisations, and law. The language competence opens doors in international organisations, media, and any field where work involves French-speaking countries. Teaching, at both secondary and university level, draws on both disciplinary strengths.

Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in English, French, comparative literature, or translation, where the linguistic and critical skills developed at Glasgow provide an excellent foundation. The range of careers is wide, reflecting the exceptional intellectual versatility that the combination develops.