We’re 2nd in the North West and 11th in the UK (The Guardian University Guide 2025 – English).
Lose yourself in the pages of great works of literature. Explore other worlds and periods of time. Fuel your love of the written word in all its forms on this degree, from Victorian fiction, Renaissance drama and Romantic poetry to American fiction and crime novels.
Embrace your love of stories, myths and narratives. Our English literature degree spans admired works from classic to contemporary. We’ll cover a range of fascinating literary periods, genres and topics to give you a broad understanding of literary history.
Do you want to know more about the impact of literature on society? How did the author’s history influence their use of language? This course will boost your critical thinking and develop analysis skills.
We’ll teach you how to interpret and evaluate what you read. At the same time, we’ll ask you to apply these approaches to literary texts. With optional module choices you’ll dip into genres like Renaissance drama, children’s literature and Romanticism.
During this degree, you’ll develop the essential communication skills that employers are looking for. Unlock the potential for many fulfilling careers in publishing, journalism, the public and voluntary sectors and more.
Year 1 of this degree surveys 3,000 years of literary history. Our literature modules go through classic works and popular writing, diving into Greek mythologies, Victorian novels and modern comic books. You’ll develop your analytical abilities looking at poetry, prose and drama and reframe your approach to reading. We’ll teach you research skills that will set you up for the rest of the course and beyond.
Critical Theories is based around the study of critical essays which have had a lasting impact on literary studies. The module introduces you to significant and contemporaneous ideas in literary criticism which scholars still implement in the 21st century. The content of the module has been selected to highlight the difference in literary studies between reading for understanding and interpretive readings.
Module code: LIT1021
Credits: 20
Ways of Reading
Ways of Reading provides an overview of the skills and approaches necessary for the interpretation and evaluation of poetry, prose and drama. You will be introduced to a range of influential critical theories to literary texts from the early and mid 20th century. The module encourages you to make practical applications of these approaches to the primary literary texts.
Beyond Books 1 introduces you to the critical analysis of three narrative forms – the novel, the interactive story and sequential art – and to the elementary terminology, methodologies and critical debates found in narratological theory. You will become familiar with a range of interdisciplinary approaches to the interpretation of literary, interactive and graphic narratives.
Module code: LIT1015
Credits: 20
Beyond Books 2
Beyond Books 2 introduces you to the critical analysis of a variety of narrative forms – including film, tabletop roleplaying games, hypertext and interactive games – as well as the elementary terminology, methodologies, and critical debates found in narratological theory. You will become familiar with a range of interdisciplinary approaches to the interpretation of cinematic, hypertextual and interactive/ludic narratives.
Module code: LIT1016
Credits: 20
Form
Form outlines the formal features and development of poetry, prose and drama. The module is divided into three parts, enabling you to consider the formal developments, influences and historical/critical contexts which have shaped the development of literature from the Renaissance to the postmodern period. You will also consider how form is instrumental in providing meaning in a text.
Module code: LIT1025
Credits: 20
Literary History
Literary History introduces the development of English Literature. Beginning with the classical and biblical background which inspired examples of English Literature, the module will first focus upon international literature including examples of epic and lyric poetry and drama. You will then turn to the development of English literature from Shakespearean drama to Victorian lyric, before concluding with a consideration of how the novel has replaced the epic as a modern genre reflecting self and society.
Module code: LIT1024
Credits: 20
New Venture Creation
New Venture Creation introduces you to business planning and the development stages in business start-up. You will organise and evaluate theoretical perspectives in a practical setting, informing your future learning processes and outcomes. A key element of the module is a review of entrepreneurial skills and small business development through theoretical concepts of enterprise, self-employment and small business management. This module creates an awareness of emergent business types and their markets, the factors behind small business start-ups, entry routes, funding, and barriers. A practical element includes foundational steps towards a business start-up project which will require you to demonstrate key skill areas such as the development stages of business planning, communication, negotiation, self-management, and problem solving. The combination of these aspects will enable you to critically engage in academic thinking and writing about enterprise, evaluate business ideas, choose one main idea, strategically conceptualise that idea, and prepare a business plan and pitch for how the idea could be brought successfully to market.
Module code: BUS1054
Credits: 20
Language 1
Language 1 is ideal if you want to learn a new language, or further develop your current language skills, as an integrated part of this degree. You can study French, German, Arabic, Italian, Mandarin, Japanese or Spanish (subject to minimum numbers for your preferred language). Delivered at the Edge Hill Language Centre, the module will be taught in an interactive, communicative manner, using authentic materials in the target language. Emphasis will be placed on all four areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening. You will play an active role in the weekly two-hour classes, engaging in role-plays, short conversations, videos, authentic texts and listening materials. You will also be encouraged to reflect on your own learning needs. On enrolment to the module, you will complete a language induction form and be placed into a language level group appropriate for your prior knowledge of your chosen language. Please note, while we will endeavour to accommodate varying language levels per module, this is not always possible. While you can join the module with some prior experience of your target language, you will not be able to study a language you are already fluent or proficient in.
Module code: TLC1010
Credits: 20
We’ll explore specific periods and authors in Year 2. You’ll shape your degree by choosing the modules that support your interests. Choose from specific genres such as contemporary American literature or deepen your understanding of a single author. Design and develop your own ideas on an individual research project forming a mini dissertation and preparing you for your final year.
Contemporary American Literature enables you to study a range of significant contemporary American literature from post World War 2 onwards. The module enables you to examine a variety of ways in which America is imagined and constructed within fiction. You will explore how persistent figures, landscapes, and mythic concepts are engrained in American culture and embedded in the wider world’s imagination. Such concepts retain imaginative power because of frequent re-enactments in popular cultural productions. This module will trace the complex histories and fictional appropriations and discursive shifts that form these literary productions. The aim is to concentrate specific study on American fiction within its historical, social, cultural, political, critical and theoretical contexts.
Module code: LIT2057
Credits: 20
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Entrepreneurship and Innovation explores characteristics, behaviours, attributes, and skills of entrepreneurship as well as the whole process of innovation from idea to product development and the conditions that must be fulfilled for innovation to thrive. The module explores research from a number of areas to highlight the importance of factors such as social and economic capital, local and regional infrastructure and the role of government in enabling (or disabling) innovation. You'll develop your entrepreneurial skills, identifying opportunities and developing ventures. On top of this, you'll consider the risk environment including legal issues, funding issues, start-up and growth strategies. This module provides you with the ability to act entrepreneurially to generate, develop and communicate ideas, manage and exploit intellectual property, gain support, and deliver successful outcomes.
Module code: BUS2229
Credits: 20
Independent Project
Independent Project enables you to research and initiate a work-related project with an external agency. The project entails detailed familiarity with a cultural, public sector or voluntary organisation, a contribution to this organisation, the use of skills developed on the degree programme, and a final reflection and self-evaluation which looks ahead to your immediate and longer-term career plans.
Module code: HUM2000
Credits: 20
Literature Dissertation Project
Literature Dissertation Project provides an opportunity to study a topic of your choice in depth and develop your own ideas through individual research, culminating in the production of a 4,000-word long essay or ‘mini-dissertation’. The topic may develop a particular, pre-established interest or arise from a desire to study an issue or subject in more depth.
Module code: LIT2041
Credits: 20
Pilgrim’s Progress: British Children’s Literature from the 18th Century to the Present Day
Pilgrim’s Progress: British Children’s Literature from the 18th Century to the Present Day explores British children’s literature from its origins in the 18th Century. The module progresses through the Romantic period’s celebration of childhood and Victorian ambiguities about the angelic versus the feral child, to the Golden Age of the Edwardian period and beyond into territory darkened by war, overshadowed by the implications of empire, and the oncoming of adolescence. The module will analyse the relationships between children and adults, nature, animals, class, gender, family origins and sexuality, underpinned by theoretical and methodological approaches to the history and representation of childhood in literature.
Module code: LIT2046
Credits: 20
Renaissance Drama
Renaissance Drama explores the drama of the English Renaissance, a period of extraordinary civil and cultural change. The module evaluates the dramatic literary output of the reigns of up to ten monarchs beginning with the Tudors. The diversity of Renaissance drama will be acknowledged and the period problematised as much as it is defined. You will explore canonical and non-canonical drama by male and female authors. Central themes and concepts under study may include monarchy, rebellion, class, nationalism, religion, heresy, superstition, witchcraft, gender and sexuality, power and self-fashioning.
Module code: LIT2048
Credits: 20
Romanticism
Romanticism provides an introduction to texts, authors, genres and central themes from the first stirrings of what has been traditionally conceived of as the Romantic age in the 1760s, until the dawn of the Victorian age seventy years later. Poetry, the prose essay and the novel are all studied on this module.
Module code: LIT2050
Credits: 20
Special Author 1
Special Author 1 focuses on a single author (such as Hardy or Dickens) or a related group of authors (such as the Brontës) whose works are sufficiently extensive to merit a whole semester’s study. You will examine the author’s work in the light of recent critical and theoretical approaches to authorship and canonicity and develop an ability to theorise the relationship between an author and their literary work. You will acquire a specialist knowledge of a literary period and a major writer through examination of the author’s development in relation to relevant historical, cultural and literary contexts.
Module code: LIT2051
Credits: 20
Special Topic 1
Special Topic 1 enables you to begin to develop your independent research skills within a structure which provides a clear and continuing framework of support. The module will take you through weekly subject-based sessions to structured study of your chosen extended special subject research. You will have considerable choice of subject matter within three broad pathways which draw on current staff research specialisms. You will work towards producing a guided but independent research project, with specialist staff support.
Module code: LIT2059
Credits: 20
The Writer’s Life
The Writer’s Life introduces you to various creative industries (commercial, trade and independent publishing), fields of contemporary literary production and the role(s) of the creative writer within creative and cultural environments. The module also provides you with the opportunity to engage in professional practice via an independent project where you will negotiate the creation of a cultural artefact and/or cultural service or take an unpaid placement (organised by yourself) in a professional environment. All activities will be developed and encouraged via tutorials, lectures, seminars and workshops.
Module code: WRI2018
Credits: 20
Language 2
Language 2 is ideal if you want to learn a new language, or further develop your current language skills, as an integrated part of this degree. You can study French, German, Arabic, Italian, Mandarin, Japanese or Spanish (subject to minimum numbers for your preferred language). Delivered at the Edge Hill Language Centre, the module will be taught in an interactive, communicative manner, using authentic materials in the target language. Emphasis will be placed on all four areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening. You will play an active role in the weekly two-hour classes, engaging in role-plays, short conversations, videos, authentic texts and listening materials. You will also be encouraged to reflect on your own learning needs. On enrolment to the module, you will complete a language induction form and be placed into a language level group appropriate for your prior knowledge of your chosen language. Please note, while we will endeavour to accommodate varying language levels per module, this is not always possible. While you can join the module with some prior experience of your target language, you will not be able to study a language you are already fluent or proficient in.
Module code: TLC2000
Credits: 20
Understanding the context behind the words will help you form opinions and get involved in ongoing debates. You’ll compare and contrast key literary pieces to understand how styles change over time. Alongside this training you could hone your analytical skills with an individual research project or dissertation. Over the course of the year we’ll support your career development and get you ready for life after graduation.
Enterprise Management cultivates entrepreneurial skills, fostering innovation, creativity, and strategic thinking. It immerses you in real-world business contexts, promoting adaptability and resilience. Emphasising practical application you'll develop an understanding of the intricacies of entrepreneurship. You will refine your problem-solving and decision-making capabilities and explore theoretical frameworks with hands-on experiences. The module emphasises collaboration, communication, and risk management, equipping you with the skills and mindset needed for success in the ever-evolving landscape of entrepreneurship and enterprise.
Module code: BUS3079
Credits: 20
Hosting a Festival
Hosting a Festival enables you to make a direct connection between the subject matter of your degree and your plans a graduate career by engaging with workplace practice via a group project. This module provides the opportunity to work collaboratively to research, plan and initiate an in-house festival, aimed at a specific audience, while reflecting on and evaluating your ability to do so. Academic supervision and assessment is provided by the Department of English and Creative Arts while support is also available from the University’s Careers Centre. The module will equip you with a ready-made, experience-based case study of how you applied the knowledge and skills learned on your degree in a practical setting, providing valuable material for job applications, interviews and your CV.
Module code: HUM3000
Credits: 20
Literature Dissertation
Literature Dissertation provides you with the opportunity to study any topic of your choice in depth, developing your own ideas through individual research. The topic may be a particular interest of yours or arise from a desire to study an issue or subject relevant to English Literature in greater detail. You will plan, develop and write an individually conceived and researched independent critical investigation culminating in the production of an extended dissertation.
Module code: LIT3039
Credits: 40
Modernisms
Modernisms develops your understanding and appreciation of the key features of early 20th century movements in the literary arts. Discover the writers who tried to breathe fresh life into literature for an altered fast-paced world. You will examine periodicals, short stories, fiction and poetry as new styles of writing designed to reflect the realities and hopes of a modern world.
Module code: LIT3042
Credits: 20
Sense of an Ending
Sense of an Ending develops your understanding and appreciation of the key features of late 20th century and early 21st century movements in the literary arts. This module examines realism and experiments in contemporary writing from post-war developments in literary culture to present day. You will have the opportunity to consider creative narrative strategies adopted by writers interested in cultural politics and a rapidly changing society.
Module code: LIT3055
Credits: 20
Sexuality and Subversion
Sexuality and Subversion is devoted to the critical analysis of textual representations of sexuality and especially of same-sex desire and sexual dissidence in British prose. The module focuses mainly on the novel, but also on key autobiographical prose texts, from the 19th century to now (with particular focus on the 20th century). It problematises perceptions that sexual radicalism originated in the late 20th century by interrogating its earlier textual representation(s). Texts, their contexts, and relevant literary and cultural theories combine to reveal the changes and continuities in the textual representation of subversive and dissident sexualities and sexual identities over time.
Module code: LIT3050
Credits: 20
Special Author 2
Special Author 2 examines a single author or a related group of authors to consider their work in the light of recent critical and theoretical approaches to authorship and canonicity. You might look at Shakespeare, for example, within the context of the writer as a global phenomenon. You will acquire a specialist knowledge of a literary period and of a major writer through examination of the author’s development in relation to relevant historical, cultural and literary contexts.
Module code: LIT3049
Credits: 20
Special Topic 2
Special Topic 2 enables you to pursue independent research within a structure which provides a clear framework of support. The module will take you through weekly subject-based sessions to more independent study of your chosen extended special subject research. You will have considerable choice of subject matter within three broad pathways which draw on current staff research specialisms. You will work towards producing a significant independent research project, with specialist staff support.
Module code: LIT3054
Credits: 20
The Victorians at Work
The Victorians at Work recognises that Victorians saw literature as a form of social commentary. This period survey module explores Victorian prose and poetry that addressed the pressing social and cultural questions of the period, such as the impacts of industrialisation, urbanisation, scientific advance and secularisation. You will examine the work of a range of canonical and popular Victorian authors and place their writing in the relevant literary, cultural and historical contexts.
Module code: LIT3040
Credits: 20
The Writer at Work
The Writer at Work places creative practice within its cultural and industry context through a detailed case study. focusing on the career of a significant 20th or 21st century author, who may be working in a single literary genre or across several, including script, fiction, poetry, non-fiction or electronic media. Examples might include Alice Munro, Alasdair Gray, Caryl Churchil, Iain Sinclair. You are able to study a writer’s body of work in greater depth than is usual at this level, while also gaining insights into the author’s creative and professional practice in relation to the creative industries.
Module code: WRI3020
Credits: 20
Language 3
Language 3 enables you to build on and develop your previous language knowledge in French, German, Arabic, Italian, Mandarin or Spanish. You must have either studied the prior language module in the previous year or be able to demonstrate equivalent knowledge of your target language (though you will not be able to study a language you are already fluent or proficient in). The language levels available will be determined by the continuation of corresponding groups from the previous language module. You will gain the language skills necessary to become a more proficient user of the language. Classes will be taught in an interactive and communicative manner using authentic materials to promote meaningful communication. They will be conducted in the target language as much as possible. Emphasis will be on speaking and listening, with appropriate attention also being paid to other communication skills. Other work will include a variety of tasks which may be completed in the Language Centre.
Module code: TLC3000
Credits: 20
Optional modules provide an element of choice within the course curriculum. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by timetabling requirements. Some restrictions on optional module choice or combinations of optional modules may apply.
In addition to the optional module choices listed, it may also be possible to apply to study an alternative 20-credit module in Year 2 and/or Year 3, chosen from outside the course curriculum. Some restrictions on this elective module choice may apply.
How you'll study
Teaching and learning includes lectures and seminars, workshops, group activities, independent research and our online Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). As well as module and seminar tutors, we offer both personal tutors and year tutors who support you through your studies. The work undertaken on research projects underpins teaching throughout the department and ensures you are at the forefront of developments in your subject.
Timetables for your first week are normally available at the end of August prior to enrolment in September. You can expect to receive your timetable for the rest of the academic year during your first week. Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week. Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities.
How you'll be assessed
Emphasis is placed on work produced in your own time or formally presented in class. Typically, you can expect to be assessed on essays, short analyses, reports and close readings, oral presentations, blogs and group work.
In your final year you may choose to write a dissertation on a specialised literary theme, which you will research independently, with one-to-one support from an expert supervisor.
Who will be teaching you
We have a dedicated and enthusiastic team of English Literature tutors who also contribute to Masters programmes and the supervision of research students. Our staff are active in research in all taught subject areas, publishing books and articles on a regular basis. Several have been successful in winning national research awards from bodies such as the British Academy. The work undertaken on research projects underpins teaching throughout the department and ensures you are at the vanguard of developments in your subject.
Entry criteria
Entry requirements
Typical offer 112-120 UCAS Tariff points. No specific subjects are required.
Example offers
Qualification
Requirement
A Level
BBC-BBB.
BTEC Extended Diploma (or combination of BTEC QCF qualifications)
Distinction, Merit, Merit (DMM).
T Level
Overall grade of Merit.
International Baccalaureate (IB)
We are happy to accept IB qualifications which achieve the required number of UCAS Tariff points. Subject-specific requirements at Higher Level (HL) Grade 5 may apply.
Access to Higher Education Diploma
45 credits at Level 3, for example 15 credits at Distinction and 30 credits at Merit or 24 credits at Distinction and 21 credits at Merit. The required total can be attained from various credit combinations.
Please note, the above examples may differ from actual offers made. A combination of A Level and BTEC awards may also be accepted.
If you have a minimum of two A Levels (or equivalent), there is no maximum number of qualifications that we will accept UCAS points from. This includes additional qualifications such as Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), AS Levels that haven't been continued to A Level, and General Studies AS or A Level awards.
English language requirements
International students require IELTS 6.0, with a score no lower than 5.5 in each individual component, or an equivalent English language qualification.
If your current level of English is half a band, one band, or one-and-a-half bands lower, either overall or in one or two elements, you may want to consider our Pre-Sessional English course.
Should you accept an offer of a place to study with us and formally enrol as a student, you will be subject to the provisions of the regulations, rules, codes, conditions and policies which apply to our students. These are available at www.edgehill.ac.uk/studentterms.
Did you know?
If you join a full time undergraduate degree at Edge Hill University, we will guarantee you the
offer of a room in our halls of residence for the first year of your course.
The Department of English and Creative Arts is based in Creative Edge, a state-of-the-art £17million building offering highly contemporary facilities.
The £17 million Creative Edge building features a lecture theatre, seminar rooms, IT facilities and smaller tutorial spaces. It has everything you need to become a capable, versatile, creative writer and thinker. Creative Edge’s social learning spaces are ideal for passionate discussion with like-minded creatives.
You’ll develop the practical skills, analytical tools and confidence for wherever your creative flair and insight takes you.
2025/2026 part-time fee information will be added when available.
EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, as well as Irish nationals, may be eligible for the UK tuition fee rate.
Financial support
Subject to eligibility, UK students joining this course can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan from the Government to cover the full cost of tuition fees. UK students enrolling on the course may also be eligible to apply for additional funding to help with living costs.
Scholarships
We offer a range of scholarships, which celebrate the determination, commitment and achievement of our students. Many of our scholarships are awarded automatically. There are some however, where you will need to be involved in an application or nomination process. To find out more about our scholarships and check your eligibility, please visit our dedicated scholarships pages.
Money Matters
Please view the relevant Money Matters guide for comprehensive information about the financial support available to eligible UK students.
EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme may be eligible to apply for financial support. Irish nationals can ordinarily apply to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI).
If you are an EU student who does not have settled or pre-settled status, or are an international student from a non-EU country, please see our international student finance pages.
Your future career
This English literature degree helps you find your feet in many interesting industries. You’ll have the communication and analytical skills that can be applied, with or without extra training, to sectors such as:
publishing
journalism
library and archival work
media
heritage and museums
managerial work
teaching*
speech therapy*
*further training required
Some of our graduates go on to further their studies or research to specialise in a particular area or pursue an academic career. Previous English department graduates have secured fantastic roles such as:
Senior production editor
Communications assistant
Whole school literacy coordinator
Talent coordinator
Our students develop their communication skills and become refined critical thinkers. This course is a great foundation for a diverse range of careers and industries that require strong written and verbal communication.
Course changes
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, however our courses are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may necessitate alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses.
Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of professional bodies, revisions to subject benchmarks statements, to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.
Track changes to this course
Module changes - 31 May 2024
BUS1054 New Venture Creation, a new 20-credit optional module added to Year 1
BUS2229 Entrepreneurship and Innovation, a new 20-credit optional module added to Year 2
LIT1015 Beyond Books 1 changed from Compulsory to Optional
LIT1016 Beyond Books 2 changed from Compulsory to Optional
BUS3079 Enterprise Management, a new 20-credit optional module added to Year 3
Course features - 12 January 2024
International students can apply added as a course feature.
Module change - 1 September 2023
LIT3055 Sense of an Ending replaces LIT3043 Contemporary Literature in English. Module content and assessment methods remain the same.
WRI2018 - 9 May 2023
Assessment method amended from 25% practical/75% coursework to 100% coursework.
HUM3000 - 13 April 2023
Assessment method changed from Practical (20%), Coursework (80%), to Practical (30%), Coursework (70%).
LIT1021 - 13 April 2023
Assessment method changed from Coursework (100%), to Practical (40%) and Coursework (60%).
The Department of English and Creative Arts is based in Creative Edge, a state-of-the-art £17million building offering highly contemporary facilities.
