The English department at Ashbourne is a colourful and thriving community enjoying small group sizes, inspirational staff and students who have a real and genuine enthusiasm for the subject. All of this makes for an extremely positive classroom environment coupled with lively and penetrating discussion. The course includes a wide variety of ancient and modern Literature and is split into the study of drama, poetry and prose. The teachers in the English department are highly passionate about their subject and pride themselves on their ability to transmit their passion, enthusiasm and interest to the students. In addition to studying the syllabus, students will be involved in an ongoing wider reading project, attend poetry readings and will experience the richness and variety of London’s many theatrical venues.

Why study English Literature?

This A Level is an ideal choice for anyone who loves reading and books. Literature and is interested in the big questions affecting human existence. It is also a highly respected A Level that can be instrumental in helping students gain university places in a variety of subjects. Students will also gain a great deal of academic prowess through a subject that promotes the development of transferable skills. English students are taught to think analytically, consider different interpretations and listen and respond to one another sensitively in preparation for the seminar style environment they are likely to find at university. One of the most important skills they learn is how to write coherently and critically. This is an essential skill that will aid them in their other subjects and is invaluable in higher education and the world of employment.

Which syllabus do we follow?

We follow the Edexcel specification for English Literature.

How many units are there?

There are four units in total: two at AS and two at A2

What is each unit about?

Unit 1

AS unit 1 is called ‘Explorations in Prose and Poetry’.
 Section A is a choice of either unseen poetry or unseen prose; this is aimed to challenge students to make relevant technical analyses of a piece they will not have seen before.

Section B involves answering questions on the prescribed anthology of poetry. In this case, poems on the theme of “land’ will be taken from the The Oxford Anthology of English Poetry. These poems span nearly two centuries and cover poets as diverse as William Wordsworth, T.S. Eliot and Philip Larkin. The strength of the anthology is that it provides a sound overview of the tradition of writing about land in English poetry.

Section C involves answering questions on two prescribed novels. The core literary heritage novel will be Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and the supplementary novel will be The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter. Students will be asked to pick out themes between the two texts and identify various possible interpretations.

Unit 2

AS unit 2 is called ‘Explorations in Drama’. This is a coursework unit and it requires students to answer a set question of approximately 2000 words on two pieces of Renaissance Drama. The plays currently studied at Ashbourne are Shakepeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Christopher Marlowe’s The Jew of Malta. Students are expected to write fluently and clearly, making structured and sophisticated arguments in their analysis of the two plays. They will be guided by the teachers to make their own critical observations, but will also be afforded plenty of room to establish their own ideas and engage in independent research. Students are also required to write a creative critical response of about 500 words in which they will explore the two plays in a fresh and innovative way in order to further deepen their analytical understanding of the texts.

Unit 3

A2 unit 3 is called ‘Interpretations of Prose and Poetry’. In this unit students will be encouraged to build on the skills they have developed in AS. They will engage with recently published texts as well as other texts from different periods. In particular, they must respond critically to at least one text published after 1990. They are expected to comment on unseen prose or poetry and their response will be informed by the reading skills they have developed through their course as a whole. They will compare and contrast texts from different genres. Their independent responses will be informed by an appreciation of the contexts in which texts are written and read and by the interpretations of other readers over time.

The current texts available for this unit are: Metaphysical Poetry (anthology), F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and Carol Ann Duffy’s recent collection of poetry Rapture. These three texts in conjunction provide expansive material for comparison and are themed around issues arising from love and relationships. In addition to the set texts, students will also be taken through the history of love poetry and will read and discuss a selection of classical authors ranging from Plato to Petrarch and exploring concepts of courtly love, mediaeval passions and modernist aesthetics.

Unit 4

A2 unit 4 is called ‘Reflections in Literary Studies’. This unit allows teachers to be flexible in assigning a coursework title unrestrained by date requirements or genre. Students will be given the breadth and freedom to design their own question, undertake their own research and produce a unique piece of writing.

All students will be taught William Shakespeare’s King Lear, and will then be encouraged to develop their own writing project. This unit is an excellent introduction to the kind of work that will be expected of students at university and fosters creativity and independent learning.

How is each unit examined?

Unit 1

Students sit a two hour, fifteen minute examination. There will be questions on each of the three main areas covered.

Unit 2

This is a coursework unit. Students will be expected to produce a response of 2000 words.

Unit 3

Students will sit a 2 hour 45 minute examination.

Unit 4

Students will produce a coursework folder, maximum words 2500-3000

When do the exams take place?

The unit 1 examination can be taken in January or June. Coursework must be submitted by May. Students will have opportunities to resit AS units in January of their A2 year. Unit 3 will be sat in June of the A2 year and coursework submitted before Easter of the A2 year.

Who teaches the course?

Arabella Bridge
(BA Hons, Open, PGCE, Sussex.)

Arabella has led a successful English Department at Ashbourne for nearly ten years. The department started with a handful of students and is now one of the largest in the College. Arabella took a BA in English Literature before pursuing postgraduate studies at NYU. She gained a PGCE from the University of Sussex and has over twenty years experience of teaching. Arabella, as one might expect from an English teacher, is a keen theatergoer and an avid reader.

James Wykes
(MA Modern Literatures in English, Birkbeck; BA Hons English Literature, University of Wales; PGCE in English, King’s College London.)

After working in two well-known London colleges, James joined us in 2007. In his first year he made an outstanding contribution as Head of GCSE and has exceeded that performance in his role as Assistant Director of Studies. He is passionate about learning and plays a key role in the integration of English and Drama. Together with Breanne Grantham, he has inspired students to produce our first college newspaper, The Ashbourner, and is now one of the driving forces behind our Annual Christmas Revue.

Breanne Grantham
[MA English Literature (York), BA Hons English and French, BEd (Queen's University, Ontario, Canada), Diplome Annuel (Universite Paris IV - Sorbonne)]

Breanne was educated at Queen’s University, Canada and the Sorbonne University in Paris, and holds a Masters degree in English Literature from the University of York. She joined Ashbourne in 2005 as Head of GCSE and is currently an Assistant Director of Studies, teaching A Level English Literature, English Language, and History of Art. She is passionate about engaging students’ interest and encouraging them to develop their enthusiasm for literature and art history both in and outside the classroom. Recently, she helped organise the first English Department trip to Stratford-upon-Avon and together with James Wykes, has inspired students to produce our first College newspaper.

Beyond A Level for English Literature Students

English Literature is a highly regarded A Level that can take students onto almost any course of study. It is an essential choice for students considering an English degree, but would be a good option for students considering Humanities subjects, languages or Law. It could lead onto many careers the most obvious of which are Law, Journalism, Business Management and Publishing.

Any other information

Students studying English Literature need to have a very high standard of written and spoken English and should love reading talking and thinking about how we express our humanity through language.

Textbooks

AS

Title - The Merchant of Venice
Author - William Shakespeare
Web link - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Merchant-Venice-Penguin-Shakespeare/dp/0141013958/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276781602&sr=8-2a

Title – The Jew of Malta
Author - Christopher Marlowe
Web link - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jew-Malta-New-Mermaids/dp/071367766X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276781738&sr=8-1

Title - Jane Eyre
Author - Charlotte Bronte
Web link - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jane-Penguin-Classics-Charlotte Bront%E2%88%9A%C2%B4/dp/0141441143/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276781792&sr=8-2

Title - The Magic Toyshop
Author - Angela Carter
Web link - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Magic-Toyshop-Virago-modern-classics/dp/0860681904/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276781842&sr=8-1

Title - The Oxford Anthology of English Poetry Volume II.
Web link - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oxford-Anthology-English-Poetry-II/dp/0192804227/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276781920&sr=8-1

A2

Title – Rapture
Author - Carol Ann Duffy
Web link - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rapture-Carol-Ann-Duffy/dp/0330433911/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276782283&sr=1-2

Title - The Great Gatsby
Author - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Web link - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Gatsby-Penguin-Popular-Classics/dp/0140620184/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276782183&sr=1-1

Title - Metaphysical Poetry (an anthology published by Penguin)
Web link - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Metaphysical-Poetry-Penguin-Classics-Christopher/dp/014042444X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276782225&sr=1-1

Title - King Lear
Author – William Shakespeare
Web link - http://www.amazon.co.uk/King-Lear-Penguin-Shakespeare-William/dp/0141012293/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276782271&sr=1-2