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A Level English Literature

Prose, Poetry and Drama are the three pillars that make up the study of English Literature at A Level. You will study all three aspects and will compare texts, whilst considering the context in which they were written, as well as when they were set.

English Literature does involve a great deal of reading and writing analytically about the texts whilst taking into account the critical views of others. Being an avid reader is an essential skill for being successful in English Literature.

Do you think you have what it takes to be successful in this subject? To prepare yourself for further study and the start of your course you may want to undertake some of the following:

Reading

The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald (Prose)

Death of a Salesman – Arthur Miller (Drama)

Beloved – Toni Morrison (Prose)

King Lear – William Shakespeare (Drama)

The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde (Prose)

A Streetcar Named Desire – Tennessee Williams (Drama)

Additional Reading

Read an additional text from the writers above to experience more of their work. You will have already read something by Shakespeare as part of your GCSE, and it is possible you may have already come across Arthur Miller if you have studied The Crucible.

Watching/listening

Many theatre companies are offering free access to their productions of some of the plays listed above and many others

http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/

http://www.rsc.org.uk/

http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/

You may also have access to ‘audible’ on Amazon, so you can listen to a reading of the prose texts. The Picture of Dorian Gray is available as a free audible book on stories.audible.com

There are also movie versions of all three prose texts, including Gatsby which is currently available on Netflix. Dorian Gray, King Lear, and Death of a Salesman are all available if you have Amazon Prime. The more you can read (and watch or listen to) over the next few months the more prepared you will be for the rigours and demands of A Level English Literature. Good luck and enjoy your reading.


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