What is it like studying English literature at university?

What is it like studying English literature at university?

What is studying English literature like? Studying literature at university is very different to doing English Literature at school, where you often spend a whole term looking at one novel or play with your whole class, making detailed notes about characters, plot, and literary techniques.

Is studying at Oxford hard?

It is not easy to gain admission to Oxford, but when you do, studying is not difficult. There are libraries, there are places where you can take a quiet walk as you try to figure out difficult problems, and you are surrounded by people who are themselves interested in studying.

Is English literature hard at university?

English Literature, contrary to popular belief, is hard to study. Unlike what most people assume, Literature students do not go about reading novels everyday and a simple interest in reading and/or proficiency in the English Language is not sufficient to understand Literature.

Is Cambridge English better than Oxford?

The University of Oxford marginally outranks Cambridge in the QS World University Rankings® 2022, with Oxford placing in second and Cambridge placing in joint third. Oxford, meanwhile, claims the world’s third-highest ratings from graduate employers and academics.

Is it worth studying English literature?

Studying for an English Literature degree allows you to develop a thorough knowledge of literary history, theory, and criticism, and enhances your understanding of a wide range of cultures and intellectual traditions.

Why do you think Literature should be studied at the university?

When students study Literature, they learn to appreciate words and their power. They travel to other realms and times through the texts they read. They understand about their own culture and others’. Importantly, they learn to consider multiple perspectives and understand the complexity of human nature.

Are Oxford students happy?

There are more than 24,000 students at Oxford, including 11,955 undergraduates and 12,010 postgraduates. In the 2016 National Student Survey, 90\% of Oxford students said they were satisfied with the quality of their course, compared to a national average of 81\%.

Is studying in Oxford worth it?

Arguably the network of people that you will meet at Oxford gives a value far beyond the teaching alone; although the teaching quality is excellent and the tutorial groups are smaller, e.g. you can expect to be tutored in groups of two or three, which gives you more contact time with experts, versus in a class of 10 or …

Is a literature degree worthless?

Is an English Degree Useless? No, an English degree is not useless. Saying that an English degree is useless is taking a very shortsighted view. The fact of the matter is that an English degree can provide a very solid foundation for applying to law school or pursuing a scholarly path.

What makes literature difficult?

There are many ways in which literary texts can be difficult to read: from linguistic features such as complex syntax or vocabulary to problems of interpretation. This difference may surprise, confuse, and even irritate the reader. Rightly so, because violent obscurantism is more often than not a sign of poor writing.

Why study English Literature at Oxford University?

The English Language and Literature course at Oxford is one of the broadest in the country, giving you the chance to study writing in English from its origins in Anglo-Saxon England to the present.

What can I study at Oxford University?

Options have included Literature and revolution, Postcolonial literature, Writing lives, Old Norse, Tragedy, and Film criticism. Studying literature at Oxford involves the development of sophisticated reading skills and of an ability to place literary texts in their wider intellectual and historical contexts.

What do you study in English language and literature?

English Language and Literature. The English Language and Literature course is one of the broadest in the country, giving you the chance to study writing in English from its origins in Anglo-Saxon England to the literature of the 20th and early 21st centuries.

What is the Oxford English faculty?

The Oxford English Faculty is the largest English department in Britain. Students are taught in tutorials by an active scholar in their field, many of whom also give lectures to all students in the English Faculty. You will therefore have the opportunity to learn from a wide range of specialist teachers.