English Literature
At KS5 students will enjoy developing their interest in and enjoyment of a broad range of English literature. They will apply their knowledge of literary analysis and evaluation to engage critically and creatively with both set texts linked to the OCR specification and others of their own choosing, promoting and developing a deeper understanding of pre 1900 poetic and dramatic literary texts. They will engage critically and creatively with the Dystopian genre, specifically 1984 by George Orwell and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ by Margaret Attwood, as well as William Shakespeare’s comedy ‘Twelfth Night’ and John Webster’s Jacobean revenge tragedy ‘The Duchess of Malfi linked to Geoffrey Chaucer’s ‘The Merchant’s Prologue and Tale’; developing further and applying knowledge of literary analysis and evaluation. They will also explore the contexts of the texts and ways of responding to them and others’ interpretations of them.
The course encourages individual study, interest and enjoyment of post-1900 modern literature, specifically ‘Kindertransport’ by Diana Samuels, ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini and the poetic work of Wilfred Owen through the non-examined assessment where students continue to develop an appreciation of how writers shape meanings in texts informed by an appreciation of different interpretations and demonstrate an ability to explore connections across texts.