Length of course:
One year
Opportunity for part-time study:
Yes
Queen Mary scholarships available:
Yes
Assessment:
- Four 4,000-word essays
- A 12,000-15,000-word dissertation
Course convenor:
Andrew Lincoln
Further information:
Contact us at sedpgadmissions@qmul.ac.uk
How to apply:
See section on applying to Queen Mary
MA in English Literature
How have ideas about literature and literary value changed over time? What effects do innovations in printing and publishing have on writing? To what extent do political and social factors condition and define authorial identities and practices? The MA in English Literature invites you to reflect on such questions and to consider the relationship between literatures from a variety of historical periods. The programme is ideal both for those who intend to pursue doctoral research – particularly if your interests span traditional literary periods – and for those who wish to achieve a broad overview of Anglophone literary culture.
The MA in English Literature provides both structure and flexibility, combining a specially designed core course with the opportunity to select further options from across the whole range of MA modules on offer in the Department of English. The core module is called "The Production of Texts in Context" (see link below). It considers how texts have been produced, disseminated, and received throughout history, as well as examining how this kind of historical enquiry might influence our own textual interpretations. Topics may include: the emergence of authorial identity in the Middle Ages; the reappearance of fictional narrative in Western Europe; the circulation and reception of information about news and current affairs in the medieval and early-modern periods; the relative longevity and popularity of different works and genres; manuscript circulation during the Restoration; the rise of the professional writer in the mid-eighteenth century; the influence of professional reviewers and criticism upon writing in the Romantic period; the emergence of ‘mass culture’ and its impact on literary production in the modern age.
Course of study
In the first semester you take a core module: The Production of Texts in Context, and a non-assessed research methods module: Resources for Research. You will also choose three modules – one in the first semester, and two in the second – from across the range of MA modules offered by the Department of English. Details of modules on offer during the current academic year can be found in the online MA Module Directory.
The programme is assessed by means of written work. You will be required to write a 4,000-word essay for The Production of Texts in Context, and for each of the three modules you take. Over the summer you will write a dissertation of 12,000-15,000 words. There is no formal assessment for Resources for Research, but attendance is compulsory.
At the beginning of the academic year you will be assigned a personal advisor who will help you with your choice of courses and dissertation proposal, as well as any issues which may arise relating to the programme. At the end of the spring semester you will be assigned a supervisor who will provide one-to-one guidance in planning and structuring your dissertation, and will read and comment upon drafts in a series of meetings arranged in May and June. The deadline for submission of the dissertation is normally at the end of August.