Program Overview

Explore literature from all angles with our BA English Literature with Creative Writing course.

English literature and creative writing are a perfect combination at degree level:

In your literature modules, you will be introduced to important, exciting, diverse writers from across the centuries and the globe.
In creative writing, you will explore literary creativity from the inside: creating characters, shaping poems, and drawing on your imagination.
The two sides of the degree complement and challenge each other. The great writers from the past and present who you study will inspire and influence your writing. Meanwhile, creating your own work will help you understand technique and form in ways that will sharpen your analysis of literary texts.  

You will learn from active, prize-winning authors from our Department of English Literature. These academics have years of experience with the nuts-and bolts of writing, and they will closely read and advise you on your work. 96% of our students say that staff are good at explaining things (National Student Survey, 2021).

Our academics have also published research on everything from medieval poetry to contemporary Caribbean and American fiction, and they will help you to develop your own literary enthusiasms.

English literature

On your English literature modules, you will examine well-known authors and genres, such as tragedy and gothic literature, Shakespeare and Plath. You’ll also be introduced to aspects of literary studies that may be less familiar to you, such as:

• Children’s literature
• Publishing studies
• The history of the book

During your first year, you will develop the advanced skills in literary analysis necessary for undergraduate work. For example, you will:

explore the different ways that literary texts respond to their cultural context.
trace the development of English-language poetry over time and across the globe.
examine how literary texts accrue new meanings in the process of interpretation.
In your second year, you can choose modules that range from Renaissance lyric poetry to contemporary fiction.

In your third year, your module choices are more diverse and specialised. For example, you can do archive work or look at the politics of literature.

Creative writing

On your creative writing modules, you will be introduced to all the major forms, including:

• Fiction
• Drama
• Poetry
• Creative-non-fiction.

In your second year you can specialise in the areas you feel most excited by. In your third year, you’ll participate in our masterclasses. These are advanced modules in your chosen literary form, where you will read and discuss very recently published texts, identify and write about the themes that are currently popular and fresh,  and be encouraged to pursue publication yourself as part of the module assessment. You can also write at a greater length by choosing to do a creative writing dissertation.

We are committed to teaching through the workshop model. These small group sessions are the heart of Reading’s writing community: guided by one of our lecturers, you and your fellow students will gain confidence as your share your writing and help each other improve.

You will also have the opportunity to publish your work – and gain experience in editing and publishing – by participating in our online creative magazine.