English Literature Syllabus

Course Objectives

• Develop critical reading and analytical skills.
• Appreciate the historical, cultural, and philosophical contexts of literary works.
• Learn to construct evidencebased arguments both orally and in writing.
• Explore a range of genres poetry, drama, novel, essay, and short story.
• Encourage independent research and creative response.

Structure & Assessment

The syllabus is typically delivered over two academic semesters, each comprising three units. Assessment is a blend of formative and summative tasks:

• Reading journals weekly reflections (10%).
• Class presentations thematic or authorfocused (10%).
• Analytical essays two major essays per semester (30%).
• Creative project adaptation, script, or original piece (15%).
• Final exam timed essay and shortanswer questions (35%).

Grades are weighted to reward both analytical rigour and creative engagement.

Literary Periods Covered

1. Medieval & Early Renaissance (c. 5001600)

Focuses on courtly love poetry, chivalric romance, and the emergence of drama. Key works include Beowulf, Chaucers Canterbury Tales, and Marlowes Doctor Faustus.

2. The Enlightenment & Neoclassicism (16601798)

Emphasizes rationalism, satire, and the development of the novel. Authors such as Swift, Pope, and Richardson are examined.

3. Romanticism (17981837)

Explores individual emotion, nature, and the sublime. Central figures include Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, and Keats.

4. Victorian Literature (18371901)

Addresses industrialization, social reform, and the rise of the novel. Major writers: Dickens, the Bront sisters, Eliot, and Hardy.

5. Modernism (19001945)

Characterized by experimental forms and fragmented narratives. Examined works include Woolfs Mrs Dalloway, Joyces Ulysses, and Eliots poetry.

6. PostModern & Contemporary (1945present)

Highlights metafiction, multicultural voices, and digital storytelling. Authors such as Atwood, Rushdie, Morrison, and contemporary poets are discussed.

Major Authors & Representative Works

• Geoffrey Chaucer The Canterbury Tales
• William Shakespeare Hamlet, Othello, Sonnet 18
• John Milton Paradise Lost
• Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice
• Charles Dickens Great Expectations
• Emily Bront Wuthering Heights
• Thomas Hardy Tess of the dUrbervilles
• Virginia Woolf To the Lighthouse
• T.S. Eliot The Waste Land
• James Joyce Ulysses
• George Orwell 1984
• Gabriel Garca Mrquez One Hundred Years of Solitude
• Toni Morrison Beloved
• Margaret Atwood The Handmaids Tale

Suggested Reading List

Further Resources

Students are encouraged to use the following online and print resources to deepen their understanding:

• Encyclopaedia Britannica reliable background articles.
• MerriamWebster Dictionary for precise definitions.
• JSTOR scholarly articles and literary criticism.
• Oxford English Dictionary for historical word usage.
• Local library archives access to rare editions and special collections.