Foundational Work (Theocratic Age)
- Homer
- The Iliad (Greek, 8th BCE)
- The Odyssey (Greek, 8th BCE)
- Virgil, The Aeneid (Latin, 29-19 BCE)
- The Bible
Late Medieval and Renaissance (Aristocratic Age)
- Dante Alighieri, Comedia/The Divine Comedy (Italian, 1308-1320)
- Chaucer, Canterbury Tales (English, 1475)
- Shakespeare
- Love’s Labour’s Lost (English, 1597)
- Hamlet (English, 1603)
- Othello (English, 1604)
- King Lear (English, 1606)
- Macbeth (English, 1611)
- Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote (Spanish, 1605)
- Moliere, The Misanthrope (French, 1666)
- John Milton, Paradise Lost (English, 1667)
- James Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson (English, 1791)
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust (German, 1772-1790)
19th Century+
- William Wordsworth
- “The Ruined Cottage” (English, 1800)
- “Tintern Abbey” (English, 1798)
- Jane Austen, Persuasion (English, 1818)
- Walt Whitman,
- Leaves of Grass (English, 1855)
- “Song of Myself” (English, 1855)
- Emily Dickinson, The Poems of Emily Dickinson (English, 1800s)
- Charles Dickens, Bleak House (English, )
- George Eliot, Middlemarch (English, 1874)
- Henrik Ibsen, Peer Gynt (Norwegian, 1876)
- Leo Tolstoy, Hadji Murad (Russian, 1896-1904)
- Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time = Remembrance of Things Past (1913)
- James Joyce, Ulysses (English, 1922)
- Virginia Woolf
- Orlando (English, 1928)
- A Room of One ‘s Own (English, 1929)
- Franz Kafka, The Blue Octavo Notebooks (German, 1917-1919)
- Fernando Pessoa, Mensagem (Portuguese, 1934)
- Jorge Luis Borges, The Garden of Forking Paths (Spanish, 1941)
- Pablo Neruda, Canto General (Spanish, 1938-1950)
- Samuel Beckett
- Endgame (English, 1957)
- Murphy (English, 1938)
- Waiting for Godot (English, 1953)
Task 1: Comparative Literary Inquiry – “Echoes Across Time”
Purpose
To help you recognise how ideas, archetypes, and literary techniques evolve across historical periods and cultural contexts.
Task
Choose two texts from different periods on the reading list (e.g., The Odyssey and Middlemarch, or Hamlet and Waiting for Godot). Write a short comparative essay (800–1200 words) exploring one thematic or structural thread that connects them.
Possible angles
Students may choose one of the following—or invent their own:
- The Hero Reimagined: How does the concept of heroism shift from epic to modernity?
- Fate vs. Free Will: Compare how two authors dramatise human agency.
- The Individual and Society: How do characters negotiate social expectations?
- Narrative Experimentation: How do authors use form (epic, drama, stream of consciousness, fragmentary writing) to shape meaning?
- The Nature of Knowledge: How do texts question what can be known or understood?
Outcome
A polished comparative argument showing:
- Close reading
- Awareness of historical/literary context
- Ability to synthesise ideas across centuries
Task 2: Creative-Critical Response – “Rewriting the Canon”
Purpose
To encourage you to engage imaginatively with canonical texts while demonstrating critical understanding.
Task
Select one text from the list and produce a creative piece (600–900 words) that reimagines an episode, character, or theme from a new perspective. Then write a 300–400 word commentary explaining your creative choices.
Creative options
- Rewrite a scene from The Aeneid or Hamlet from the viewpoint of a minor character.
- Transform a moment from Don Quixote or Bleak House into a modern setting.
- Compose a short monologue inspired by Faust, Peer Gynt, or Waiting for Godot.
- Write a poem responding to Wordsworth, Dickinson, or Neruda.
- Create a “lost notebook entry” in the style of Kafka or Pessoa.
Commentary should address
- How your piece reflects or challenges the original text
- What you aimed to illuminate or critique
- How your understanding of the text deepened through rewriting
Outcome
A blend of creativity and scholarship that demonstrates:
- Sensitivity to style and voice
- Understanding of themes and characterisation
- Ability to reflect critically on literary technique
The British Library, London
The Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
Birmingham Rep Theatre
Birmingham Hippodrome
Shakespeare Globe Theatre, London
Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, Stratford
Chatsworth House
Poet’s Corner, Westminster Abbey
London Review of Books
Task 1: Curated Cultural Reflection – “What Does This Place Remember?”
Purpose
To help you connect physical literary spaces with the texts, authors, and cultural movements they study.
Task
Choose one location you visited (e.g., the British Library, Shakespeare’s Globe, Poet’s Corner, Chatsworth House, a literature festival). Produce a reflective analysis (600–900 words) exploring how the space shapes your understanding of literature, authorship, or cultural history.
Prompts to guide thinking
- What aspects of the space (architecture, exhibitions, performances, archives, atmosphere) deepen your understanding of a text or author?
- How does the site construct a narrative about literary heritage?
- What surprised you, challenged you, or changed your perspective?
- How does encountering literature in place differ from reading it on the page?
Outcome
A thoughtful, personal yet analytical reflection demonstrating cultural awareness and independent engagement with the literary world.
Task 2: Performance & Interpretation Study – “From Page to Stage”
Purpose
To develop critical awareness of how performance transforms meaning.
Task
After attending a performance at the RSC, the Globe, Birmingham Rep, or Birmingham Hippodrome, write a performance review (800–1200 words) comparing the production to the original text.
Focus areas
- How did staging, lighting, costume, or casting shape your interpretation?
- Did the performance highlight themes or character dynamics you hadn’t noticed in the text?
- How did the director’s choices modernise, challenge, or reinforce traditional readings?
- What moments were most effective or surprising, and why?
Outcome
A critical, text‑aware review showing understanding of dramatic interpretation and the relationship between literature and performance.
Task 3: Literary Culture Investigation – “The Life of Books Today”
Purpose
To encourage students to explore the contemporary literary ecosystem beyond the classroom.
Task
Attend a talk, panel, reading, or workshop at a literature festival (Hay Festival, Birmingham Literature Festival, Wolverhampton Literature Festival, Lichfield Literature Festival). Then create a research‑based report (700–1000 words) on how modern literary culture operates.
Suggested angles
- What issues, genres, or authors dominated the event?
- How did speakers discuss writing, publishing, or readership?
- What does the event reveal about the role of literature in society today?
- How does the festival’s approach compare to the historical literary culture represented by places like Poet’s Corner or the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust?
Outcome
A mini‑research project demonstrating awareness of contemporary literary debates and the living culture of books.
In Our Time – archived Radio 4 programme
A series of lectures from Gresham College in London
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie — The Danger of a Single Story
Purpose
To explore how narrative shapes identity and power and apply this to literary texts.
Task
Watch the talk and write a short commentary linking Adichie’s ideas to one text you are studying.
Prompts
- What examples does Adichie give of “single stories”?
- How do stereotypes operate in your chosen text?
- Which characters are denied the power to tell their own story?
- How does this deepen your understanding of narrative voice?
Outcome
A 300–400 word analytical response showing conceptual understanding of narrative power and its relevance to literature.
BBC Radio 4 — In Our Time: Literature
Purpose
To develop contextual and critical knowledge of major literary works.
Task
Choose an episode linked to a text, author, or movement you study. Create a one‑page “critical context sheet”.
Prompts
- What historical or cultural context did you learn?
- What interpretations did the academics disagree on?
- Which ideas could you use in an essay?
Outcome
A concise context sheet with at least three critical insights and two quotations from the discussion.
Margaret Atwood — A State of Wonder
Purpose
To understand how writers construct speculative worlds and use fiction to explore social anxieties.
Task
After watching, produce a creative‑critical paragraph explaining how Atwood’s ideas illuminate a dystopian or speculative text you know.
Prompts
- What does Atwood say about the boundary between reality and fiction?
- How does she describe the writer’s responsibility?
- How does this relate to themes like control, surveillance, or gender?
Outcome
A paragraph connecting authorial intention with textual analysis.
Purpose
To engage with contemporary literary debates and author perspectives.
Task
Listen to an episode featuring an author whose work interests you. Write a reflective journal entry.
Prompts
- What surprised you about the author’s process or ideas?
- How does hearing the author speak change your reading of their work?
- What wider literary issues were raised?
Outcome
A reflective entry showing personal engagement and awareness of current literary conversations.
Purpose
To deepen understanding of literary history and archival research.
Task
Choose an episode on a writer or period you study. Create a mini‑presentation (5–7 slides or a one‑page script).
Prompts
- What new historical insights did you gain?
- How do manuscripts or archival materials change your view of the text?
- What connections can you make to themes or characters?
Outcome
A short presentation demonstrating contextual knowledge and independent research.
Poetry Off the Shelf — Poetry Foundation
Purpose
To enhance close reading skills and understanding of poetic technique.
Task
Listen to an episode on a poet you don’t know. Annotate one poem by that poet using ideas from the podcast.
Prompts
- What techniques or themes does the episode highlight?
- How does the poet use voice, rhythm, or imagery?
- What interpretations does the podcast offer?
Outcome
A fully annotated poem showing detailed engagement with form, language, and meaning.
Sarah Kay — If I Should Have a Daughter
Purpose
To explore performance poetry and the relationship between voice, emotion, and meaning.
Task
Watch the talk and write a short analysis of how performance affects interpretation.
Prompts
- How does Kay use tone, pace, gesture, or emphasis?
- What emotions does the performance evoke?
- How does this compare to reading poetry silently?
Outcome
A 250–300 word analysis demonstrating understanding of spoken‑word techniques.
London Review of Books Podcast
Purpose
To engage with high‑level literary criticism and academic argument.
Task
Choose an episode and summarise the argument in your own words, then respond critically.
Prompts
- What is the central argument?
- What evidence or examples are used?
- Do you agree with the critic’s interpretation? Why?
Outcome
A summary and critical response showing the ability to evaluate complex literary criticism.
Shakespeare Unlimited — Folger Shakespeare Library
Purpose
To broaden understanding of Shakespearean performance, interpretation, and scholarship.
Task
Listen to an episode related to your set play. Create a “Director’s Note” for a hypothetical production.
Prompts
- What interpretive choices did the guests discuss?
- How would you stage a key scene?
- What themes would you emphasise?
Outcome
A 300‑word Director’s Note demonstrating interpretive insight and awareness of performance context.
Purpose
To encourage exploration beyond the curriculum and develop independent literary taste.
Task
Choose an episode on a book you haven’t read. Write a “Why I Want to Read This Book” pitch.
Prompts
- What themes or ideas intrigued you?
- What did the hosts reveal about the book’s style or impact?
- How might it connect to texts you already study?
Outcome
A persuasive pitch showing curiosity, independent reading ambition, and critical thinking.
The Literary Review (requires a subscription but many articles are free)
Oxford University 10 Minute Book Club
You can strengthen your A Level English Literature super‑curricular profile by watching films that deepen your understanding of set texts, literary genres, and key themes.
These film adaptations help will help you compare page–to–screen interpretation and explore characterisation, narrative structure, and thematic emphasis.
Shakespeare Adaptations
- Hamlet (1996, dir. Kenneth Branagh)
- Othello (1995, dir. Oliver Parker)
- Macbeth (2015, dir. Justin Kurzel)
- King Lear (2018, dir. Richard Eyre)
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1999, dir. Michael Hoffman)
Modern Drama
- A Streetcar Named Desire (1951, dir. Elia Kazan) – Supports AQA “Modern Times” and “Aspects of Tragedy.”
- Journey’s End (2017, dir. Saul Dibb) – Useful for WW1 literature contexts.
Prose Adaptations
- The Great Gatsby (2013, dir. Baz Luhrmann)
- The Kite Runner (2007, dir. Marc Forster)
- The Color Purple (1985, dir. Steven Spielberg)
- Atonement (2007, dir. Joe Wright)
- Never Let Me Go (2010, dir. Mark Romanek)
Films That Deepen Literary Understanding (Themes, Genres, Movements)
These aren’t direct adaptations but are excellent for exploring literary concepts such as narrative experimentation, modernism, tragedy, dystopia, and identity.
For Tragedy & Character Study
- There Will Be Blood (2007) – Modern tragic hero, ambition, downfall
- Black Swan (2010) – Obsession, doubling, psychological fragmentation
- No Country for Old Men (2007) – Fate, moral decline, nihilism
For Modernism & Stream of Consciousness
- The Hours (2002) – Intertextual with Mrs Dalloway; explores consciousness and time
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) – Fragmented narrative, memory, identity
For Gothic & the Uncanny
- Crimson Peak (2015) – Gothic tropes, unreliable narrators
- The Others (2001) – Atmosphere, ambiguity, psychological horror
For Dystopia & Social Critique
- Children of Men (2006) – Political collapse, hope, humanity
- Blade Runner (1982) – Identity, posthumanism, existentialism
Films That Support Wider Literary Culture & Critical Thinking
These films help understand authorship, adaptation, and the cultural life of literature.
About Writers & Writing
- Shakespeare in Love (1998) – Playwriting, performance culture
- Bright Star (2009) – Keats, Romanticism, poetic inspiration
- The End of the Tour (2015) – Literary fame, authorship, introspection
About Books, Reading & Interpretation
- Dead Poets Society (1989) – Close reading, poetic voice, education
- The Bookshop (2017) – Literary culture, censorship, community
- The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) – Dickens, creativity, Victorian publishing.
How to Use These Films Super‑Curricularly
You should aim to:
- Compare the film to the original text (if applicable)
- Analyse directorial choices (lighting, framing, casting, pacing)
- Keep a viewing journal with critical notes
- Link films to A Level themes: tragedy, identity, power, conflict, modernity, dystopia