English Literature and Film

This module offers an introduction to the procedures for reading film through the consideration of filmic devices such as mise-en-scène, editing, sound and narrative and outline critical approaches that frame its analysis by examining areas relating to genre, star study, film authorship, semiotics, ideology, spectatorship, and critical and theoretical work that draws upon psychoanalysis and feminism.

This module provides a historical approach to film by focusing on film form, narrative and contextual concerns by reference to culture and society. The module examines a range of forms and narrative models, such as the classical Hollywood narrative, German Expressionist cinema, Soviet montage cinema, Italian Neo-realism, French New Wave as well as post-classical and postmodernist films in conjunction with the historical study of these styles by reference to economic, social, cultural and political influences.

We will guide you in how to research and write an undergraduate essay, as this will be the basis of your academic study. You will also learn how to debate and present academic information orally. 

There are two principal ways of understanding English Literature, and this is the first one: the critical theories which began in the 1950s have developed through major changes in the 1980s, and are still important today. 

The first part of this module develops critical understandings of film and cinema to a more advanced level by exploring different theories that have been important in Film Studies. In the second part, the module centres on the independent research of primary and secondary sources in order to develop methodological approaches to film. This will enable you to pursue your own area of study and provide preparation for your Extended Independent Study.

This module delves into the Romantic era's revolutionary expressions in literature, art and music, analysing its themes of individualism, nature and emotion, and its lasting influence on culture and intellectual thought.

This module explores pivotal shifts in art, literature, philosophy and society from Modernism to Postmodernism, examining their impacts on culture and thought.

British and European Cinema - This module will offer case studies of British and European cinema. The former area will draw on understandings of class, gender and ethnicity to investigate the representation of national identity and examine areas such as comedy, Hammer horror, the ‘heritage film’, adaptations of British ‘classics’, the ‘Brit-Grit’ genre and the British ‘Rom-Com’. The case study of European cinema focuses on contemporary film to explore concepts of national cinema, ‘art’ and ‘entertainment’, national identity and areas such as ‘belonging’ and ‘otherness’, memory and trauma, the role of the auteur and the function of popular genres.

Hollywood - This module examines Hollywood film from the 1930s to the contemporary period. Initially there will be a historical approach through the study of key trends and shifts in production, such as the importance of the studio system and its decline, the emergence of post-classical and New Hollywood Cinema, after which the module will offer an in-depth study of Contemporary Hollywood Film in the 21st century by reference to topics that may include ‘political,’ Young Adult/fantasy fiction, animated ‘children’s film’, changing configurations of gender and sexuality, franchise reboots, ‘popcorn’ versus ‘intelligent’ blockbusters and the incorporation of an ‘indie’ aesthetic in mainstream film. 

Your dissertation is a piece of written work of 8,000-10,000 words which offers you the opportunity to undertake a sustained and detailed investigation of an area of English Literature and Film and to use and further develop a range of research skills and techniques previously introduced and developed in taught modules.

Explore the realms of imagination in fantasy and science fiction literature. Analyse themes, tropes, and cultural significance in speculative narratives, tracing their evolution and impact on literature and society.

Film Studies optional modules: 

Animation - The module will consider the history of animation from early cinema through to contemporary computer-animated blockbusters, taking in traditional cel animation in studies of individual studio styles in the ‘Golden Age’ of Hollywood cartoons, avant-garde animation, animation and art, anime, digital animation and the rise of contemporary studios such as Pixar, Dreamworks, Studio Ghibli and Aardman.

Gothic and Horror Film - This module explores Gothic and horror film with an initial focus on horror to explore the flexibility of the genre and how it has adapted to social, political and cultural change from the 1930s to contemporary film, including the study of areas such as Universal Horror, 1950s SciFi Horror, Hammer, zombie films, body horror and contemporary horror. The study of Gothic film is informed by motifs such as the haunted house, the return of the repressed, the ‘persecuted wife,’ the beast within in werewolf films, the uncanny, the double and the split self, and the importance of location in the Gothic film. 

English optional modules:

Literature and Film - This examines the dynamic relationship between literature and film, analysing adaptations, intertextuality, and narrative techniques. Explore how visual storytelling complements and diverges from literary traditions, enriching our understanding of storytelling mediums.

Consuming Pleasures - This explores the intersection of consumer culture and romantic narratives in literature. Analyse how love and desire are shaped by commercial influences, examining representations of romance in media and literature.