A Glance at the Doors That English Literature Can Open for You!

English literature is one of the best exports of the United Kingdom. The study of college level literature exposes students to some of the greatest writers, thinkers, and philosophers in history.

English literature, when taught by a professionally experienced English tutor, develops important skills including critical thinking, precise communication, constructive analysis, and close reading, providing students with the highest order of thinking skills that universities and employers want. Let’s see what does literature do for people who pursue it professionally, apart from prestigious positions in top companies and universities:

What Is Literature?

English literature is a comprehensive body of written works in English language produced by the people of the British Isles and Ireland starting from the 7th century to the present day AKA 21st century. The major types of literature apart from British literature are treated separately under Canadian literature, American literature, New Zealand literature, and Australian literature.

Why Do We Study Literature in English?

We don’t just study literature in English just because some of us want to read English Literature at university. There are so many reasons why study British literature or other types of literature:

• A good grasp of English and strong reading and writing skills along with precision and fluency are invaluable skills that every academic discipline and workspace looks for if English is their primary medium of instruction.
• If you want to study in a US or UK college or high school, a good command of English Literature will set you apart from a crowd of students applying for the same position. University admission officers consider English Literature as an instrumental academic subject and criteria for admission essential to the study of Philosophy, Humanities, Law, and History subjects.
• Additionally, the skills that you get from writing and reading first-rate literary essays also help when you have to work on college application essays or personal statements.

Why Study English Literature?

Here are some of the best reasons for studying English literature

• You develop transferable skills by writing essays that expose you to skills, like doing research and developing persuasive arguments, that employers look for. Other skills you develop include group presentations, annotated bibliographies, and close readings of short passages. These skills enable you to analyze details and work in groups seamlessly. Lastly, some modules included in college-level literature also develop digital skills in students by providing them with opportunities to take part in collaborative blogging and contribute to diverse online archives related to English literature.
• It teaches you to critically analyze intricate multi-layer topics from a range of perspectives. This is a skill that comes in handy when you have to do independent study in university.

• It broadens your literary horizons as you study a range of classics like Shakespeare and Paradise Lost along with slave narratives, prison testimonies, protest literature, and working-class literature, etc. Plus, you also study masculinity, belonging, madness, adolescence, race, and terrorism.
• You get to work with and learn from some of the best writers in the world. English literature degrees usually have the best teachers in the world that teach you academic stuff and also share their skills with you to make you successful in your field. 
• Studying English literature also provides exciting travel and placement opportunities. For example, if you study a module that requires work experience from you, you get to work in various industries such as charities, teaching, international development, tourism, heritage, creative industries, and the media, etc. Students of English literature can also travel abroad by applying for international internships, exchange programs, and the Erasmus+ scheme.

Conclusion

English literature is one of the most studied subjects with a huge number of students enrolling in the degree every year, all over the world. It is a very diverse and broad area of study, which is why students often get confused about what is literature class and why they should study English literature. We are hopeful that our article has explained what doors English literature can open for you.