Level 3 English Literature Diploma

Course Content

Level 3 English Literature Diploma Unit 1 – Introduction

This unit is the introduction to the short story. It introduces the genre of the ‘short story,’ its history, and features. The unit considers the short story and its broader perspectives and enables the student to have a definitive framework in which to read and comprehend short stories.

The short story comes in many forms, shapes, and sizes, and this unit considers the various structures. The unit offers a guide for the student on how to study the short story.

The third section of this introduction examines the elements of plot, character, setting, and style from the reader’s perspective and also the authorial intention.

Having considered the make-up of the short story, the unit applies them to a measured reading of Charles Dickens’ short story “The Poor Relation.” This is followed by a graded assessment to test the student’s knowledge.

Level 3 English Literature Diploma Unit 2 – Arnold Bennett

Arnold Bennett was born in 1867 in Hanley, Staffordshire. Arnold was the eldest child of a pawnbroker who had improved himself and become a solicitor. His father wanted him to follow his example and qualify as a solicitor, but Arnold failed a crucial university entrance examination. He became a solicitor’s clerk, at first in his father’s office and, from 1889, in London.

Bennett was a prolific author who produced thirty novels. He is especially regarded for those set in the Staffordshire scenery of his childhood, the Potteries. In his earlier career, Arnold Bennett was also a respected playwright, his interest in the theatre following on from his work as a critic.

Shortly after the outbreak of the First World War, the head of the War Propaganda Board invited twenty-five major British authors to discuss the best ways to promote British interests during the period of the war. Bennett was one of the authors alongside Arthur Conan Doyle, Thomas Hardy, H.G. Wells, and Rudyard Kipling. Bennett became a critical figure in this covert organisation known as the WPB. He made a huge contribution to the propaganda effort during the war.

For the purpose of Unit Two, the student will focus on a short story by Bennett entitled “News of the Engagement,” which illustrates his style and range.

Level 3 English Literature Diploma Unit 3 – The Novel: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

This unit answers the question ‘What is a Novel?’ It provides the student with an overview of the broad categories that a novel can embrace.

This unit introduces the student to both Mary Shelley and the Gothic genre. Gothic literature has many characteristics, and these are examined in relation to “Frankenstein.”

Far too often, students think that Frankenstein is the name of the monster, but in fact, it is the name of his creator. This unit looks in-depth at the plot, the characters in the novel, and the themes that the novel addresses.

This unit places demands on the student to consider a large amount of relevant material. However, it is a fascinating unit and one which will deepen the student’s literary knowledge.

Level 3 English Literature Diploma Unit 4 – Poetry: Shakespeare’s Sonnets

It is impossible for a student of literature to ignore either Shakespeare or poetry. Therefore, Unit 4 looks at the fundamental specifics of understanding poetry and poetic devices.

The unit moves on to a biography of Shakespeare and the theatres and audiences of his time.

The study material for this unit is the Sonnet, specifically Sonnet 27 and Sonnet 130. With the application of the poetic knowledge the student has acquired, an in-depth study of these two works is comprehensible.

Level 3 English Literature Diploma Unit 5 – Poetry: Pre-1914

Robert Browning was born on 7 May 1812 and died on 12 December 1889. He had a brilliant mind and was writing poems and reading Homer at a very young age. He is as famous for his writing as for his love affair with Elizabeth Barrett, also a famous poet.

Applying the skills and understanding acquired in Unit 4, the student will consider in detail two dramatic monologues by Robert Browning.

Level 3 English Literature Diploma Unit 6 – Poetry: Post-1914

The unit moves on to look at two post-1914 poets and examples of their work.

Robert Frost was one of the leading twentieth-century American poets. He won the Pulitzer Prize four times and was fundamentally a pastoral poet linked to New England. The poem in Unit Six is deeply philosophical and goes beyond American ideology, creating universal themes that are applicable to the twenty-first-century reader.

Tony Harrison, by contrast to Frost, is British and is the leading film and theatre poet of our times. His work is embedded with family values and the emotions that are a part of all families, regardless of social class.

Again, the knowledge the student has learned will be applied to the study of these celebrated poets and the fine examples of their work.

Level 3 English Literature Diploma Unit 7 – First World War Poetry and Poetry from Other Cultures

Bringing together all the skills the student now has, Unit Seven looks at a wide range of poetry that contains political and social messages.

Commencing with World War I poetry and its significance in retaliating against World War I propaganda of the glories of war, Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon’s poetry is indicative of the power of the poetic medium.

The second part of this unit moves onto poetry from other cultures. Breaking down the meaning of culture in the modern world and the manner in which poets deal with feelings of exclusion, alienation, and prejudice.

Level 3 English Literature Diploma Unit 8 – Drama

What is drama? The student will become familiar with the various dramatic techniques that abound in dramatic texts.

Unit Eight considers such techniques in relation to Act I of “Hobson’s Choice.” What was the authorial intention? What did Harold Brighouse intend to convey in this seemingly simple play, and how does he set out to achieve his aims?

Level 3 English Literature Diploma Unit 9 – Hobson’s Choice

This unit continues to explore “Hobson’s Choice,” looking closely at Act II. The many themes incorporated in the play are examined for their deeper meaning.

Level 3 English Literature Diploma Unit 10 – Hobson’s Choice

Finishing with Acts III to VI, the student will examine the manner in which themes and ideas are conveyed to the audience through the means of drama. How effectively these are achieved and how deep and enduring such ideas can be for the audience.

This unit conveys the significance of social issues within drama and the implications of topics such as gender, social class, and marriage.