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“...texts that matter, people who argue about them as if they matter... It’s what we call civilization.”

Adapted from Adam Gopnik in The New Yorker, 2013

Literature in English comes from many different countries. Its history extends from the Middle Ages into the present. It is a window into a range of cultures and histories, including our own.

Learn to interpret literary texts and to express your understanding effectively. Explore different genres and find out how a work relates to its time, place and readers.

Globally ranked

This programme is ranked in the top 100 universities worldwide in the QS World University Rankings 2024.

The QS World University Rankings is an annual global publication that gives overall rankings and subject rankings for more than 1,500 universities worldwide.

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Putting art into practice

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Skills for life

English Literature will sharpen your ability to think clearly, to formulate questions and to solve problems. The ability to read and write with sophistication is not only personally fulfilling, it’s of value in almost any professional field.

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Studying literature enlarges, rather than diminishes, the pleasures of reading—few subjects offer us so many occasions to be amused, moved and surprised by what we study.

Alistair Murray

Bachelor of Arts with Honours student in English Literature

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Learn from the best

Learn from highly qualified and engaged lecturers who are recognised internationally for their research. They publish on living writers. They also work on famous writers of the past—writers such as Geoffrey Chaucer, S. T. Coleridge and Katherine Mansfield. They work, too, on interesting works that are less well-known, such as the poetry written by Shakespeare’s female contemporaries.

1st

Victoria University of Wellington is ranked number one for overall research quality in English Literature out of all New Zealand universities by the Performance-Based Research Fund.

After you graduate

You’ll be able to use what you have learnt in the fields of education, government, publishing, editing and advertising. You will also be well prepared to study for further qualifications—if you want to be, for example, a teacher, journalist or librarian.

Live and study New Zealand's creative capital. Immerse yourself in Wellington's vibrant literary culture—including the two-yearly New Zealand Festival Writers' Week. Wellington is also home to some of the country's most important libraries and archives. Take advantage of the University's close relationship with institutions like the National Library and Archives New Zealand.

Support for students

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington is a welcoming place with great student support. There are all sorts of resources available to help you get the best out of your time at university.

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Related subject areas

  • Classics

  • Creative Writing

  • History

  • Philosophy

  • Theatre