A Level English Literature

When asked why it is important that English Literature is studied at A Level I struggled to develop a reason that wasn't 'because it is important!'. English Language is important to understand and apply as a study of reading and writing, as it develops the key skills that all people require to use on an everyday basis. English Language gives us the vocabulary to read, write and communicate in a variety of forms, but Literature gives us the depth and understanding that we require to tease out the underlying currents in conversations and stories. Literature provides the tools and skills to develop the understanding that Language begins to create in early years and GCSE. Without an English Literature A Level i would not be able to understand satirical comments, sarcastic conversations, hidden agendas or be able to see what is not being stated in a media post and define what we are not being told (in a propaganda/anti-state sort of way). Without the observation, interrogation and interpretation skills that the Literature A Level developed i would miss out all of these aspects in conversations, therefore missing out on possibly important information.

A Literature A Level also builds your analytic skills, more so than other A Levels would. You are given a piece of writing and told to search for x topic being shown in any way during your extract. The topic is not glaringly obvious, so it requires deep analysis to uncover any form of information. These skills are crucial in a new job market, where people who can work quickly and effectively towards a main goal are sought. Therefore, having an A Level in English Literature does not mean you are confined to a job that has a main focus with the English language. In fact, English opens up almost any job opportunity shy of medicine and science due to the skills it develops inside of you.

As a nation we are becoming more and more ignorant of our rich literary and cultural heritage. This is predominantly because there are no easy ways for the public to access the knowledge, short of history programs and period films. These are tainted because they always have an agenda that is biased from the director, and do not show what would be a true representation of the time period. Books are different and can work as time capsules waiting to be unlocked by a willing reader. While you do not need an A Level to read The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, it is beneficial to have one to tease out the details from the time. Through these sort of texts we can understand what it is like to live when these writers were completing their works without being there. The rich language and imagery builds a picture that is significantly more vivid than if the A Level knowledge were not there to provide a foundation. People may think that these texts are redundant in the modern information age, but we cannot grow as a society until we learn from the past. Only then can we grow to a better future, and with a Literature A Level on your side you have the tools to provide for a better future by learning from the lessons of the past.