English Literature and Culture

Specialisation of: Literary Studies
Degree: Master of Arts in Literary Studies
Mode of Study: Full-time, part-time
Duration: 1 year (full-time); 1,5 year (part-time)
Start date: September, February
Language of instruction: English
Location: Leiden
Croho/isat code: 60813
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The English Literature and Culture specialisation of the MA in Literary Studies provides you with an opportunity to develop your knowledge of a wide range of literary works and genres in English, from the Middle Ages to the present. Since English is a world language, you will not only read works from the more ‘traditional’ canons of British and American literature, but also from such diverse areas as the Caribbean, South-Africa and India.

You can also choose to focus on Philology, that is, the study of medieval and early-modern texts and text media against their cultural-historical background. This approach may vary from analysing manuscripts to (digitally) unravelling linguistic phenomena such as the meaning of specific words or phrases; from studying themes in Anglo-Saxon heroic poetry or Arthurian romances to politeness conventions in eighteenth-century letter collections.

Literature knows no bounds in time or place, and this specialisation offers you a chance to explore this rich variety.

Contact

Study co-ordinator
Ms K. van der Zeeuw-Filemon
+31 (0)71 527 21 46
k.van.der.zeeuw@hum.leidenuniv.nl

Ms T.D. Obbens, M.A.
+31 (0)71 527 16 97
t.d.obbens@hum.leidenuniv.nl

Brochure

For a concise summary of this programme, please request the brochure.

Prof. Liebregts

“In Leiden, we take a special interest in literature in an international context.”

“I am interested in the way human beings throughout history have used literature in all of its variety as a means to make sense of themselves and of the world. At the same time I am fascinated by how literary texts are part of an ever evolving tradition, which makes us aware of the similarities and differences between us and people from other cultures, past and present.

In my research, I am particularly interested in the appropriation of Greek and Roman culture, as well as the Christian tradition, by authors from the early modern period up to the present day. For me, this underlines the truth of the statement by the poet Ezra Pound that ‘Literature is news that stays news’. But here in Leiden, we do not only focus on the relation between past and present, but we also study literature in an international context, as English is indeed a language used all over the globe. Therefore we not only study literature from the ‘traditional’ canon of British and American literature, we also pay attention to texts in English from such different areas as the Caribbean, South Africa, and India. As such, a colleague of the Dutch Department and I regularly teach courses on South African literature in which we read texts written in English as well as in Afrikaans. Literature knows no boundaries in space and time, and here at the English Department in Leiden we try to do justice to that rich variety of English texts.”