English and American Literature

English and American literature brings together two literary traditions that are deeply intertwined but genuinely distinct. English literature traces a tradition that stretches from Anglo-Saxon poetry through the Renaissance, Romanticism, Victorian fiction, and the modernist and contemporary periods, shaped by a particular island geography, religious history, and evolving social structure. American literature developed in parallel and in conversation with that tradition but out of very different historical conditions, from the Puritan settlements and the experience of slavery through the frontier, the Civil War, immigration, and the cultural upheavals of the twentieth century.

Reading the two alongside each other reveals each more fully.

At Royal Holloway, this three-year full-time degree gives you the opportunity to explore both traditions across five centuries, from the early 1600s to the present day. The degree is directly informed by the research of academic experts in a top-rated English department, meaning your teaching connects to current scholarly debates about how both canons are understood and extended. You will develop close reading skills, critical writing, and the capacity for sustained literary analysis across a wide range of genres, periods, and cultural contexts.

The programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad option, and work placements, all of which add professional and international dimensions to your literary education. The typical entry tariff is 120 UCAS points.

Graduates of English and American literature degrees pursue careers in publishing, journalism, education, law, the civil service, marketing, public relations, arts administration, and the cultural sector. The analytical, research, and communication skills the degree develops are valued across any profession where careful reading and clear, effective writing matter. Many graduates also pursue postgraduate study in English literature, creative writing, film studies, or journalism, and the breadth of the combined degree gives them a distinctive critical perspective.