English (1900-Present)

The English Faculty includes numerous scholars and teachers working in the modern period, as can be seen here. Within the modern period, particular areas of interest among faculty members include modernist poetry, fiction, and drama, the cultural contexts of literature, literature and science, life writing, modern drama and performance studies, contemporary poetry, post-colonial studies and Irish literature.

The Bodleian Library, the English Faculty Library, the Taylorian, the History Library and the Rothermere American Institute Library provide a great wealth of resources for the study of modern literature at Oxford. Students are welcome to attend lectures across related disciplines. The faculty has a number of visiting lecturers and writers every year.

A. Core course: Literature, Contexts and Approaches

The ‘A’ course on ‘Literature, Context and Approaches’ will give a wide overview of genres and critical approaches in the period, covering such topics as the concept of modernity, colonial space, modernist fictional form, literature and visual culture, theatre and revolution, metafiction and late twentieth-century poetics.

The course is taught as a weekly seminar that runs over eight weeks in Michaelmas term, and is designed to provide a solid foundation for advanced literary study.

B. Core course: Bibliography, Theories of Text, History of the Book, Manuscript Studies

This is a range of lectures and seminars in each of the first two terms designed to train students for research in English. Within this strand, there will classes on book history and theories of text, appropriate to the period.

C. Special options

Special option courses are one-term courses on specialist themes usually relating to the current research interests of the teacher(s).

Recent ‘C’ options for this strand - some of which cross period boundaries - have included: ‘Literatures of Empire and Nation’, ‘Cinema and Modernism’, ‘Others and J.M. Coetzee’, ‘Literature and Psychoanalysis’, ‘African Literature: Testimony, Life-Writing and Literary Conversations’, ‘Locating Contemporary Poetry’, ‘Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Life-Writing’, ‘Post-1945 Modern Drama’, ‘Joseph Conrad’, ‘Virginia Woolf, Society and Politics’, ‘Contemporary Fiction’ and ‘Policing Literature: 1780-1980’.

Students take one special option in each of the first two terms.

The special option courses present an excellent opportunity for you to develop your research interests. You are not constrained to follow option courses within your designated period, and indeed, option courses often traverse the boundaries of the broad periods.

D. Dissertation

All students write a dissertation of 10,000-11,000 words on a subject of their choice, but related to the work they have been doing over the year. You will be assigned to a member of the faculty who will act as your supervisor.

Assessment

In addition to the dissertation, you will submit three essays of 6,000-7,000 words – one at the end of the first term, and two at the end of the second term – relating to the ‘B’ and ‘C’ courses that you have taken.

Students normally take all four components to fulfil the requirements of the degree. All course work will be completed by the end of the second term (Hilary term), leaving the summer term (Trinity term) for the writing of the dissertation, which is submitted in early June.

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Faculty of English and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the Faculty of English.

Many English taught-course students go onto doctoral research, both at Oxford and at other universities worldwide. Other graduates pursue careers in occupations including teaching, journalism, law, publishing and the civil service.

Changes to this course and your supervision

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. In certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.

Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.

For further information, please see our page on changes to courses.

Other courses you may wish to consider

If you're thinking about applying for this course, you may also wish to consider the courses listed below. These courses may have been suggested due to their similarity with this course, or because they are offered by the same department or faculty.

All graduate courses offered by the Faculty of English Language and Literature

English DPhil

English (1550-1700) MSt

English (1700-1830) MSt

English (1830-1914) MSt

English (1900-Present) MSt

English (​650-1550) MSt

English and American Studies MSt

English Studies (Medieval Period) MPhil

World Literatures in English MSt

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Entry requirements