
English literature research
Explore the work we're doing in our 4 areas of expertise within English literature
To explore English literature is to uncover the history of the English speaking world. Throughout history, literature has been a companion to the trials, tribulations, successes and achievements of our nation. Beyond entertainment, it has commented on corruption, taught lessons on love, war and justice, transported us to new worlds, and changed our views.
English literature can change the we think about the world. It can shape opinion on cultures, communities, and people. It can give power to unrepresented and marginalised voices, or be used as a weapon to repress and control through propaganda. In an increasingly globalised world, where rapid change is the norm, it is important to study how English literature provides insight and understanding into the lives of other individuals, communities and cultures.
For over a decade, the Centre for Studies in Literature has been home to our English literature research. Our researchers have expertise in early modern writing, nineteenth-century literature and culture, and twentieth-century British and American literature. We bring together scholars from different fields within literary studies to promote academic research and innovation in literary studies, and wider engagement with research through collaboration and dissemination.
Explore our English literature areas of expertise
Find out more about our English literature research – and learn more about our recent projects, the partners with whom we collaborate and the major funders who fund our work, in the areas of expertise below.
Body politics

Modern literature

Culture, community and heritage

Time, space and environment

Research groups
Centre for Studies in Literature
We're researching the history and culture of the English speaking world through literature.

Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture Research Group
We're researching the relationship between literature and nineteenth-century culture.
Body Politics Research Group
We're researching the literal and metaphorical bodies from sixteenth century to the present day.
Culture, Community and Heritage Research Group
We're researching the discourses of community formation and deformation through their representations in literary texts.
Early Modern Writing Research Group
We're researching topics based on the debates surrounding early modern writing and its translation.
Twentieth and Twenty-First Century British And American Literature Research Group
We're researching how culture and transnational identity is portrayed in twentieth and twenty-first century literature.
Interested in a PhD in English literature?
Browse our postgraduate research degrees – including PhDs and MPhils – at our Literary Studies postgraduate research degrees page.