latest phd research topics in english literature

100+ Latest Research Topics For PhD In English Literature

With the Latest Research Topics For PhD In English Literature, you can easily make your research perfect. PhD in English Literature is a pursuit that requires both passion and precision.

English Literature serves as a lens through which societal changes, cultural shifts, and human experiences are analyzed, critiqued, and understood. These research topics not only foster intellectual curiosity but also encourage critical thinking, enabling scholars to push the boundaries of conventional scholarship and contribute significantly to the ongoing discourse in the field.

In this article, we delve into the vibrant realm of English Literature, presenting an extensive array of the latest research topics tailored for aspiring PhD candidates. These topics encompass a wide spectrum of themes, genres, and methodologies, catering to the diverse interests and scholarly inclinations within the discipline.

Let’s now delve into the comprehensive compilation of 100+ of the latest research topics designed to inspire and guide scholars on their doctoral journey in English Literature.

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Table of Contents

What Is A Good Research Topic For Literature?

A good research topic for literature is both relevant and engaging and contributes to the existing scholarly discourse. It should encompass a specific area within literature that holds significance in terms of cultural, historical, social, or theoretical implications. A strong research topic in literature often addresses unexplored territories. It offers innovative perspectives or re-examines existing narratives through a fresh lens.

Additionally, an effective research topic should be well-defined, allowing for focused inquiry and enabling the researcher to delve deeply into the subject matter. It should be feasible within available resources and time constraints while providing ample scope for critical analysis, interpretation, and argumentation.

Moreover, a good research topic should generate interest and provoke discussion among scholars, contributing new insights, interpretations, or methodologies to the field. Whether exploring themes, genres, historical contexts, theoretical frameworks, or cultural perspectives, a compelling research topic in literature can expand knowledge, challenge assumptions, and offer nuanced understandings of literary texts or trends.

How Do You Choose A Topic For Research In English Literature?

Following are the steps for choosing the Latest Research Topics For PhD In English Literature.

List of 100+ Latest Research Topics For PhD In English Literature

Here are the best and Latest Research Topics For PhD In English Literature.

Literary Theory and Criticism

• New Materialism and its Implications for Literary Analysis
• Ecofeminist Literary Criticism: Redefining Nature and Gender Relations
• Reception Theory: Understanding Reader Responses in Literary Texts
• Posthumanist Perspectives in Science Fiction Literature
• Queer Temporalities in Literature: Rethinking Chronology and Narrative
• Postcolonial Feminism: Intersectional Approaches in Literary Criticism
• Aestheticism and Decadence in 19th-century Literature: Relevance Today
• Formalist Criticism in Contemporary Literary Analysis
• Cognitive Literary Studies: Exploring the Mind and Imagination in Reading
• Critical Animal Studies: Ethics and Representation in Literature
• Hermeneutics and the Art of Interpretation in Literary Texts
• Structuralism and Semiotics: Analyzing Signs and Symbols in Literature
• Reception Aesthetics: Examining Reader Response in Literary Reception
• Marxist Literary Criticism and Socioeconomic Analyses in Texts
• Ecocritical Hermeneutics: Environmental Interpretation in Literature

Historical Contexts and Literary Movements

• Gothic Revival in Contemporary Literature and Culture
• Post-War Literature and the Reconstruction of Identity
• Harlem Renaissance: Exploring Socio-cultural Transformation through Literature
• Literary Responses to Colonialism in the Caribbean
• Decolonizing the Literary Canon: Perspectives from Global South Writers
• Literature of the Roaring Twenties: Cultural Shifts and Literary Expression
• Modernism and Postmodernism in Contemporary Literature: Parallels and Divergence
• The Harlem Renaissance and Jazz Culture: Intersections in Literature
• Post-War Trauma in Holocaust Literature: Representing Unimaginable Experiences
• The Literature of Revolution: Voices of Change and Rebellion
• Literature of the Jazz Age: Cultural Shifts and Literary Contributions
• The Lost Generation Writers: Their Impact on Modern Literature
• Literature of the Cold War Era: Politics, Paranoia, and Cultural Reflection
• The Prague School and its Influence on Literary Theory and Analysis
• The Postcolonial Literary Boom: Emergence, Evolution, and Influence

Genre Studies Latest Research Topics For PhD In English Literature

• Cyberpunk Literature and the Technological Imagination
• Evolution of the Bildungsroman in Modern Literature
• Steampunk as a Subgenre: Victorian Aesthetics in Contemporary Works
• Literary Journalism in the Digital Age: Challenges and Innovations
• Satire and Political Commentary in Modern Literary Forms
• Speculative Fiction and Social Commentary: Critiquing the Present through Future Worlds
• Indigenous Science Fiction and Futurism: Reimagining Traditions and Technology
• Evolution of the Detective Genre: Contemporary Perspectives and Innovations
• Non-binary Identities in Poetry: Challenging Gender Norms and Language
• Transmedia Storytelling: Literature in Conjunction with Multiple Media Forms

Cultural Studies and Identity in Literature

• Disability Narratives in Graphic Novels and Comics
• Representations of Masculinity in Post-Millennial Literature
• Indigenous Perspectives in Eco-Literature and Environmental Activism
• Muslim Identity in Contemporary Western Literature
• Post-9/11 Literature: Shifting Paradigms in Cultural Representation
• Diasporic Literature and Identity Politics: Negotiating Belonging
• Post-Modern Feminist Narratives in Literature: Reclaiming Agency and Voice
• Disability in Young Adult Literature: Empowerment and Representation
• Multiculturalism in Contemporary Picture Books: Reflecting Diversity
• Transcultural Narratives in a Globalized World: Literature as a Bridge

Environmental and Ecocritical Perspectives

• Animal Studies in Literature: Ethics and Representations
• Urban Ecology and the Cityscape in Literature
• Climate Fiction (Cli-Fi): Imagining Environmental Futures in Literature
• Environmental Justice in Indigenous Literature
• Eco-Poetics: Nature, Language, and Poetry
• Indigenous Ecocriticism: Land, Spirituality, and Survival Narratives
• Urban Wastelands in Literature: Representing Environmental Degradation
• Ecofeminist Poetry and the Connection Between Women and Nature
• Environmental Apocalypse in Literature: Fear, Hope, and Activism
• Rewilding in Literature: Reconnecting Humanity with the Natural World

Technology and Literature Latest Research Topics For PhD In English Literature

• Virtual Reality Narratives: Immersive Storytelling in Literature
• AI and Ethics: Dystopian and Utopian Visions in Science Fiction
• Literature in the Age of Data Mining and Surveillance
• Transhumanism in Speculative Fiction and its Cultural Implications
• Digital Narratives: Exploring Interactive and Hypertextual Literature
• Augmented Reality in Literature: Blurring the Lines Between Real and Imaginary
• Blockchain Technology and its Potential in Preserving Literary Works
• Literature in the Age of Gaming: Interactive Storytelling and Narrative Structures
• Surveillance Culture in Dystopian Literature: Reflections on Privacy and Control
• AI-Penned Literature: Exploring Machine-Generated Creative Writing

Global and Comparative Literature

• Border Literature: Identity, Migration, and Cultural Hybridity
• Postcolonial Diasporic Literature: Negotiating Home and Belonging
• Comparative Study of Mythologies in Global Literary Traditions
• Literature of Exile and Displacement: Narratives of Refugees
• Cultural Translation and Adaptation in Global Literary Contexts
• Borderlands Literature: Narratives of Conflict and Coexistence
• Comparative Analysis of Folktales from Different Cultures
• Diaspora Writing: Literature as a Cultural and Emotional Space
• The Global Impact of Translated Literature: Understanding Cross-Cultural Influences
• Literature of Protest Movements: Worldwide Expressions of Dissent

Psychological and Medical Perspectives in Literature

• Trauma and Memory in Post-Conflict Narratives
• Representations of Mental Health in Young Adult Literature
• Psychoanalysis and Character Development in Literary Texts
• Disability Studies and Chronic Illness Narratives in Literature
• Existentialism in Literature: Navigating Meaning and Absurdity
• Neurodiversity in Contemporary Fiction: Depicting Cognitive Diversity
• Psychoanalysis and Trauma Narratives: Healing Through Storytelling
• Illness and Healing in Indigenous Literature: Cultural Perspectives
• Existential Crisis in Young Adult Literature: Coming-of-Age in Uncertain Times
• Madness and Sanity in Literature: Representation and Interpretation

Performance and Adaptation Studies

• Shakespearean Adaptations in Different Cultural Contexts
• Film and TV Adaptations: Impact on Literary Interpretation
• Oral Tradition and Folklore: Preservation and Adaptation in Writing
• Theatre of the Oppressed: Social Change through Performance
• Literary Festivals and Cultural Exchange: Engaging Global Audiences
• Adaptation and Appropriation in Theatre: Transforming Literary Works
• The Influence of Manga and Anime on Contemporary Literature
• Digital Storytelling and Social Change: Engaging Audiences in New Media
• Indigenous Oral Traditions and Their Transition into Written Literature
• Literary Tourism: Exploring the Impact of Literature on Travel and Place

So, these are the most amazing Latest Research Topics For PhD In English Literature.

Conclusion – Latest Research Topics For PhD In English Literature

These are all about the Latest Research Topics For PhD In English Literature. We give the latest research topics presented for a PhD in English Literature that embodies the dynamic and evolving nature of the field. These topics span diverse thematic areas, encompassing contemporary societal concerns, technological advancements, cultural shifts, and interdisciplinary intersections. They beckon aspiring scholars to embark on nuanced inquiries that transcend traditional boundaries, offering opportunities to explore uncharted territories within literary studies.

The curated list encapsulates the multifaceted dimensions of literature, inviting critical engagement with global perspectives, marginalized narratives, environmental concerns, technological impacts, and identity explorations. These research avenues not only stimulate intellectual curiosity but also encourage scholars to contribute significantly to the ongoing discourse by presenting innovative interpretations, challenging conventions, and providing fresh insights into the ever-expanding realm of English Literature.

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Department of English

Recent PhD Dissertations

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Ritger, Matthew (April 2020) – “Objects of Correction:  Literature and the Birth of Modern Punishment”

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Williamson, Andrew (June 2019) – “Nothing to Say:  Silence in Modernist American Poetry”

Adair, Carl (April 2019) – “Faithful Readings: Religion, Hermeneutics, and the Habits of Criticism”

Rogers, Hope (April 2019) – “Good Girls: Female Agency and Convention in the Nineteenth-Century British Novel”

Green, Elspeth (January 2019) – “Popular Science and Modernist Poetry”

Braun, Daniel (January 2019) – Kinds of Wrong: The Liberalization of Modern Poetry 1910-1960”

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Blank, Daniel (November 2018) – Shakespeare and the Spectacle of University Drama”

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Gingrich, Brian P.  (June 2018) – “The Pace of Modern Fiction: A History of Narrative Movement in Modernity”

Marcus, Sara R.  (June 2018) – “Political Disappointment: A Partial History of a Feeling”

Parry, Rosalind A.  (April 2018) – “Remaking Nineteenth-Century Novels for the Twentieth Century”

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Padilla, Javier  (September 2017) – “Modernist Poetry and the Poetics of Temporality:  Between Modernity and Coloniality”

Alvarado, Carolina (June 2017) – "Pouring Eastward: Editing American Regionalism, 1890-1940"

Gunaratne, Anjuli (May 2017) – "Tragic Resistance: Decolonization and Disappearance in Postcolonial Literature"

Glover, Eric (May 2017) – "By and About:  An Antiracist History of the Musicals and the Antimusicals of Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston"

Tuckman, Melissa (April 2017) – "Unnatural Feelings in Nineteenth-Century Poetry"

Eggan, Taylor (April 2017) – "The Ecological Uncanny: Estranging Literary Landscapes in Twentieth-Century Narrative Fiction"

Calver, Harriet (March 2017) – "Modern Fiction and Its Phantoms"

Gaubinger, Rachel (December 2016) – "Between Siblings: Form and Family in the Modern Novel"

Swartz, Kelly (December 2016) – "Maxims and the Mind: Sententiousness from Seventeenth-Century Science to the Eighteenth-Century Novel"

Robles, Francisco (June 2016) – “Migrant Modalities: Radical Democracy and Intersectional Praxis in American Literatures, 1923-1976”

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Alfano, Veronica (September 2011) – “The Lyric in Victorian Memory”

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Christoff, Alicia (September 2011) – “Novel Feeling”

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Reckson, Lindsay (August 2011) – “Realist Ecstasy: Enthusiasm in American Literature 1886 - 1938"

Londe, Gregory (June 2011) – “Enduring Modernism: Forms of Surviving Location in the 20th Century Long Poem”

Brown, Adrienne (June 2011) – “Reading Between the Skylines: The Skyscraper in American Modernism”

Russell, David (June 2011) – “A Literary History of Tact: Sociability, Aesthetic Liberalism and the Essay Form in Nineteenth-Century Britain”

Hostetter, Aaron (December 2010) – "The Politics of Eating and Cooking in Medieval English Romance"

Moshenska, Joseph (November 2010) – " 'Feeling Pleasures': The Sense of Touch in Renaissance England"

Walker, Casey (September 2010) – "The City Inside: Intimacy and Urbanity in Henry James, Marcel Proust and Virginia Woolf"

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Noble, Mary (August 2010) – "Primitive Marriage: Anthropology and Nineteenth-Century Fiction"

Fox, Renee (August 2010) – "Necromantic Victorians: Reanimation, History and the Politics of Literary Innovation, 1868-1903"

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Lee, Wendy (June 2010) -- "Failures of Feeling in the British Novel from Richardson to Eliot"

Moyer, James (March 2010) – "The Passion of Abolitionism: How Slave Martyrdom Obscures Slave Labor”

Forbes, Erin (September 2009) – “Genius of Deep Crime:  Literature, Enslavement and the American Criminal”

Crawforth, Hannah (September 2009) – “The Politics and Poetics of Etymology in Early Modern Literature”

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Yu, Wesley (April 2009) – “Romance Logic: The Argument of Vernacular Verse in the Scholastic Middle Ages”

Cervantes, Gabriel (April 2009) – "Genres of Correction: Anglophone Literature and the Colonial Turn in Penal Law 1722-1804”

Rosinberg, Erwin (January 2009) – "A Further Conjunction: The Couple and Its Worlds in Modern British Fiction”

Walsh, Keri (January 2009) – "Antigone in Modernism: Classicism, Feminism, and Theatres of Protest”

Heald, Abigail (January 2009) – “Tears for Dido: A Renaissance Poetics of Feeling”

Bellin, Roger (January 2009) – "Argument: The American Transcendentalists and Disputatious Reason”

Ellis, Nadia (November 2008) – "Colonial Affections: Formulations of Intimacy Between England and the Caribbean, 1930-1963”

Baskin, Jason (November 2008) – “Embodying Experience: Romanticism and Social Life in the Twentieth Century”

Barrett, Jennifer-Kate (September 2008) – “ ‘So Written to Aftertimes’: Renaissance England’s Poetics of Futurity”

Moss, Daniel (September 2008) – “Renaissance Ovids: The Metamorphosis of Allusion in Late Elizabethan England”

Rainof, Rebecca (September 2008) – “Purgatory and Fictions of Maturity: From Newman to Woolf”

Darznik, Jasmin (November 2007) – “Writing Outside the Veil: Literature by Women of the Iranian Diaspora”

Bugg, John (September 2007) – “Gagging Acts: The Trials of British Romanticism”

Matson, John (September 2007) – “Marking Twain: Mechanized Composition and Medial Subjectivity in the Twain Era”

Neel, Alexandra (September 2007) – “The Writing of Ice: The Literature and Photography of Polar Regions”

Smith-Browne, Stephanie (September 2007) – “Gothic and the Pacific Voyage: Patriotism, Romance and Savagery in South Seas Travels and the Utopia of the Terra Australis”

Bystrom, Kerry (June 2007) – “Orphans and Origins: Family, Memory, and Nation in Argentina and South Africa”

Ards, Angela (June 2007) – “Affirmative Acts: Political Piety in African American Women’s Contemporary Autobiography”

Cragwall, Jasper (June 2007) – “Lake Methodism”

Ball, David (June 2007) – “False Starts: The Rhetoric of Failure and the Making of American Modernism, 1850-1950”

Ramdass, Harold (June 2007) – “Miswriting Tragedy: Genealogy, History and Orthography in the Canterbury Tales, Fragment I”

Lilley, James (June 2007) – “Common Things: Transatlantic Romance and the Aesthetics of Belonging, 1764-1840”

Noble, Mary (March 2007) – “Primitive Marriage: Anthropology and Nineteenth-Century Fiction”

Passannante, Gerard (January 2007) – “The Lucretian Renaissance: Ancient Poetry and Humanism in an Age of Science”

Tessone, Natasha (November 2006) – “The Fiction of Inheritance: Familial, Cultural, and National Legacies in the Irish and Scottish Novel”

Horrocks, Ingrid (September 2006) – “Reluctant Wanderers, Mobile Feelings: Moving Figures in Eighteenth-Century Literature”

Bender, Abby (June 2006) – “Out of Egypt and into bondage: Exodus in the Irish National Imagination”

Johnson, Hannah (June 2006) – “The Medieval Limit: Historiography, Ethics, Culture”

Horowitz, Evan (January 2006) – “The Writing of Modern Life”

White, Gillian (November 2005) – “ ‘We Do Not Say Ourselves Like That in Poems’: The Poetics of Contingency in Wallace Stevens and Elizabeth Bishop

Baudot, Laura (September 2005) – “Looking at Nothing: Literary Vacuity in the Long Eighteenth Century”

Hicks, Kevin (September 2005) – “Acts of Recovery: American Antebellum Fictions”

Stern, Kimberly (September 2005) – “The Victorian Sibyl: Women Reviewers and the Reinvention of Critical Tradition”

Nardi, Steven (May 2005) – “Automatic Aesthetics: Race, Technology, and Poetics in the Harlem Renaissance and American New Poetry”

Sayeau, Michael (May 2005) – “Everyday: Literature, Modernity, and Time”

Cooper, Lawrence (April 2005) – “Gothic Realities: The Emergence of Cultural Forms Through Representations of the Unreal”

Betjemann, Peter (November 2004) – “Talking Shop: Craft and Design in Hawthorne, James, and Wharton”

Forbes, Aileen (November 2004) – “Passion Play: Theaters of Romantic Emotion”

Keeley, Howard (November 2004) – “Beyond Big House and Cabin: Dwelling Politically in Modern Irish Literature”

Machlan, Elizabeth (November 2004) – “Panic Rooms: Architecture and Anxiety in New York Stories from 1900 to 9/11”

McDowell, Demetrius (November 2004) – “Hawthorne, James, and the Pressures of the Literary Marketplace”

Waldron, Jennifer (November 2004) – “Eloquence of the Body: Aesthetics, Theology, and English Renaissance Theater”

English Literature Research Paper Topics

This guide, centered on English literature research paper topics , serves as a comprehensive resource for students seeking to delve deep into the diverse epochs, authors, and themes that have shaped English literary tradition. Navigating the intricate tapestry of English literature offers scholars a multitude of avenues for exploration. From the mystique of medieval tales to the introspective narratives of modernism, this guide not only provides a plethora of English literature research paper topics but also offers insights on choosing the ideal topic, structuring the research paper, and harnessing the unmatched writing services of iResearchNet. Dive in to unravel the rich heritage of English literature and discover the myriad opportunities it presents for academic exploration.

100 English Literature Research Paper Topics

Diving into English literature is like embarking on a journey through time and culture. From ancient ballads to modernist narratives, it offers a vast panorama of themes, styles, and societal reflections. Below is a comprehensive list of English literature research paper topics spanning across different eras and genres:

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Medieval Literature

• The significance of chivalry in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight .
• The Christian and Pagan elements in Beowulf .
• Courtly love in The Knight’s Tale from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales .
• Dream visions in Pearl and Piers Plowman .
• The role of fate and providence in The Consolation of Philosophy .
• The art of storytelling in The Decameron vs. The Canterbury Tales .
• The Seven Deadly Sins in Everyman .
• The evolution of the English language: Old English vs. Middle English.
• Religious allegory in The Second Shepherd’s Play .
• Women and femininity in the Lais of Marie de France .

Renaissance and Elizabethan Age

• Shakespeare’s portrayal of power in Macbeth .
• Love and beauty in Sonnet 18 .
• The idea of the “New World” in The Tempest .
• The virtues in Spenser’s The Faerie Queene .
• Magic and science in Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe.
• The pastoral settings of As You Like It .
• The politics of gender in Twelfth Night .
• Revenge and madness in Hamlet .
• John Donne’s metaphysical poetry and its innovation.
• The darker side of the Renaissance: The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster.

The Restoration and the 18th Century

• The satirical world of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels .
• Class struggles in Daniel Defoe’s Moll Flanders .
• Alexander Pope’s critique of society in The Rape of the Lock .
• Aphra Behn and the emergence of the woman writer.
• The wit and wisdom of Samuel Johnson’s essays.
• The rise of the novel: Richardson vs. Fielding.
• Sentimentality and society in Sterne’s Tristram Shandy .
• Politics and plays: John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera .
• Women, education, and literature: Mary Wollstonecraft’s ideas.
• The mock-heroic in English literature.

Romantic Period

• Nature and transcendence in Wordsworth’s Tintern Abbey .
• The Byronic hero in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage .
• Shelley’s Ozymandias and the ephemeral nature of power.
• The Gothic romance of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights .
• George Gordon Lord Byron and the Romantic antihero.
• The visionary world of William Blake’s poems.
• The exotic and the familiar in Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
• Keats’s exploration of beauty and mortality.
• The industrial revolution’s reflection in literature.
• Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the dangers of ambition.

Victorian Era

• Charles Dickens and his critique of Victorian society.
• The challenges of morality in Thomas Hardy’s novels.
• The bildungsroman in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre .
• The plight of women in George Eliot’s Middlemarch .
• Oscar Wilde’s wit and irony in The Importance of Being Earnest .
• The debate on science and religion in In Memoriam A.H.H by Alfred Lord Tennyson.
• The mystery and suspense of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories.
• The “Woman Question” in Victorian literature.
• The realism of Anthony Trollope’s Chronicles of Barsetshire.
• Gothic elements in Dracula by Bram Stoker.
• The fragmented narrative of Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse .
• T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land and the disillusionment of the post-war era.
• The struggles of the working class in D.H. Lawrence’s novels.
• The impact of World War I on English poetry.
• James Joyce’s revolutionary narrative techniques in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man .
• E.M. Forster’s exploration of social and racial themes.
• The critique of colonialism in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness .
• W.B. Yeats and the Irish literary revival.
• The emergence of the stream-of-consciousness technique.
• The Jazz Age and decadence in the writings of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The Gothic Tradition

• Origins of Gothic fiction: Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto .
• The supernatural and macabre in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
• Ann Radcliffe’s influence on the Gothic novel.
• The role of the Byronic hero in The Vampyre by John Polidori.
• Duality of human nature in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde .
• The haunting atmospheres in Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.
• Gender and sexuality in Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu.
• Edgar Allan Poe’s influence on English Gothic literature.
• Dracula by Bram Stoker: Themes of sexuality and fear of the unknown.
• The Gothic novel as a reflection of societal fears and anxieties.

The Angry Young Men Era

• Social criticism in John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger .
• Exploring masculinity in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning by Alan Sillitoe.
• The disillusionment of post-war Britain in The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner .
• The class struggle in Kingsley Amis’s Lucky Jim .
• Existential themes in John Wain’s Hurry on Down .
• Feminine perspectives in the era: Shelagh Delaney’s A Taste of Honey .
• The critique of academia in The History Man by Malcolm Bradbury.
• The Angry Young Men and their influence on modern theater.
• The transformation of British literature in the 1950s and 1960s.
• The lasting legacy of the Angry Young Men movement in contemporary literature.

Postmodern British Literature

• Metafiction in Julian Barnes’s Flaubert’s Parrot .
• The playfulness of language in Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses .
• Intertextuality in Jeanette Winterson’s Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit .
• The fragmented narrative in Graham Swift’s Waterland .
• Reality and fiction in Ian McEwan’s Atonement .
• Gender and postcolonial themes in Angela Carter’s The Passion of New Eve .
• The exploration of identity in Zadie Smith’s White Teeth .
• The deconstruction of traditional narrative in Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.
• Postmodern gothic in The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.
• Magical realism in The Porcelain Doll by Julian Barnes.

Contemporary English Literature

• The multicultural London in Brick Lane by Monica Ali.
• Exploring family dynamics in On Beauty by Zadie Smith.
• The concept of time in Ian McEwan’s Amsterdam .
• The role of history in Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall .
• The exploration of love and loss in Julian Barnes’s The Sense of an Ending .
• Postcolonial Britain in Andrea Levy’s Small Island .
• The challenges of modern life in Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity .
• The evolution of the English detective novel: Kate Atkinson’s Case Histories .
• The legacy of the British Empire in The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai.
• The digital age and its influence on literature: The Word Exchange by Alena Graedon.

English literature boasts a rich and varied tapestry of themes, periods, and genres. This comprehensive list is a testament to the dynamism and depth of the field, offering a myriad of research avenues for students. As they venture into each topic, they can appreciate the nuances and complexities that have shaped the literary tradition, making it an invaluable component of global culture and heritage.

English Literature and the Range of Topics It Offers

English literature, encompassing the vast historical, cultural, and artistic legacy of writings in the English language, boasts a rich tapestry of narratives, characters, and stylistic innovations. From the earliest Old English epic poems to the reflective and multifaceted postmodern novels, English literature offers an expansive array of topics for analysis, discussion, and research. The depth and breadth of this literary tradition are mirrored by the diverse range of English literature research paper topics it can inspire.

The Medieval Foundation

Diving into the early origins of English literature, we encounter works like Beowulf , an Old English epic poem of heroism, fate, and the struggle against malevolent forces. Medieval English literature, characterized by religious texts, chivalric romances, and philosophical treatises, sets the stage for the evolution of narrative styles and thematic explorations. The rich allegorical narratives, like Piers Plowman or Sir Gawain and the Green Knight , present intricate societal and spiritual commentaries that still resonate with readers today. These works invite inquiries into the socio-religious dynamics of medieval England, the evolution of the English language, and the literary techniques employed.

Renaissance and Enlightenment: A Burst of Creativity

The Renaissance and Elizabethan Age saw the emergence of revered playwrights like William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, whose dramas, whether tragedies, comedies, or histories, plumbed the depths of human emotion, politics, and existence. The genius of Shakespeare’s Hamlet or Othello , juxtaposed against Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus , provides a fertile ground for investigating themes of ambition, betrayal, love, and existential angst. Moreover, with poets like Edmund Spenser and his epic The Faerie Queene , English literature expanded its horizons, both thematically and stylistically.

The subsequent Restoration and the 18th century ushered in a period of social and literary change. With authors like Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope, satire became a powerful tool to critique society and politics. Furthermore, the emergence of the novel, as exemplified by Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe and Samuel Richardson’s Pamela , offered researchers a chance to explore the evolving societal values, gender norms, and narrative techniques.

Romanticism, Victorian Era to Modernism: A Spectrum of Emotion and Thought

The Romantic period, marked by poets like William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and John Keats, celebrated nature, emotion, and individualism. In contrast, the Victorian era, with novelists like Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, and the Brontë sisters, addressed societal change, morality, and industrialization. Both periods are a goldmine for English literature research paper topics around the individual vs. society, the role of nature, and the exploration of the self.

Modernism in English literature, with heavyweights like Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, and T.S. Eliot, revolutionized narrative structure and thematic depth. Works from this era, such as To the Lighthouse or The Waste Land , demand analysis on fragmented narrative, stream of consciousness, and the introspective exploration of the human psyche.

Contemporary Reflections

Contemporary English literature, shaped by postcolonial, feminist, and postmodern influences, gives voice to a plethora of perspectives. Authors like Salman Rushdie, Zadie Smith, and Julian Barnes tackle issues of identity, multiculturalism, history, and reality versus fiction. Such works present a plethora of avenues for research, from analyzing the postcolonial identity in Rushdie’s narratives to the intricate tapestries of familial and societal dynamics in Smith’s novels.

Concluding Thoughts

In essence, English literature is an evolving entity, reflecting and shaping societal, cultural, and individual values and challenges over the centuries. For students and researchers, the wealth of English literature research paper topics it offers ranges from historical and linguistic analyses to deep dives into thematic cores and stylistic innovations. Whether one wishes to explore the chivalric codes of medieval romances, the biting satires of the 18th century, the emotional landscapes of Romanticism, or the fragmented realities of postmodern narratives, English literature provides an inexhaustible reservoir of research opportunities.

How to Choose an English Literature Topic

Choosing a research paper topic, especially within the expansive field of English literature, can be a challenging endeavor. The centuries-spanning literature offers a treasure trove of stories, themes, characters, and socio-political contexts that beckon exhaustive exploration. As such, students often find themselves at a crossroads, wondering where to begin and how to narrow down their choices to find that one compelling topic. Here’s a detailed guide to streamline this process:

• Align with Your Interests: Dive into periods, genres, or authors that genuinely intrigue you. If Victorian novels captivate your imagination or if Shakespearean dramas resonate with you, use that as your starting point. Genuine interest ensures sustained motivation throughout your research journey.
• Evaluate Academic Relevance: While personal interest is vital, ensure your chosen topic aligns with academic goals and curriculum requirements. Some English literature research paper topics, while intriguing, might not offer substantial academic value for a particular course or level of study.
• Seek Familiar Ground (But Not Too Familiar): Leverage your previous readings and coursework. Familiarity offers a foundation, but challenge yourself to explore uncharted territories within that domain. If you enjoyed Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice , maybe delve into its feminist interpretations or comparative studies with other contemporaneous works.
• Embrace Complexity: Opt for English literature research paper topics that lend themselves to multifaceted exploration. Simple topics might not provide enough depth for comprehensive research papers. Instead of a general overview of Romantic poetry, explore the portrayal of nature in Wordsworth’s works versus Shelley’s.
• Historical and Cultural Context: Literature isn’t created in a vacuum. Understand the historical and societal backdrop of a literary work. This context can offer a fresh perspective and can be an excellent lens for your research.
• Contemporary Relevance: How does a particular work or literary period converse with today’s world? Exploring the modern implications or relevance of classic works can be both enlightening and academically rewarding.
• Diverse Interpretations: Embrace English literature research paper topics open to various interpretations. Works like George Orwell’s 1984 or Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot can be analyzed from political, psychological, existential, or linguistic viewpoints.
• Consult with Peers and Professors: Engage in discussions with classmates and seek advice from professors. Their feedback can provide new perspectives or refine your existing topic ideas.
• Read Critiques and Literary Journals: Academic journals, critiques, and literary analyses offer insights into popular research areas and can help you identify gaps or lesser-explored aspects of a work or period.
• Flexibility is Key: As you delve deeper into your research, be open to tweaking or even changing your topic. New findings or challenges might necessitate slight shifts in your research focus.

Choosing the right research topic in English literature requires a blend of personal passion, academic relevance, and the potential for in-depth exploration. By aligning your interests with academic goals, and being open to exploration and adaptation, you pave the way for a fulfilling and academically enriching research experience. Remember, the journey of researching and understanding literature can be as enlightening as the end result. Embrace the process, and let the vast ocean of English literature inspire and challenge you.

How to Write an English Literature Research Paper

Penning an English literature research paper is a task that demands meticulous planning, a deep understanding of the subject, and the ability to weave thoughts coherently. English literature, with its vast and rich tapestry, offers endless avenues for exploration, making it both an exciting and daunting endeavor. Below are step-by-step guidelines to craft a compelling research paper in this domain:

• Understanding the Assignment: Before diving into the research phase, ensure you fully understand the assignment’s requirements. Is there a specific format? Are certain sources mandatory? What’s the word count? This foundational clarity sets the stage for efficient research and writing.
• Preliminary Research: Start with a broad exploration of your topic. Read general articles, introductory chapters, or review papers. This will give you a general overview and can help narrow down your focus.
• Thesis Statement Formulation: Your thesis is the backbone of your research paper. It should be clear, precise, and arguable. For instance, instead of writing “Shakespeare’s plays are influential,” you might specify, “ Macbeth illustrates the dire consequences of unchecked ambition.”
• Diving Deeper – Detailed Research: With your thesis in hand, dive deeper into primary (original texts) and secondary sources (critiques, essays). Libraries, academic databases, and literary journals are treasure troves of valuable information.
• Organize Your Findings: Use digital tools, index cards, or notebooks to categorize and annotate your findings. Grouping similar ideas together will make the writing process smoother.
• Drafting an Outline: An organized structure is essential for clarity. Create an outline with clear headings and subheadings, ensuring a logical flow of ideas. This will serve as a roadmap as you write.
• Introduction Crafting: Your introduction should be engaging, offering a glimpse of your thesis and the significance of your study. Remember, first impressions count!
• Literary Analysis: Delve into the text’s intricacies – symbols, themes, character development, stylistic devices, and historical context.
• Critiques and Counter-arguments: Discuss various interpretations of the text, and don’t shy away from addressing dissenting views. This lends credibility and depth to your paper.
• Comparative Analysis (if applicable): Compare the chosen work with others, drawing parallels or highlighting contrasts.
• Maintaining Coherence and Transition: Each paragraph should have a clear main idea and transition smoothly to the next, maintaining the paper’s flow and ensuring the reader’s engagement.
• Conclusion Crafting: Reiterate your thesis and summarize your main findings. Discuss the broader implications of your study, potentially suggesting areas for further exploration.
• Citing Your Sources: Always attribute ideas and quotations to their original authors. Depending on the assigned format (MLA, APA, etc.), ensure that in-text citations and the bibliography are correctly formatted.
• Revision and Proofreading: Once your draft is complete, take a break before revisiting it. Read it aloud to catch awkward phrasings. Check for grammatical errors, consistency in argumentation, and clarity in presenting ideas. Consider seeking peer reviews or utilizing editing tools.
• Seek Feedback: Before final submission, consider sharing your paper with a mentor, professor, or knowledgeable peer. Their insights can be invaluable in refining your research paper.

Writing an English literature research paper is as much an art as it is a science. While meticulous research and structured writing are crucial, allowing your passion for literature to shine through will elevate your paper. Remember, literature is about exploring the human experience, and as you dissect these masterpieces, you’re not just analyzing texts but delving into profound insights about life, society, and humanity. Embrace the journey, and let every step, from research to writing, be a process of discovery.

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Founded as a graduate program in 1904 and joining with the undergraduate Literature Concentration in 2007, Harvard’s Department of Comparative Literature operates at the crossroads of multilingualism, literary study, and media history.

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PhD English Literature

We perform innovative and world-leading research across literature, writing and linguistics. Our diverse mix of subject specialities means we are a vibrant and imaginative community with lots of opportunity for intellectual exchange.

Key course information

October 2024 - full-time, october 2024 - part-time, january 2025 - full-time, january 2025 - part-time, april 2025 - full-time, april 2025 - part-time, july 2025 - full-time, july 2025 - part-time, why choose this programme.

• We’re part of the interdisciplinary School of Literature and Languages, which has research-active staff who are at the forefront of knowledge in English literature, creative writing, film studies, translation studies, theoretical and applied linguistics, and literary and cultural studies.
• Our research concentrates on a range of periods, themes and subjects, spanning Medieval literature, Shakespeare and the Renaissance, Romanticism, Victorian and 19th-century literature, Modern and contemporary literature, creative writing and film studies. 
• We’re part of  TECHNE , an  Arts and Humanities Research Council  (AHRC)-funded doctoral training partnership, which provides access to comprehensive academic and professional training programmes, as well as the possibility of funding for your studies. 
• The Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 ranked the School of Literature and Languages 10th for research impact in the UK, with 75% of our case studies rated as having outstanding impacts, in terms of reach and significance (4*). Our submission to REF included contributions from the Guildford School of Acting (GSA).

Fantastic graduate prospects

95% of Surrey's postgraduates go on to employment or further study 

10th for Research impact

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 ranked the School of Literature and Languages 

Programme details Open

What you will study.

Our English Literature PhD will train you in critical and analytical skills, research methods, and knowledge that will equip you for your professional or academic career. It normally takes around three or four years to complete our full-time PhD.

You’ll be assigned a primary and secondary supervisor, who will meet with you regularly to read and discuss your work and progress. For us, writing is essential for understanding and developing new perspectives, so you’ll be submitting written work right from the start of your course.

In the first year of your PhD, you’ll refine your research proposal and plan the structure of your work with the guidance and support of your supervisors. As you go into your second and third year, you’ll gradually learn to work more independently, and your supervisors will guide you on how to present at conferences and get your work published.

After 12-15 months, you’ll submit a substantial piece of work for a confirmation examination. The confirmation examination will be conducted by two internal members of staff not on your supervisory team and will give you the opportunity to gain additional guidance on your research-to-date. The final two years of your PhD will be devoted to expanding and refining your work ready for submission of the final thesis.

As a doctoral student in the School of Literature and Languages, you’ll receive a structured training programme covering the practical aspects of being a researcher, including grant-writing, publishing in journals, and applying for academic jobs.

Your final assessment will be based on the presentation of your research in a written thesis, which will be discussed in a viva examination with at least two examiners. You have the option of preparing your thesis as a monograph (one large volume in chapter form) or in publication format (including chapters written for publication), subject to the approval of your supervisors.

Stag Hill is the University's main campus and where the majority of our courses are taught. 

Research areas Open

Research themes.

• Women's writing (especially medieval women's writing, early modern women's drama and Victorian women writers)
• Medieval romance
• Romanticism
• Victorian studies
• Modernism and modernity
• Travel and mobility
• Western and global esotericisms
• Sexuality and queer theory
• Postmodern and post-postmodern writing
• Contemporary fiction
• Transnational literature.

Discover more about our literature and languages research .

Academic staff Open

See a full list of all our  literature and languages academic staff .

Support and facilities Open

Research support.

In addition to a number of excellent training opportunities offered by the University, our PhD students can take additional subject-specific training and take part in the School’s research seminars and events. These provide a valuable opportunity to meet visiting scholars whose work connects with our own research strengths across literature, theory, and creative writing.

The professional development of postgraduate researchers is supported by the Doctoral College , which provides training in essential skills through its Researcher Development Programme of workshops, mentoring and coaching. A dedicated postgraduate careers and employability team will help you prepare for a successful career after the completion of your PhD.

You’ll be allocated shared office space within the School of Literature and Languages and have full access to our library and online resources. Our close proximity to London also means that the British Library and many other important archives are within easy reach.

Hear from our students Open

Edwin Gilson

Student - English Literature PhD

"A real highlight for me was having an article published in a well-known journal in my field. This came out of a chapter I wasn’t expecting to write at the start of the thesis, on a novel I read during the PhD."

Entry requirements Open

Applicants are expected to hold a good first-class UK degree (a minimum 2:1 or equivalent) and an MA in a relevant topic.

English language requirements

IELTS Academic:  7.0 or above with a minimum of 6.5 in each component (or equivalent).

These are the English language qualifications and levels that we can accept. 

If you do not currently meet the level required for your programme, we offer intensive pre-sessional English language courses , designed to take you to the level of English ability and skill required for your studies here.

Selection process

Selection is based on applicants:

• Meeting the expected entry requirements
• Being shortlisted through the application screening process
• Completing a successful interview
• Providing suitable references.

Fees and funding Open

Fees per year.

Explore  UKCISA’s website for more information if you are unsure whether you are a UK or overseas student. View the  list of fees for all postgraduate research courses.

• Annual fees will increase by 4% for each year of study, rounded up to the nearest £100 (subject to legal requirements).
• Any start date other than September will attract a pro-rata fee for that year of entry (75 per cent for January, 50 per cent for April and 25 per cent for July).

Additional costs

There are additional costs that you can expect to incur when studying at Surrey.

A Postgraduate Doctoral Loan can help with course fees and living costs while you study a postgraduate doctoral course.

Application process

Applicants are advised to contact potential supervisors before they submit an application via the website. Please refer to section two of our  application guidance .

After registration

Students are initially registered for a PhD with probationary status and, subject to satisfactory progress, subsequently confirmed as having PhD status.

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English Literature PhD

Full-time, October 2024

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Code of practice for research degrees

Surrey’s postgraduate research code of practice sets out the University's policy and procedural framework relating to research degrees. The code defines a set of standard procedures and specific responsibilities covering the academic supervision, administration and assessment of research degrees for all faculties within the University.

Download the code of practice for research degrees (PDF) .

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We provide these terms and conditions in two stages:

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• Second when students accept their offer and register to study with us (registration terms and conditions will vary depending on your course and academic year).

View our generic registration terms and conditions (PDF) for the 2023/24 academic year, as a guide on what to expect.

This online prospectus has been published in advance of the academic year to which it applies.

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Digital Commons @ USF > College of Arts and Sciences > English > Theses and Dissertations

English Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

The Drama of Last Things: Reckoning in Late Medieval and Early Modern English Drama , Spencer M. Daniels

African Spirituality in Literature Written by Women of African Descent , Brigét V. Harley

Hidden Monstrosities: The Transformation of Medieval Characters and Conventions in Shakespeare's Romances , Lynette Kristine Kuliyeva

Making the Invisible Visible: (Re)envisioning the Black Body in Contemporary Adaptations of Nineteenth-Century Fiction , Urshela Wiggins McKinney

Lawful Injustice: Novel Readings of Racialized Temporality and Legal Instabilities , Danielle N. Mercier

“Manne, for thy loue wolde I not lette”: Eucharistic Portrayals of Caritas in Medieval and Early Modern English Literature and Drama 1350-1650 , Rachel Tanski

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Of Mētis and Cuttlefish: Employing Collective Mētis as a Theoretical Framework for Marginalized Communities , Justiss Wilder Burry

What on earth are we doing (?): A Field-Wide Exploration of Design Courses in TPC , Jessica L. Griffith

Organizations Ensuring Resilience: A Case Study of Cortez, Florida , Karla Ariel Maddox

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Using Movie Clips to Understand Vivid-Phrasal Idioms’ Meanings , Rasha Salem S. Alghamdi

An Exercise in Exceptions: Personhood, Divergency, and Ableism in the STAR TREK Franchise , Jessica A. Blackman

Vulnerable Resistance in Victorian Women’s Writing , Stephanie A. Harper

Curricular Assemblages: Understanding Student Writing Knowledge (Re)circulation Across Genres , Adam Phillips

PAD Beyond the Classroom: Integrating PAD in the Scrum Workplace , Jade S. Weiss

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Social Cues in Animated Pedagogical Agents for Second Language Learners: the Application of The Embodiment Principle in Video Design , Sahar M. Alyahya

A Field-Wide Examination of Cross-Listed Courses in Technical Professional Communication , Carolyn M. Gubala

Labor-Based Grading Contracts in the Multilingual FYC Classroom: Unpacking the Variables , Kara Kristina Larson

Land Goddesses, Divine Pigs, and Royal Tricksters: Subversive Mythologies and Imperialist Land Ownership Dispossession in Twentieth Century Irish and American Literature , Elizabeth Ricketts

Oppression, Resistance, and Empowerment: The Power Dynamics of Naming and Un-naming in African American Literature, 1794 to 2019 , Melissa "Maggie" Romigh

Generic Expectations in First Year Writing: Teaching Metadiscoursal Reflection and Revision Strategies for Increased Generic Uptake of Academic Writing , Kaelah Rose Scheff

Reframing the Gothic: Race, Gender, & Disability in Multiethnic Literature , Ashely B. Tisdale

Intersections of Race and Place in Short Fiction by New Orleans Gens de Couleur Libres , Adrienne D. Vivian

Mental Illness Diagnosis and the Construction of Stigma , Katie Lynn Walkup

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Rhetorical Roundhouse Kicks: Tae Kwon Do Pumsae Practice and Non-Western Embodied Topoi , Spencer Todd Bennington

9/11 Then and Now: How the Performance of Memorial Rhetoric by Presidents Changes to Construct Heroes , Kristen M. Grafton

Kinesthetically Speaking: Human and Animal Communication in British Literature of the Long Eighteenth Century , Dana Jolene Laitinen

Exploring Refugee Students’ Second Language (L2) Motivational Selves through Digital Visual Representations , Nhu Le

Glamour in Contemporary American Cinema , Shauna A. Maragh

Instrumentalization Theory: An Analytical Heuristic for a Heightened Social Awareness of Machine Learning Algorithms in Social Media , Andrew R. Miller

Intercessory Power: A Literary Analysis of Ethics and Care in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon , Alice Walker’s Meridian , and Toni Cade Bambara’s Those Bones Are Not My Child , Kelly Mills

The Power of Non-Compliant Logos: A New Materialist Approach to Comic Studies , Stephanie N. Phillips

Female Identity and Sexuality in Contemporary Indonesian Novels , Zita Rarastesa

"The Fiery Furnaces of Hell": Rhetorical Dynamism in Youngstown, OH , Joshua M. Rea

“We developed solidarity”: Family, Race, Identity, and Space-Time in Recent Multiethnic U.S. American Fiction , Kimber L. Wiggs

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Remembrance of a Wound: Ethical Mourning in the Works of Ana Menéndez, Elías Miguel Muñoz, and Junot Díaz , José Aparicio

Taking an “Ecological Turn” in the Evaluation of Rhetorical Interventions , Peter Cannon

New GTA’s and the Pre-Semester Orientation: The Need for Informed Refinement , Jessica L. Griffith

Reading Rape and Answering with Empathy: A New Approach to Sexual Assault Education for College Students , Brianna Jerman

The Karoo , The Veld , and the Co-Op: The Farm as Microcosm and Place for Change in Schreiner, Lessing, and Head , Elana D. Karshmer

"The weak are meat, and the strong do eat"; Representations of the Slaughterhouse in Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Literature , Stephanie Lance

Language of Carnival: How Language and the Carnivalesque Challenge Hegemony , Yulia O. Nekrashevich

Queer Authority in Old and Middle English Literature , Elan J. Pavlinich

Because My Garmin Told Me To: A New Materialist Study of Agency and Wearable Technology , Michael Repici

No One Wants to Read What You Write: A Contextualized Analysis of Service Course Assignments , Tanya P. Zarlengo

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Beauty and the Beasts: Making Places with Literary Animals of Florida , Haili A. Alcorn

The Medievalizing Process: Religious Medievalism in Romantic and Victorian Literature , Timothy M. Curran

Seeing Trauma: The Known and the Hidden in Nineteenth-Century Literature , Alisa M. DeBorde

Analysis of User Interfaces in the Sharing Economy , Taylor B. Johnson

Border-Crossing Travels Across Literary Worlds: My Shamanic Conscientization , Scott Neumeister

The Spectacle of The Bomb: Rhetorical Analysis of Risk of The Nevada Test Site in Technical Communication, Popular Press, and Pop Culture , Tiffany Wilgar

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Traveling Women and Consuming Place in Eighteenth-Century Travel Letters and Journals , Cassie Patricia Childs

“The Nations of the Field and Wood”: The Uncertain Ontology of Animals in Eighteenth-Century British Literature , J. Kevin Jordan

Modern Mythologies: The Epic Imagination in Contemporary Indian Literature , Sucheta Kanjilal

Science in the Sun: How Science is Performed as a Spatial Practice , Natalie Kass

Body as Text: Physiognomy on the Early English Stage , Curtis Le Van

Tensions Between Democracy and Expertise in the Florida Keys , Elizabeth A. Loyer

Institutional Review Boards and Writing Studies Research: A Justice-Oriented Study , Johanna Phelps-Hillen

The Spirit of Friendship: Girlfriends in Contemporary African American Literature , Tangela La'Chelle Serls

Aphra Behn on the Contemporary Stage: Behn's Feminist Legacy and Woman-Directed Revivals of The Rover , Nicole Elizabeth Stodard

(Age)ncy in Composition Studies , Alaina Tackitt

Constructing Health Narratives: Patient Feedback in Online Communities , Katie Lynn Walkup

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Rupturing the World of Elite Athletics: A Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis of the Suspension of the 2011 IAAF Regulations on Hyperandrogenism , Ella Browning

Shaping Climate Citizenship: The Ethics of Inclusion in Climate Change Communication and Policy , Lauren E. Cagle

Drop, Cover, and Hold On: Analyzing FEMA's Risk Communication through Visual Rhetoric , Samantha Jo Cosgrove

Material Expertise: Applying Object-oriented Rhetoric in Marine Policy , Zachary Parke Dixon

The Non-Identical Anglophone Bildungsroman : From the Categorical to the De-Centering Literary Subject in the Black Atlantic , Jarad Heath Fennell

Instattack: Instagram and Visual Ad Hominem Political Arguments , Sophia Evangeline Gourgiotis

Hospitable Climates: Representations of the West Indies in Eighteenth-Century British Literature , Marisa Carmen Iglesias

Chosen Champions: Medieval and Early Modern Heroes as Postcolonial Reactions to Tensions between England and Europe , Jessica Trant Labossiere

Science, Policy, and Decision Making: A Case Study of Deliberative Rhetoric and Policymaking for Coastal Adaptation in Southeast Florida , Karen Patricia Langbehn

A New Materialist Approach to Visual Rhetoric in PhotoShopBattles , Jonathan Paul Ray

Tracing the Material: Spaces and Objects in British and Irish Modernist Novels , Mary Allison Wise

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Representations of Gatsby: Ninety Years of Retrospective , Christine Anne Auger

Robust, Low Power, Discrete Gate Sizing , Anthony Joseph Casagrande

Wrestling with Angels: Postsecular Contemporary American Poetry , Paul T. Corrigan

#networkedglobe: Making the Connection between Social Media and Intercultural Technical Communication , Laura Anne Ewing

Evidence of Things Not Seen: A Semi-Automated Descriptive Phrase and Frame Analysis of Texts about the Herbicide Agent Orange , Sarah Beth Hopton

'She Shall Not Be Moved': Black Women's Spiritual Practice in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, Beloved, Paradise, and Home , Rondrea Danielle Mathis

Relational Agency, Networked Technology, and the Social Media Aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombing , Megan M. Mcintyre

Now, We Hear Through a Voice Darkly: New Media and Narratology in Cinematic Art , James Anthony Ricci

Navigating Collective Activity Systems: An Approach Towards Rhetorical Inquiry , Katherine Jesse Royce

Women's Narratives of Confinement: Domestic Chores as Threads of Resistance and Healing , Jacqueline Marie Smith

Domestic Spaces in Transition: Modern Representations of Dwelling in the Texts of Elizabeth Bowen , Shannon Tivnan

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Paradise Always Already Lost: Myth, Memory, and Matter in English Literature , Elizabeth Stuart Angello

Overcoming the 5th-Century BCE Epistemological Tragedy: A Productive Reading of Protagoras of Abdera , Ryan Alan Blank

Acts of Rebellion: The Rhetoric of Rogue Cinema , Adam Breckenridge

Material and Textual Spaces in the Poetry of Montagu, Leapor, Barbauld, and Robinson , Jessica Lauren Cook

Decolonizing Shakespeare: Race, Gender, and Colonialism in Three Adaptations of Three Plays by William Shakespeare , Angela Eward-Mangione

Risk of Compliance: Tracing Safety and Efficacy in Mef-Lariam's Licensure , Julie Marie Gerdes

Beyond Performance: Rhetoric, Collective Memory, and the Motive of Imprinting Identity , Brenda M. Grau

Subversive Beauty - Victorian Bodies of Expression , Lisa Michelle Hoffman-Reyes

Integrating Reading and Writing For Florida's ESOL Program , George Douglas Mcarthur

Responsibility and Responsiveness in the Novels of Ann Radcliffe and Mary Shelley , Katherine Marie McGee

Ghosts, Orphans, and Outlaws: History, Family, and the Law in Toni Morrison's Fiction , Jessica Mckee

The "Defective" Generation: Disability in Modernist Literature , Deborah Susan Mcleod

Science Fiction/Fantasy and the Representation of Ethnic Futurity , Joy Ann Sanchez-Taylor

Hermes, Technical Communicator of the Gods: The Theory, Design, and Creation of a Persuasive Game for Technical Communication , Eric Walsh

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Rhetorical Spirits: Spirituality as Rhetorical Device in New Age Womanist of Color Texts , Ronisha Witlee Browdy

Disciplinarity, Crisis, and Opportunity in Technical Communication , Jason Robert Carabelli

The Terror of Possibility: A Re-evaluation and Reconception of the Sublime Aesthetic , Kurt Fawver

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English & American Literatures and Cultures

Doctoral Program at the Institute of English & American Studies, University of Szeged

Research Topics

Phd research topics offered by instructors, as of january 2021.

Annus Irén Identity studies in American context Gender and race/ethnicity in American culture 19th-century American culture Visual culture in the US

Csetényi Korinna Gothic literature Horror literature and films

Cristian Réka Mónika American film and film theories Modern American drama, modern American literature Theories of American studies

Dragon Zoltán New Media and New Formulations of the Visual Film Adaptation: Intertextual, Dialogic and Transmedial Approaches in English Visual Culture in the U.S.: Photography and the Moving Image

Kérchy Anna Intersections of Women’s Literature /Arts, Gender Studies, and Body Studies The Literatures of the Fantastic Parallels of the Victorian and the Postmodern fantastic imagination Children’s/ Young Adult Literature Fairy-tale studies Intermedial cultural representations, transmedia storytelling Animal/ plant studies

Kiss Attila Mediality and Semiotics: Theories and case studies of visual and verbal cultural representations Early modern and postmodern cultural representations in literatures and cultures in English, and their comparative analysis Literature and the Semiotics of the Subject

Kovács Ágnes Zsófia Interacting discourses of American literary realism and modernism Modernist US travel writing from postcolonial perspectives The making of racial, class, and gender identities/histories in contemporary US identity prose African American women and the fictional rewriting of US history

Matuska Ágnes Performance traditions in late Tudor and early modern English drama Multimedia Shakespeare adaptations Intersections between early modern and postmodern performance traditions

Péter Róbert 17-18th century British studies (history of ideas; religious, press and cultural history, Enlightenment studies) Digital humanities (distant reading, visualization, topic modeling, network and metadata analyses) British-Hungarian relations, 1600-1850. Representations of Hungary and Transylvania in the British press History of secret societies (e.g. Freemasonry)

Szélpál Lívia Klára TBA

Szőnyi György Endre Mediality and Semiography: Theories and case studies of visual and verbal cultural representations Questions of English intellectual and cultural history Imagination, the fantastic, heterodoxy, and occultism in Ango-Saxon culture (16 th -21 st centuries) Theories, aesthetics and philosophies of cultural representations (with special emphasis on the Early Modern Age and its Postmodern reception)

Tóth Zsófia Anna Cultural history of femme fatale figures, Representations of women and violence Jane Austen studies American popular culture and cinema (especially Disney and Pixar animated films) Humour studies and theories (special interest in women’s humor)

Vajda Zoltán American intellectual history and cultural history, 18 th – 19 th century

Zámbóné Kocic Larisa 17 th -century English literature (especially John Donne and John Milton) Women (Writers) in the Early Modern English Literature 18th-century Visual Storytelling (& Satire) Literacy and orality of culture (Protomodern and Postmodern) Comics and Fandom Studies (media specificity, image-text interplay, and orality of fan fictions)

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Literature Dissertation Topics

Published by Carmen Troy at January 9th, 2023 , Revised On June 7, 2024

  A literature dissertation aims to contextualise themes, ideas, and interests that have grabbed a reader’s interest and attention, giving them a more profound meaning through the movement of time within and outside cultures.

Literature is a comprehensive knowledge of other writers’ views, and to understand them, a student must perform extensive reading and research. A writer coveys their thoughts and ideas through their literary works, including the views and opinions of writers ranging from topics on philosophy , religious preferences, sociology , academics, and psychology .

To help you get started with brainstorming for literature topic ideas, we have developed a list of the latest topics that can be used for writing your literature dissertation.

These topics have been developed by PhD qualified writers in our team , so you can trust to use these topics for drafting your dissertation.

You may also want to start your dissertation by requesting  a brief research proposal  from our writers on any of these topics, which includes an  introduction  to the topic,  research question ,  aim and objectives ,  literature review  along with the proposed  methodology  of research to be conducted.  Let us know  if you need any help in getting started.

Check our  dissertation examples  to get an idea of  how to structure your dissertation .

Review the full list of  dissertation topics here .

List Of Free Dissertation Topics On Literature

• How Has The Rise of Afropolitan Literature Reshaped Identity Discourse
• Digital Storytelling and the Evolution of Narrative Form in the 21st Century
• The Influence of Social Media on the Construction of Authorship and the Literary Sphere
• An Analysis of The Growing Use of AI in Literature
• The Representation of Mental Health in Contemporary Literature and How This Is Breaking Stigma and Fostering Empathy
• Examining the Cultural Significance of Culinary Experiences
• The Evolution of Male Characters in Literature
• Challenges and Ethical Considerations in Bringing Literature Across Borders
• A Comprehensive Analysis of the Role of Satire and Irony in Literature
• The Convergence of Fantasy and Dystopian Literature

Literature Dissertation Topics To Help You Get Started

Topic 1: impact of the second language barrier on the social integration of immigrants- a case of chinese nationals migrating to the uk.

Research Aim: This research proposes an analysis to show the impact of the second language barrier on the social integration of Chinese immigrants in the UK. It will analyse how this barrier affects various segments of their lives by limiting their social interactions. Moreover, it will identify ways (language courses, communal support, financial support, etc.) through which government and civil society help these immigrants overcome this barrier to make them feel included in the UK and play a part in the economy.

Topic 2: The Power of the Writer’s Imagination- A Study Finding the Role of Writer Imagination in the Social Revolution in 19th-Century Europe

Research Aim: This study intends to identify the role of the writer’s imagination in the social revolution in 19 th century Europe. It will show how writers’ imagination is reflected in their writings and how it affects ordinary individuals’ mindsets. It will assess the writings of various authors during the 19 th -century social revolution when Europe replaced the monarchy with democracy. It will show the language used by the authors and its effect on the individuals’ will to achieve democracy.

Topic 3: How Does an Accent Develop? An Exploratory Analysis Finding Factors Shaped Various English Accents in the World- A Case of America, Australia, and India

Research Aim: This research will analyse how an accent develops when a language is imported from one region to the other. It will identify how various factors such as culture, norms, politics, religion, etc., affect accent development. And to show this effect, this research will show how the English accent changed when it came to America, Australia, and India. Moreover, it will indicate whether social resistance in these areas affected the accent or was readily accepted.

Topic 4: “Gender Pronouns and their Usage” a New Debate in the Social Linguistics Literature- A Systematic Review of the Past and Present Debates

Research Aim: This study sheds light on a relatively new debate in politics, sociology, and linguistics, which is how to correctly use gender pronouns in all of these contexts. Therefore, this study will explore these areas, but the main focus will be on linguistics. It will review various theories and frameworks in linguistics to show multiple old and new debates on the subject matter. Moreover, a systematic review will determine the correct usage of gender pronouns.

Topic 5: Are Men Portrayed Better in the English Literature? A Feminist Critique of the Old English Literature

Research Aim: This research will analyse whether men are portrayed better in English literature through a feminist lens. It will assess a different kind of English literature, such as poems, essays, novels, etc., to show whether men are portrayed better than women in various contexts. Moreover, it will analyse multiple classical and modern-day writers to see how they use different male and female characters in their literature. Lastly, it will add a feminist perspective on the subject matter by introducing the feminist theory and its portrayal of men and women.

COVID-19 Literature Research Topics

Topic 1: the scientific literature on the coronavirus pandemic.

Research Aim: This study will review the scientific literature on the Coronavirus pandemic

Topic 2: Literature and the future world after Coronavirus.

Research Aim: This study will reveal the world’s literature predictions after the pandemic.

Topic 3: Coronavirus is a trending topic among the media, writers, and publishers

Research Aim: COVID-19 has disrupted every sector’s health care system and economy. Apart from this, the topic of the Coronavirus has become trending everywhere. This study will highlight whether the information provided about COVID-19 by all the sources is authentic. What kind of misleading information is presented?

Trending Literature Dissertation Topics

Topic 1: dependence of humans on computers.

Research Aim: This research aims to study the dependence of humans on the computer, its advantages and disadvantages.

Topic 2: Whether or not the death penalty is effective in the current era?

Research Aim: This research aims to identify whether the death penalty is effective in the current era.

Topic 3: Fashion Industry and its impact on people's upward and downward social perception

Research Aim: This research aims to identify the impact on people’s upward and downward social perception

Topic 4: Communication gaps in families due to the emergence of social media

Research Aim: This research aims to address the communication gaps in families due to the emergence of social media and suggest possible ways to overcome them.

Topic 5: Employment and overtime working hours- a comparative study

Research Aim: This research aims to measure the disadvantages of overtime working hours of employees.

Topic 6: Machine translators Vs. human translators

Research Aim: This research aims to conduct a comparative study of machine translators and human translators

Topic 7: Freelancing Vs 9 to 5 jobs- a comparative study

Research Aim: This research aims to compare freelancing jobs with 9 to 5 jobs.

More Literature Dissertation Topics

Topic 1: the effects of everyday use of digital media on youth in the uk..

Research Aim: Digital media is a normal part of a person’s life. In this research, the aim is to examine and analyse; how young people between the ages of 15-25 in the UK engage with digital media. The study includes the amount of time interaction occurs and the role of time-space, time elasticities, and online/offline intersections.

Topic 2: Critical analysis of the teenager protagonist in “The Room on the Roof” written by Ruskin Bond.

Research Aim: Many Indian writers and children’s book authors regard Ruskin Bond as an icon. This research will systematically study the alienated teenage protagonist in Ruskin’s “The Room on the Roof” and how Ruskin evolved the character gradually throughout the novel. The way Ruskin used this protagonist to reflect his feelings and convey them to the reader.

Topic 3: Promotion of women empowerment through mass media in Nepal.

Research Aim: The primary purpose of this study is to analyse the role of mass media, including audio, print, and audio-visual, in the empowerment of women in the Nepal region. It also discusses the development of mass media in Nepal and spreading awareness of women’s empowerment.

How Can ResearchProspect Help?

ResearchProspect writers can send several custom topic ideas to your email address. Once you have chosen a topic that suits your needs and interests, you can order for our dissertation outline service , which will include a brief introduction to the topic, research questions , literature review , methodology , expected results , and conclusion . The dissertation outline will enable you to review the quality of our work before placing the order for our full dissertation writing service !

Seventeenth and Eighteenth-Century Literature Dissertation Topics

Topic 1: eighteenth-century british literature..

Research Aim: This study aims to study the evolution of modern British literature compared to eighteenth-century literature. This research will focus on the genre of comedy only. The research will discuss the causes of laughter in the eighteenth century compared to things that cause laughter in modern times.

Topic 5: A systematic study of Chaucer’s Miller’s tale.

Research Aim: This research aims to take a closer look at Chaucer’s heavily censored story, “The Miller’s Tale.” It seeks to look at why “The Miller’s Tale” is criticised and categorised as obscene and unfit for a general read. The study will analyse the writer’s writing style, language, and method for the research paper.

Topic 3: Understanding 17th-century English culture using a model of Francis Bacon’s idea.

Research Aim: This research aims to take a more in-depth look into Francis Bacon’s idea of modern economic development. To conduct the study, machine learning processes will be implemented to examine Francis’s ideas and their implementations in contemporary times.

Topic 4: The relation between early 18th-century English plays and The emerging financial market.

Research Aim: This research aims to analyse the relationship between eighteenth-century plays and a flourishing financial market. Most theatrical plays were written and performed in the middle of the 1720s, but writing carried out contributed to the financial market.

Topic 5: Issues of climate change used in early English literature: Shakespeare’s View of the sky.

Research Aim: This research aims to analyse climate change’s impact on early English writings. Climatic issues were faced even in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, providing writers with another topic to add to their published work. This research will focus on the work of Shakespeare, in which he included the specifics of climate change.

Also Read: Medicine and Nursing Dissertation Topics Free

Nineteenth-Century Dissertation Topics

Topic 1: impact of nineteenth-century gothic vampire literature on female members of the gothic subculture..

Research Aim: This research will look at the introduction of gothic vampire literature and its impact on female members of the gothic subculture. It includes a complete analysis of writing style and the impression it left of the female readers’.

Topic 2: Women theatre managers and the theatre in the late nineteenth century.

Research Aim: This research aims to view the impact on theatres under the management of women theatre managers. The improvement to theatre shows, along with the hardships faced by some managers, is discussed. The proposed study analyses the categories of theatre plays.

Topic 3: The history of American literature.

Research Aim: This research aims to give a brief history of American literature’s development and evolution throughout the centuries. The timeline begins from the early 15th century to the late 19th century. Word variations, sentence structures, grammar, and written impressions will be analysed.

Topic 4: “New women” concept in the novels of Victorian age English writers.

Research Aim: This research aims to analyse women’s position in the early nineteenth and how later Victorian writers used their work to give women a new identity. The method employed by these writers who wrote from a feminist point of view will also be discussed.

Topic 5: Discussing the role of the writer in their own story.

Research Aim: This research aims to analyse the form in which the writer reveals their presence to the reader. The methods can be achieved directly or use the characters to replace themselves in the narrative. The study observes the phrases, vocabulary, and situations the writer uses to narrate.

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Twentieth Century Dissertation Topics

Topic 1: effect of gender association in modern literature..

Research Aim: This research aims to analyse the issue of gender association in twentieth-century literature. Currently, male characters are described in a more masculine term than before in comparison to female counterparts. This research will also explore the possible approach to the possible characterisation of the two genders.

Topic 2: Feminism and literature.

Research Aim: This research aims to analyse the impacts of feminism on modern English literature quality. The study will look into the ideology of feminism and how feminist thoughts impact the readers’ views.

Topic 3: Modern literature based on climate change and eco-themes.

Research Aim: This research will study the various works of writers who tackled climate change and other eco-themes in their work. The study discusses the way they portrayed the item along with their views on preventing climate change. Modern work is compared to the work of previous writers who wrote about climate change.

Topic 4: How are fathers portrayed in modern literature?

Research Aim: This research will study the role of fathers in modern literature. The way the father character is portrayed in recent times has changed compared to writing in the early centuries. This research will look into the evolution of the father figure over time.

Topic 5: Literature for Asian American children.

Research Aim: This research will examine the fusion of classic American literature and Asian literature for children. The different genera’s that are produced and the style of writing will be analysed.

Also Read: Free Law Dissertation Topics

Children’s Literature Dissertation Topics

Topic 1: the influence of the intersection of race and bullying in children’s books..

Research Aim: This research will analyse the literature made for children from 2015 to 2019 in which the intersection between race and bullying is made. The study will evaluate the impact of literature read by a child in which there is bullying. Various picture books are analysed to observe the influence of racism on bullying.

Topic 2: Diversity of culture in children’s literature.

Research Aim: This research will observe the influence of the various cultural aspects of children’s books. The study will analyse the impact of mixed cultures on literature in a community and how it affects children’s mindsets from a young age.

Topic 3: The use of literature to shape a child's mind.

Research Aim: This research will analyse the effects of literature on a child’s mind. Behaviour, intelligence, and interactions between children and their age fellows are to be observed. A child’s behaviour with adults will also be analysed.

Topic 4: Evolution of children's literature.

Research Aim: This research will explore the change in children’s literature trends. This research will compare the literary work from the mid-nineteen century with modern-day children’s books. Differences in vocabulary, sentence structure, and mode of storytelling will be examined.

Topic 5: Racial discrimination in “the cat in the hat” impacts children’s racial views.

Research Aim: This research will take an in-depth analysis of the children’s story, “The Cat in the Hat,” to observe if it has any racial remarks which cause an increase in racism among children. The words used and the pictures found on the page will be thoroughly analysed, and their impact on the children reading it.

Topic 6: Measuring the nature of a child’s early composing.

Research Aim: This research will analyse the development of a child’s writing skills based on the type of books they read. The book’s genera, vocabulary, and the writing style of the child’s preferred book will be considered.

Topic 7: Use of a classroom to incorporate multicultural children’s literature.

Research Aim: This research will reflect on the potential use of a school classroom to promote multicultural literature for children. Since a classroom is filled with children of different cultural backgrounds, it becomes easier to introduce multicultural literature. The difficulties and the advantages to society in the incorporation of multicultural literature in classrooms are discussed.

Important Notes:

As literature looking to get good grades, it is essential to develop new ideas and experiment with existing literature theories – i.e., to add value and interest to your research topic.

The literature field is vast and interrelated to many other academic disciplines like linguistics , English literature and more. That is why creating a literature dissertation topic that is particular, sound, and actually solves a practical problem that may be rampant in the field is imperative.

We can’t stress how important it is to develop a logical research topic based on your entire research. There are several significant downfalls to getting your topic wrong; your supervisor may not be interested in working on it, the topic has no academic creditability, the research may not make logical sense, and there is a possibility that the study is not viable.

This impacts your time and efforts in writing your dissertation , as you may end up in a cycle of rejection at the initial stage of the dissertation. That is why we recommend reviewing existing research to develop a topic, taking advice from your supervisor, and even asking for help in this particular stage of your dissertation.

While developing a research topic, keeping our advice in mind will allow you to pick one of the best literature dissertation topics that fulfil your requirement of writing a research paper and add to the body of knowledge.

Therefore, it is recommended that when finalising your dissertation topic, you read recently published literature to identify gaps in the research that you may help fill.

Remember- dissertation topics need to be unique, solve an identified problem, be logical, and be practically implemented. Please look at some of our sample literature dissertation topics to get an idea for your own dissertation.

How to Structure Your Literature Dissertation

A well-structured dissertation can help students to achieve a high overall academic grade.

• A Title Page
• Acknowledgements
• Declaration
• Abstract: A summary of the research completed
• Table of Contents
• Introduction : This chapter includes the project rationale, research background, key research aims and objectives, and the research problems. An outline of the structure of a dissertation can also be added to this chapter.
• Literature Review : This chapter presents relevant theories and frameworks by analysing published and unpublished literature on the chosen research topic to address research questions . The purpose is to highlight and discuss the selected research area’s relative weaknesses and strengths whilst identifying any research gaps. Break down the topic and key terms that can positively impact your dissertation and your tutor.
• Methodology : The data collection and analysis methods and techniques employed by the researcher are presented in the Methodology chapter, which usually includes research design , research philosophy, research limitations, code of conduct, ethical consideration, data collection methods, and data analysis strategy .
• Findings and Analysis : Findings of the research are analysed in detail under the Findings and Analysis chapter. All key findings/results are outlined in this chapter without interpreting the data or drawing any conclusions. It can be useful to include graphs, charts, and tables in this chapter to identify meaningful trends and relationships.
• Discussion and Conclusion : The researcher presents his interpretation of results in this chapter and states whether the research hypothesis has been verified or not. An essential aspect of this section of the paper is to link the results and evidence from the literature. Recommendations with regard to the implications of the findings and directions for the future may also be provided. Finally, a summary of the overall research, along with final judgments, opinions, and comments, must be included in the form of suggestions for improvement.
• References : Your University’s requirements should complete this
• Bibliography
• Appendices : Any additional information, diagrams, and graphs used to complete the dissertation but not part of the dissertation should be included in the Appendices chapter. Essentially, the purpose is to expand the information/data.

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Our team of writers  is highly qualified. They are experts in their respective fields. They have been working for us for a long time. Thus, they are well aware of the issues and the trends of the subject they specialise in.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are some good literature dissertation topics.

• Representation of war in classic literature
• Gender roles in Shakespearean comedies
• Role of women during wars in classic literature
• Use of symbolism in romantic poetry

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Department of English and Related Literature

PhD in English and Related Literature

Work in an intellectually invigorating environment and be supported by supervisors who are experts in their field.

Be inspired to reach your research ambitions in an intellectual and supportive community at the forefront of English research.

Your research

The diversity of our staff’s research interests means that we are well-positioned to supervise research in any field of literature, from the Middle Ages to the present day, including literature in languages other than English, and literary works in translation.

We also have distinctive expertise in practice-led teaching and research, including archival work and printing. The PhD in English and Related Literature is available on a full-time or part-time basis.

Under the guidance of your supervisor, you'll complete a thesis of up to 80,000 words. A typical semester will involve a great deal of independent research, punctuated by meetings with your supervisor who will be able to suggest direction and address concerns throughout the writing process. You'll be encouraged to undertake periods of research at archives and potentially internationally, depending on your research thesis.

Throughout your degree, you'll have the opportunity to attend a wide range of research training sessions in order to learn archival and research skills, and a range of research seminars organised by the research schools, which bring speakers from around the world for research talks and networking. There is also internal funding available if you wish to propose research events and symposia/conferences.

[email protected] +44 (0) 1904 323366

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• How to apply
• Research degree funding
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• Life at York

You also have the option of enrolling in a PhD in English by distance learning, where you will have the flexibility to work from anywhere in the world. You will attend the Research Training Programme online in your first year and have supervision and progression meetings online.

You must attend a five-day induction programme in York at the beginning of your first year. You will also visit York in your second and third years (every other year for part-time students).

Apply for PhD in English and Related Literature (distance learning)

Top ten department

We're a top ten research department according to the Times Higher Education’s ranking of the latest REF results (2021).

35th in the world

for English Language and Literature in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2023.

Athena Swan Bronze

We're proud to hold an Athena Swan Bronze award in recognition of the work we do to support gender equality in English.

Explore funding for postgraduate researchers in the Department of English and Related Literature.

Supervision

Explore the expertise of our staff and identify a potential supervisor.

Research training

You'll receive training in research methods and skills appropriate to the stage you've reached and the nature of your work. In addition to regular supervisory meetings to discuss planning, researching and writing the thesis, we offer sessions on bibliographic and archival resources (digital, print and manuscript). You'll receive guidance in applying to and presenting at professional conferences, preparing and submitting material for publication and applying for jobs. We meet other training needs in handling research data, various modern languages, palaeography and bibliography. Classical and medieval Latin are also available.

We also offer training in teaching skills for students who wish to pursue teaching posts following their degree. This includes sessions on the delivery and content of seminars and workshops to undergraduates, a structured shadowing programme, teaching inductions and comprehensive guidance and resources for our graduate teaching assistants. Our teacher training is directed by a dedicated staff member.

You'll also benefit from the rich array of research and training sessions at the Humanities Research Centre .

Course location

This course is run by the Department of English and Related Literature.

You'll be based on  Campus West , though your research may take you further afield.

We also have a distance learning option available for this course.

Entry requirements

For doctoral research, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve a first-class or high upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours (or equivalent international qualification) and a Masters degree with distinction. 

The undergraduate and Masters degrees should be in literature, or in a related subject that is closely tied to the proposed research project. 

Other relevant experience and expertise may also be considered:

• Evidence of training in research techniques may be an advantage.
• It is expected that postgraduate applicants would be familiar with the recent published work of their proposed supervisor.
• Publications are not required and we don't expect applicants to have been published before they start their research degrees.

Supervisors interview prospective research students to ensure good supervisory match and to help with funding applications.

The core deciding factor for admission is the quality of the research proposal, though your whole academic profile will be taken into account. We are committed to ensuring that no prospective or existing student is treated less favourably. See our admissions policy for more information.

Take a look at the supporting documents you may need for your application.

Before applying, we advise you to identify a potential supervisor in the department. Preliminary enquiries are welcomed and should be made as early as possible. Please email one member of staff at a time, after checking that their research expertise matches your project. Emailing several staff members at a time regardless of the relationship between their research interests and yours means that you are unlikely to find a good supervisory match. 

If it's not clear which member of staff is appropriate, you should email the Graduate Chair .

Apply for the PhD in English and Related Literature

Students embarking on a PhD programme are initially enrolled provisionally for that qualification. Confirmation of PhD registration is dependent upon the submission of a satisfactory proposal that meets the standards required for the degree, usually in the second year of study.

Find out more about how to apply .

English language requirements

You'll need to provide evidence of your proficiency in English if it's not your first language.

Check your English language requirements

Research proposals

In order to apply for a PhD, we ask that you submit a research proposal as part of your application.

When making your application, you're advised to make your research proposals as specific and clear as possible. Please indicate the member(s) of staff that you'd wish to work with.

Your research proposal should:

• Identify the precise topic of your topic and communicate the main aim of your research.
• Provide a rigorous and thorough description of your proposed research, including the contributions you will make to current scholarly conversations and debates.
• Describe any previous work you have done in this area, with reference to relevant literature you have read so far.
• Communicate the central sources that the project will address and engage.
• Offer an outline of the argument’s main claims and contributions. Give a clear indication of the authors and texts that your project will address.
• Include the academic factors, such as university facilities, libraries resources, centres, other resources, and / or staff, which have specifically led you to apply to York.

What we look for:

• How you place your topic in conversation with the scholarly landscape: what has been accomplished and what you plan to achieve. This is your chance to show that you have a good understanding of the relevant work on your topic and that you have identified a new way or research question to approach the topic.
• Your voice as a scholar and critical thinker. In clean, clear prose, show those who will assess your application how your proposal demonstrates your original thinking and the potential of your research.
• Your fit with York, including the reasons for working with your supervisor and relevant research schools and centres.
• Above all, remember that there isn’t one uniform way to structure and arrange your research proposal, and that your approach will necessarily reflect your chosen topic.

Careers and skills

• You'll receive support in applying to and presenting at professional conferences, preparing and submitting material for publication and applying for jobs.
• You'll benefit from training in handling research data, various modern languages, palaeography and bibliography. Classical and medieval Latin are also available. The   Humanities Research Centre   also offers a rich array of valuable training sessions.
• We also offer training in teaching skills if you wish to pursue a teaching post following your degree. This includes sessions on the delivery and content of seminars and workshops to undergraduates, a structured shadowing programme, teaching inductions and comprehensive guidance and resources for our graduate teaching assistants.
• You'll have the opportunity to further your training by taking courses accredited by Advance HE:   York Learning and Teaching Award (YLTA)   and the   York Professional and Academic Development scheme (YPAD) .

Find out more about careers

Discover York

We offer a range of campus accommodation to suit you and your budget, from economy to deluxe.

Discover more about our researchers, facilities and why York is the perfect choice for your research degree.

Graduate Research School

Connect with researchers across all disciplines to get the most out of your research project.

Find a supervisor

Explore our staff expertise

Find out all you need to know about applying to York

Find funding to support your studies

English Language and Literature MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

One of the highest-ranking English departments in the UK ( The Guardian University Guide 2023 - English ), UCL English provides excellent opportunities for PhD students to study in the heart of literary London, with access to vast quantities of resources and research materials, and a high number of academic staff working on a diverse range of specialist research topics.

UK tuition fees (2024/25)

Overseas tuition fees (2024/25), programme starts, applications accepted.

• Entry requirements

An undergraduate degree in English Literature or a related subject is a pre-requisite for this programme, and a UK Master's degree in a relevant discipline, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard will normally be required. Research degree students are expected to start in September, but may request to start in January if there are exceptional reasons to do so. Applicants who wish to be considered for AHRC/ LAHP funding must have submitted a complete application by 5 January 2024.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website .

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

With access to vast collections of research materials and supervision from world-leading experts* in a wide range of literary periods and topics, UCL provides an exceptionally strong environment in which to study for an English PhD. UCL English Department has specialists in every period of English and American literature, as well as English language, with an outstanding record of internationally recognised scholarship and publications. A PhD in English at UCL will allow you to pursue original research and make a significant contribution to your field. 

Students accepted for admission are given a principal supervisor with whom they will work closely during the course of the degree. A subsidiary supervisor is also appointed to provide additional advice. Great importance is attached to matching student and supervisor, and ensuring that students' progress is well monitored. Students meet either one or other supervisor approximately ten times during the academic year.

Graduate students initially register for the MPhil degree, but usually upgrade to full PhD student status in the second year, if progress is satisfactory. (The English Department does not offer a standalone research Master's programme, nor is it possible to be admitted as a PhD student directly.) In addition to the upgrade review in the second year, progress is also reviewed at the end of each year. Students who are making good progress will usually be offered opportunities to gain teaching experience from the second year onwards.

There are normally about 45 students undertaking research degrees in the department. They form a diverse, friendly, and vibrant intellectual community. There is a full programme of departmental research seminars at which papers are given by invited speakers and graduate students, and students also have access to a wide range of seminars and research events across UCL and the University of London. Research skills training is provided both within and beyond the department.

PhD students at UCL have access to an incomparable range of libraries, including the British Library and Senate House Library (the library of the University of London). They can also apply to spend a period as a visiting scholar at Yale as part of the UCL-Yale Collaborative Partnership.

Who this course is for

This programme is suitable for applicants with a strong interest or background in a wide range of literary periods or in English Linguistics, and who want to do complete research alongside specialists in literature in English and linguistics of the English language. The programme is suitable for both recent Masters graduates as well as early or mid-career professionals who have achieved the stated entry requirements.

What this course will give you

As one of the most respected academic institutions in the world ( QS World University Rankings 2023 ), UCL is an excellent place to study for a PhD in English. Our PhD students benefit from specialist supervision by world-leading researchers* as well as access to the outstanding range of research resources available to them in London.

The clear structure of the PhD programme, with regular progress reviews, supports successful completion, while the training courses offered by the department and UCL enable the development of both specific research skills and the professional skills needed for an academic career.

The relatively small department also offers many opportunities for formal and informal intellectual exchanges and collaborations, supported by our programme of research seminars. Many of our students also make the most of UCL’s partnership with Yale to spend a period of study there.

PhD students in English at UCL acquire advanced skills of the highest calibre as researchers, writers, and presenters of their work. They will also usually gain experience of teaching (both tutorials and seminars).

*UCL English has an outstanding research record, with 94% of our research outputs being graded as 4* 'world leading' or 3* 'internationally excellent' in the REF 2021.

The foundation of your career

The English Department is proud of its PhD alumni and values its ongoing relationship with them. We welcome alumni to departmental events, and encourage them to keep in touch with us at [email protected] . For more information on UCL’s wider alumni community, please see our website .

Employability

Our PhD graduates have an excellent record of securing employment in institutions of higher education and have progressed to academic positions here at UCL, at Oxford and Cambridge, in the wider University of London, at other universities across the UK, and in international destinations including the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. They are also well placed to pursue careers outside academia, as the skills in research, analysis, writing, and communication obtained during the PhD transfer easily to high-level work in many sectors.

Networking both among students and with academic staff and visiting speakers is facilitated by our lively programme of departmental research seminars, as well as our various reading groups and events. Beyond the department, extensive opportunities to meet fellow specialists and exchange knowledge and ideas are offered by the events programmes of the UCL Institute for Advanced Studies, the University of London Institute of English Studies, and numerous other research institutions near UCL and across London.

Teaching and learning

The MPhil/PhD degree programme primarily consists of independent research and self-directed study, and the central work of defining a thesis topic, and planning the stages of research and writing, is undertaken in close consultation with the primary supervisor. You will also undertake skills training that may take the form of seminars, workshops, and conferences. 

Graduate students initially register for the MPhil degree, but upgrade to full PhD student status at the start of the second year, if progress is satisfactory.

In addition to the upgrade review at the start of the second year, progress is also reviewed at the end of the first year, in the first-year review, where the student submits a portfolio to their supervisory team, and at the Higher Degrees Sub Committee (HDSC) in their third year, where a submitted portfolio is assessed by a panel of senior academics in the department. A successful performance at the HDSC normally means the student will achieve Completing Research Student (CRS) status. Students who are making good progress will usually be offered opportunities to gain teaching experience from the second year onwards.

The MPhil/PhD degree programme consists of independent research and self-directed study. There are no set contact hours for the programme, but it is expected that your hours of study will mirror that of staff engagement as closely as possible (and this should be pro-rata for part-time study). If you have external funding, you should also ensure that you meet the Terms & Conditions of your funder in this regard. You will typically meet with your supervisory team up to ten times per academic year, and you will also undertake skills training that may take the form of seminars, workshops, and conferences.

Research areas and structure

We offer expertise in a wide range of topics within the field of English literature and language. Some areas in which the department would particularly welcome applications are:

• Old and Middle English literature and manuscript studies
• Relations between English and insular and continental French writings from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries
• Post-medieval bibliography and palaeography
• History of the book, textual and editorial theory and practice in all periods
• Shakespeare studies, including Shakespeare’s London
• The literature of the Elizabethan court
• Women writers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries
• Classicism in seventeenth and eighteenth-century literary culture
• Literature and science in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
• Revolutionary Writings in the Romantic period
• Homosexuality and literary history
• Literature and technology in late nineteenth and early twentieth-century literature
• Victorian and Edwardian writings on sexuality and adolescence
• Contemporary poetry
• Postmodern fiction
• London in literature/urban literature
• English grammar
• English language
• The history of the English language
• Corpus linguistics

You can read about our staff research interests on our website .

Research environment

UCL English has, throughout its history, been a pioneer in the study of English language and English literature, from Old English to contemporary texts. The department comprises a dynamic community of scholars with a breadth of expertise across literary periods and topics, as well as in language and linguistics. The comparatively small size of the department creates a friendly, inclusive research environment, with close contact between staff and students and many opportunities for intellectual exchange and collaboration.

Members of the English department have expertise in a wide range of approaches to English literature and language. Many of our literary research activities are organised around the key themes of The City, Editions, and Intercultural Exchanges, while our research in English Language is co-ordinated by the renowned Survey of English Usage. The department hosts regular research seminars at which PhD students, members of staff, and visiting speakers present their work; these include a themed strand of seminars on Race, Power, and Poetics. There are also many more seminars, reading groups and research events, both within the department, at the UCL Institute of Advanced Studies, and at the University of London’s Institute of English Studies. The department’s PhD students organise an annual Graduate Conference, where UCL speakers are joined by others from across the UK and beyond to share their research. They also publish Moveable Type, a peer-reviewed journal of academic articles, poetry and prose fiction.

UCL Library has outstanding physical and digital collections for literary research, as well as specialist materials in its excellent Special Collections department. Among these are the George Orwell Archive; Little Magazines; the Routledge and Kegan Paul Archives (publishing history); the Brougham Papers and papers of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (19th-century liberalism); and the Chadwick Papers (19th-century sanitary reform). UCL Library also has superb holdings in London history. We enjoy unrivalled proximity to the British Library, with its vast collections, and Senate House Library (the library of the University of London), as well as other rich research resources including the Institute of Historical Research, the Warburg Institute, and the Wellcome Collection.

The period of registration for the MPhil/PhD degree programme is 3 years for full-time study. You are required to register initially for the MPhil degree with the expectation of transfer to PhD after successful completion of an upgrade review 9-18 months after initial registration.

Throughout your period of registration, you will meet regularly with your supervisory team, receiving feedback on work-in-progress. Regular completion of an online research log will help you and your supervisors to assess your specific training needs. The English Department provides a course in PhD Skills Training; many further training opportunities are also offered by the UCL Doctoral Skills Development Programme and LAHP (the London Arts and Humanities Partnership).

To ensure timely and successful completion of the thesis, the English Department formally reviews each student’s progress at regular intervals (usually the end of each year) by requiring submission of a dossier of work which is discussed in an interview. The most important of these reviews falls during your second year (9-18 months from registration) and will assess your readiness to transfer from MPhil to full PhD student status.

Upon successful completion of your approved period of registration, you may apply for a further period of 1 year as a Completing Research Student (CRS) to prepare your thesis for submission. The final degree assessment takes the form of an oral examination based on the thesis and is conducted by two examiners, usually one internal and one external.

The period of registration for the MPhil/PhD degree programme is 5 years for part-time study. You are required to register initially for the MPhil degree with the expectation of transfer to PhD after successful completion of an upgrade review 15-30 months after initial registration for part-time study.    Throughout your period of registration, you will meet regularly with your supervisory team, receiving feedback on work-in-progress. Regular completion of an online research log will help you and your supervisors to assess your specific training needs. The English Department provides a course in PhD Skills Training; many further training opportunities are also offered by the UCL Doctoral Skills Development Programme and LAHP (the London Arts and Humanities Partnership).   To ensure timely and successful completion of the thesis, the English Department formally reviews each student’s progress at regular intervals (usually the end of each year) by requiring submission of a dossier of work which is discussed in an interview. The most important of these reviews falls during your second or third year (15-30 months from registration) for part-time study, and will assess your readiness to transfer from MPhil to full PhD student status.   Upon successful completion of your approved period of registration, you may apply for a further period of 2 years (for part-time students) as a Completing Research Student (CRS) to prepare your thesis for submission. The final degree assessment takes the form of an oral examination based on the thesis and is conducted by two examiners, usually one internal and one external.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk . Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team .

Fees and funding

Fees for this course.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees .

Additional costs

Additional costs may include expenses such as books, stationery, printing or photocopying, and conference registration fees.

The Department has some funds which can be applied for, to help offset the cost of travel to conferences or archives in the UK or overseas.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs .

Funding your studies

AHRC grants are available for UK/EU English PhD applicants who are applying to start a research degree in 2024. Applications are made directly to the London Arts and Humanities Partnership, who administer the awarding of AHRC funding at UCL. AHRC funding covers all fees, as well as providing a stipend for living expenses, for three years. If you have any questions about the application process please contact [email protected] .

UCL's Research Excellence Scholarships are available for UK/EU/Overseas applicants starting in 2024 and provides full funding including a stipend for living allowance for the length of the programme.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website .

Quirk PhD Scholarship

Deadline: 26 January 2024 Value: Fees and maintenance (3yrs) Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need Eligibility: UK

We recommend that applicants look at our list of staff on the UCL English website before submitting an application. Whilst potential supervisors are unable to accept a PhD student without a formal application form, we attach great importance to the match between supervisors and students, so please check that we have a member of teaching staff who could potentially supervise your project before applying. Applicants who are interested in applying for AHRC funding via the London Arts and Humanities Partnership (LAHP) must submit completed applications (including references) by 5 January 2024 (you will also need to complete a LAHP application form: see the LAHP website for details).

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2024-2025

Got questions get in touch.

English Language and Literature

[email protected]

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• Research degrees
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English at Leicester

Suggested research topics

Below is a list of suggestions for PhD projects that English at Leicester would be interested in supervising.

Dr Claire Brock

Women surgeons in britain, 1860-1918.

This Wellcome Trust-funded project is an exploration of the changes in the perception, both popular and medical, of the art of surgery and the figure of the surgeon and how they coincided with the entrance of women into the medical profession. It also considers the procedures women actually performed, their intervention in controversial surgery of the day, and their successes and failures, in order to assess how the ways in which women operated contributed to their public and professional reputation. How did the practice of surgery both help and hinder the cause of the medical woman in her pursuit of professional equality?

Risk and Responsibility in Surgery

How were risk and responsibility conceptualised in the late Victorian and Edwardian periods when surgery could be seen simultaneously as safe (due to developments in surgical science) and increasingly risky (because such progress allowed for greater experimentation)?

The Representation of Medical Women in the Late 19th and Early 20th Century

This project examines the cultural, social and self-representation of the woman surgeon from the second half of the 19th century until the end of the Great War.

• Dr Claire Brock's staff profile

Dr Lucy Evans

Representations of caribbean cities.

Critical debates on Anglophone Caribbean literature have often been concerned with rural folk culture, despite the fact that cities such as Kingston, Jamaica and Port of Spain, Trinidad feature prominently in the region’s novels, short stories and poetry. This project will explore the role of urban experiences in shaping literary cultures of the Anglophone Caribbean.

Popular Music and Anglophone Caribbean Literature

This project will explore how Anglophone Caribbean literary writing has been informed by, and engages with, the region’s popular musical traditions, such as calypso and reggae. Considering both the local significance and the global reach of these musical forms, the project will investigate how they have influenced the style, structure and thematics of Caribbean fiction and poetry.

• Dr Lucy Evans's staff profile

Dr Sarah Graham

Representations of lgbtq people in comics and graphic novels.

This project could map the changing depiction of LGBTQ figures in relation to changes in American society, or consider their representation in a specific genre, such as the superhero, or in relation to a specific event, such as the spread of HIV/AIDS.

New Yorker Cartoons and American Culture

This project will explore the portrayal of American culture and society in the cartoons published in one of its most popular magazines, The New Yorker .

Queer Writing in Fifties America

This project considers how queer writers, such as Carson McCullers, Gore Vidal, John Cheever, Paul Bowles, James Baldwin, Truman Capote critique American society in an era that was hostile to sexual difference.

• Dr Sarah Graham's staff profile

Professor Martin Halliwell

Mental health in 20th century american culture.

This area of study – which can be defined in terms of period or genre – will examine the cultural representation of mental illness in the United States during a particular phase of the 20th century. The precise project could focus on autobiographical accounts of illness; institutional treatment; family and broader social relationships; the workplace; or gender and sexual identity.

Transatlantic Avant-Garde Culture

This project will focus on either (i) the early 20th-century avant-garde or (ii) the rediscovery of avant-garde practices in the 1940s and 1950s. The project will have a transatlantic dimension, exploring the movement of multimedia cultural forms (text, image, sound) across the Atlantic (for example, New York and Paris) by examining relevant publications and exhibitions.

American Protest

This project will focus on a particular protest movement in the United States since World War II, for example: the 1960s Peace Movement, the Weather Underground, the Tea Party or Occupy Wall Street. Through the examination of primary source documents it will look particularly at the interface between politics, activism and cultural expression.

• Professor Martin Halliwell's staff profile

Professor Sarah Knight

Drama at the elizabethan inns of court.

This project will consider the development of in-house drama at the Inns of Court from the mid-16th century until the early 17th century, exploring how the metropolitan setting and proximity both to commercial theatres and centres of political influence shaped its formation. Central to the dissertation will be a consideration of the role played by professional theatre companies (e.g. the Lord Chamberlain's Men) in helping to shape Inns drama.

Milton and Tragedy

This project will examine how Milton represented and experimented within the genre of tragedy throughout his writing life, extending from the early poem 'Il Penseroso' (c. 1630) to one of his last published works, Samson Agonistes (c. 1665-7). The influence of Reformation biblical tragedy and classical tragedy (particularly Euripides and Seneca) on Milton's writing will be of particular interest.

Ancient Poetry in the Modern World

This project will focus on three contemporary women writers' engagements with classical poetry, exploring in particular their use of epic and lyric forms. Alice Oswald's Memorial (2011) will be considered in relation to Homer's Iliad , while Anne Carson's Nox (2010) and Tiffany Atkinson's Catulla et al  (2011) will be read as responses to Roman elegy.

• Professor Sarah Knight's staff profile

Dr Catherine Morley

Religion and spiritual identity in the work of john updike.

This project will take James Woods's essay on Updike and religion as its point of departure to examine the contours of religious identities in works such as the Rabbit tetralogy, In the Beauty of the Lilies , and Terrorist .

Finding an Authentic Self in the Later Writing of Philip Roth

This project will examine Roth's metafictional alter-egos in texts from Operation Shylock  through to the Nemesis trilogy.

Language and Silence in Post-9/11 Fiction

This project will look at the role of literature in the wake of international terror and trauma.

Metropolitan Lives and Prairie Wives: Edith Wharton and Willa Cather's Modernist Aesthetics

This project will examine two very different responses to the American modernist moment and interrogate each writer's notions of the 'the modern'.

• Dr Catherine Morley's staff profile

Dr Julian North

Mary shelley as a biographer.

Some critical essays and articles have been published focusing on Mary Shelley’s work as a biographer. This research project would aim to build on these in order to present a major, integrated study of her biographical publications (e.g. for the Cabinet Cyclopaedia and as editor of her husband’s poetry) and of her unpublished auto/biographical work, including letters and journals. It would relate this to her fictional writing (e.g. the importance of biography in Frankenstein ) and to the biographical culture of the period.

Theatre and the Gothic Novel

Some work has been done on gothic theatre in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and a considerable body of criticism exists on the gothic novel from this period. This project would develop this to look at the theatricality of the gothic novel. It could focus on one or all of the following: the interactions between novels and their stage adaptations; the use of theatrical devices in gothic fiction; and allusions to theatrical traditions, e.g. Shakespeare, in gothic fiction.

• Dr Julian North's staff profile

Dr Emma Parker

Jane eyre and contemporary fiction.

Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre (1847) has inspired numerous prequels, sequels, revisions, retellings, adaptations, and spin-offs, the most famous of which are Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca (1938) and Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea (1966). By considering the ways in which contemporary literature offers both a loving homage to and alternative perspective on Bronte's classic, the thesis will reflect on the influence and significance of Jane Eyre in contemporary culture. Texts studied might include Emma Tennant's Adele (2000), Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair (2001), and Michele Roberts's The Mistressclass (2002). A similar but alternative project would be a thesis on the influence of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818). Texts studied might include Alasdair Gray's Poor Things (1992), Patricia Duncker's The Deadly Space Between (2002) and Peter Ackroyd's The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein (2008).

The Country House in Contemporary British Fiction

This project will consider the significance of a recent resurgence in the country house novel. It will examine the ways in which contemporary fiction responds to the tradition of country house literature, particularly in terms of gender, class and sexuality. It will also analyse how the country house is used to reflect on family, history, and the State of the Nation. Texts studied might include Toby Litt's Finding Myself (2004), Sarah Waters's The Little Stranger (2009), Martin Amis's The Pregnant Widow (2010) and Alan Hollinghurst's The Stranger's Child (2011).

Music in Contemporary Fiction

This project will examine the relationship between fiction and music (pop, opera, blues, jazz - one or all of these genres) and consider the representation of musicians and use of music both as theme and fictional trope. Texts studied might include Ann Patchett's Bel Canto (2001), Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad (2010) and Esi Edugyan's Half-Blood Blues (2011).

• Dr Emma Parker's staff profile

Professor Mark Rawlinson

First world war poetry.

Investigating the legacy of war poetry (1914-18) in British and/or American writing up to the current centenary. Doctoral projects could focus on the concept of the war poet, on poets writing back to the First World War poets from the 1930s onwards, on poetry of later wars, on the representation of war poets in narrative genres such as fiction and feature film, or on any other aspect of war commemoration in literary writing.

The Second World War in Literature after 1945

This is an area in which much good work is being done, but in which there is still significant scope for original research on under-studied writers and problems. Projects could focus on individual writers (e.g. Doris Lessing or Robin Jenkins) or on political, historical or social contexts which have determined the way in which the Second World War has been re-presented in culture after 1945. This field overlaps with Cold War cultural studies, and projects might take this approach.

Twentieth-Century Fiction

An investigation of the themes, forms and significance of the writings of one of the following 20th century British writers: George Friel, Rex Warner, T H White, Edward Upward, James Hanley, Elizabeth Taylor, Eric Ambler, Nigel Balchin, Rumer Godden, Anthony Burgess, and Angus Wilson. The resulting thesis could contextualise an oeuvre in historical, cultural and literary-historical terms, and include an analysis of its artistic distinctiveness.

• Professor Mark Rawlinson's staff profile

Professor Philip Shaw

Religion in the prelude.

This project will examine Wordsworth’s treatment of Christianity and the Anglican tradition from the earliest manuscript versions of The Prelude to the final published version of 1850. Additional reference will be made to related works by Wordsworth, e.g. Ecclesiastical Sonnets , The Excursion .

Romantic Poetry and the Press

This project examines the relations between poetry and the press in the period 1789-1832. The project will make extensive use of the online resource Gale NewsVault to identify poems published in contemporary newspapers by canonical authors and non-canonical authors. Close attention will be paid to the material contexts in which Romantic poems are produced, disseminated, and discussed. Topics to discuss might include: the influence of history and politics; relations between poets, editors and newspaper proprietors.

Wordsworth and Byron

This thesis will explore the ways in which Wordsworth and Byron responded to each other's works and how these works, in turn, were read by subsequent generations. In addition to engaging in detailed analyses of these key Romantic poets students undertaking this project will be encouraged to consider how later Victorian writers, such as Matthew Arnold, A C Swinburne and Mark Rutherford, depicted Wordsworth and Byron as the bearers of diametrically opposed moral, political and religious values.

• Professor Philip Shaw's staff profile

Dr Jonathan Taylor

Contemporary life writing in theory and practice.

The literary memoir has experienced a resurgence in popularity since the early 1990s, and this project encourages students to investigate the contemporary memoir form both in theory and creative practice. Possible topics might include: memoir and illness; memoir and subjectivity; memoir and 'truth'; memoir and contemporary psychology; memoir and political, cultural, or historical contexts; and contemporary forms of the personal essay.

Contemporary Fiction in Theory and Practice

This project encourages students to investigate the forms of contemporary prose fiction – novels, short stories, composite novels – and, particularly, ways in which these forms might be revitalised by contact with other disciplines and contexts. For example, students might investigate, both in theory and practice, points of convergence and divergence between music and fiction, history and fiction, literary theory and fiction, and memoir and fiction.

• Dr Jonathan Taylor's staff profile

• Harvard Library
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Literature: A Research Guide for Graduate Students

Research dos & don'ts.

• Get Started
• Find a Database

DON'T reinvent the wheel

Many scholars have spent their entire careers in your field, watching its developments in print and in person. Learn from them! The library is full of specialized guides, companions, encyclopedias, dictionaries, bibliographies, histories and other "reference" sources that will help orient you to a new area of research. Similarly, every works cited list can be a gold mine of useful readings.

• Techniques for finding where a particular publication is cited (reverse footnote-mining) [Harvard Library FAQ]
• Top resources and search tips for locating scholarly companions and guides [general topic guide for literary research]
• The literature section of the Loker Reading Room reference collection [HOLLIS browse]
• James Harner's Literary Research Guide: an Annotated Listing of Reference Sources in English Literary Studies [HOLLIS record with ONLINE ACCESS]

DO get to know your field

Know Your Field , a module from Unabridged On Demand, offers tips, thought prompts, and links to resources for quickly learning about and staying current with an area of scholarly study.

DON'T treat every search box like Google or ChatGPT

Break free of the search habits that Google and generative AI have taught you! Learn to pay attention to how a search system operates and what is in it, and to adjust your search inputs accordingly.

Google and generative AI interfaces train you to type in your question as you would say it to another person. They give you the illusion of a search box that can read your thoughts and that access the entire internet. That's not what's actually happening, of course! Google is giving you the results others have clicked on most while generative AI is giving you the output that is most probable based on your input. Other search systems, like the library catalog, might be matching your search inputs to highly structured, human-curated data. They give the best results when you select specific keywords and make use of the database's specialized search tools. 

Learn more about searching:

• Database Search Tips from MIT: a great, concise introduction to Booleans, keywords v. subjects, and search fields
• Improve Your Search , a module from our library research intensive, Unabridged On Demand

Search technique handouts

• "Search Smarter" Bookmark Simple steps to improve your searching, plus a quick guide to the search commands HOLLIS uses
• Decoding a database A two-page guide to the most effective ways to quickly familiarize yourself with a new system.
• Optimize Your Search A 3-column review of the basic search-strategy differences between Google and systems like JSTOR or HOLLIS.

DO adjust your language

Searching often means thinking in someone else's language, whether it's the librarians who created HOLLIS's subject vocabularies, or the scholars whose works you want to find in JSTOR, or the people of another era whose ideas you're trying to find in historical newspapers. The Search Vocabulary page on the general topic guide for literary studies is a great place to start for subject vocabularies.

DON'T search in just one place

Judicious triangulation is the key to success. No search has everything. There's always one more site you could  search. Strike a balance by always searching at least 3-4 ways.

DO SEARCH A VARIETY OF RESOURCES:

• Your library catalog ,  HOLLIS
• A subject-specific scholarly index , such as the MLA International Bibliography , LION (Literature Online) , or the IMB (International Medieval Bibliography)
• A full-text collection of scholarship,  such as JSTOR or ProjectMuse
• One of Google's full-text searches,   Google Scholar or Google Books

DO look beyond the library's collections

The library purchases and licenses materials for your use. There's plenty of other material that's freely available or that you would need to travel to see---please let me help you find it!

• << Previous: Find a Database

Except where otherwise noted, this work is subject to a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , which allows anyone to share and adapt our material as long as proper attribution is given. For details and exceptions, see the Harvard Library Copyright Policy ©2021 Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College.

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English Literature: Resources for Graduate Research

• Articles on Your Topic
• Books on Literary History, Theory, Criticism & More
• Novels, Poems & Other Primary Texts

What is a literature review?

How to conduct a literature review, books at tufts & beyond.

• Historic Newspapers & More
• Reviews, Essays & More
• English & the Digital Humanities
• How to Find Cited Material
• Citing Your Sources This link opens in a new window
• Getting Items that Tufts Doesn't Own
• Copyright & Publication This link opens in a new window

"A literature review is a body of text that aims to review the critical points of current knowledge on and/or methodological  approaches to a particular topic. They are secondary sources and discuss published information in a particular subject area, and sometimes information in a particular subject area within a certain time period.  Its ultimate goal is to bring the reader up to date with current literature on a topic and forms the basis for another goal, such as future research that may be needed in the area.

A literature review usually precedes a research proposal and may be just a simple summary of sources. Usually, however, it has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis. 

A summary is a recap of important information about the source, but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information. It might give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations. Or it might trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates. Depending on the situation, the literature review may evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or relevant of them.

Keep in mind that the main focus of an academic research paper is to develop a new argument, and a research paper will contain a literature review as one of its parts. In a research paper, you use the literature as a foundation and as support for a new insight that you contribute. The focus of a literature review, however, is to summarize and synthesize the arguments and ideas of others without adding new contributions."

The following resource include a number of interesting tips on conducting literature reviews:

• The Literature Review: A Few Tips On Conducting It Valuable guidelines from the University of Toronto.
• Literature Reviews From UNC Chapel Hill, this site explains what literature reviews are and offer insights into the form and construction of literature reviews in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.
• How to Write a Literature Review A comprehensive guide from UC Santa Cruz Libraries.
• Software Tools for a Literature Review A tutorial that explains how mind maps, pdf readers, and citation managers can be used for a literature review (see first part of the tutorial).
• Review of Literature A useful overview of literature reviews from UW-Madison.
• The Literature Review Ths site was developed by staff at Central Queensland University to help postgraduate students conceptualize, research and write a literature review.

This is a sample of books at Tufts and beyond that include helpful tips for conducting literature reviews and writing dissertations and theses.

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• Next: Historic Newspapers & More >>
• Last Updated: Jul 9, 2024 4:06 PM
• URL: https://researchguides.library.tufts.edu/EnglishGraduateResources

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Are you looking for English Literature Thesis Topics?

There is one of the greatest essayists named John Milton said once, “Literature is the mirror of society”. And literature students need to look at and understand society with the mirror of literature. Offering English literature research topics to students can better demonstrate their ability to review and interpret the literature better.

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Most colleges need their students to first select creative and useful business management thesis topics which is also helping you on English literature research topics for their dissertations, after which they must compose their thoughts on the subject while supporting them with reasonable justifications. In this situation, assistance becomes absolutely necessary to match the demands of finding a suitable literature dissertation topic. This blog will provide useful thesis topics on English literature. Here are some ideas for literature students who want to write their dissertations on the following list of themes by selecting the most appropriate one for them.

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Major English literature Thesis Topics

How does modern cinema present our society, aim and objectives.

The basic aim of this study is to investigate the role of modern cinema in the representation of modern society. The other key objectives of this research study are explained below.

• To investigate the significant ways in which modern cinema represents society.
• To determine the ways in which modern cinema can influence our society today.
• To explore the positive and negative impact of modern cinema on our society today.
• To find out how modern cinema affects the views and opinions of people.
• To assess how modern cinema is a reflection of modern society.

The importance of and reflection on social issues found in the major works of literature

The basic aim of this topic is to discuss the importance and to reflect on social issues found in the major works of literature. The other core objectives that this study seeks to find out are highlighted below.

• To explore the importance of learning about the social issues in literature.
• To investigate the effective ways in which literary texts help in solving the social issues.
• To find out key the benefits of studying literature studies.
• To find out the importance of social awareness.
• To demonstrate the contribution of major works of literature in our lives.

The significance of understanding literary terminology in the literature

The basic aim of this study is to explore the significance of understanding of literary terminology in literature. The other major objectives of this current research study are described below.

• To demonstrate the importance of literary devices and how it helps in the understanding of a literary work?
• To determine the key terminologies in English literature.
• To explore the importance of literary devices in writing and how it helps in expressing and conveying the meaning of the ideas to the readers.

How do critical theories relate to societal and literary issues?

The key aim of this research study is to investigate the relationship between critical theories and societal and literary issues. The other objectives of this current research article are indicated below.

• To explore the ways in which literary criticism can be used in our society.
• To describe the major critical theories of society.
• To find how literary criticism and literary theories relate to each other.
• To investigate the ways in which critical theory helps with literature.
• To explain the major critical social theories.
• To determine the ways in which critical theory contributes to the study of sociology and in a particular understanding of society.

The aim of this current research paper is to investigate the relationship between lesbian feminism and feminism and the other core objectives include:

• To explore the historical perspectives of lesbian feminism.
• To explore the current possibilities of lesbianism.
• To investigate how lesbians can be feminist allies and play an important role in the movement towards gender equality.

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Historical Analysis of Children's Literature

This study aims to comprehend the historical analysis of the literature of children. This study also seeks to find out other key objectives which are mentioned below.

• To investigate the importance of the history of children’s literature.
• To explore how the literature of children has evolved over time.
• To identify the main key features of the literature of children.
• To describe the historical fiction of the literature of children.

The key differences between symbolism and criticism?

The core aim of this research paper is to explore the key difference between symbolism and criticism. The other objectives of this study include:

• To explore the key features of symbolism in English Literature.
• To explain the significant features of criticism in literature.
• The described the theoretical nature of symbolism and criticism.

What Are the Differences Between American and British Literature?

This current research paper seeks to find out the key differences between American and British Literature. The other objectives of this study are demonstrated below.

• To explore the different features of American Literature.
• To explain the main features of British Literature.
• To find out the key similarities between American and British Literature
• To identify the common themes of British and American Literature.
• To investigate the relationship between American and British Literature.
• To assess the difference between American and European Literature.

Thesis Topics for MA English Literature Students and PhD Topics in English Literature for PhD Students

Changes in the roles of women in the twenty-first century.

This study aims to explore the changes in the roles of women in the twenty-first century The other main objectives of this article are listed below.

• To analyse the ways in which the roles of women have changed over time in literature.
• To explore the representation of women in modern literature.
• To determine the major contributions of women in literature.
• To explain the roles of the writing of women in the newly growing and emerging literature.
• To investigate how literature contributes to the advancement of women’s rights.

The impact of secularization on the views of individuals.

The aim of this research paper is to explore how secularization impacts the views of individuals on life. The other main objectives are mentioned below.

• To explore the positive impacts of secularization on the views of individuals.
• To investigate the factors that affect the process of secularisation.
• To assess how secularisation is presented in religious studies.
• To analyse the impact of secularisation on society.
• To find out the major reasons behind the rise of secularisation.
• To describe the main features and characteristics of secularisation.

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How science fiction affects English literature

The aim of this research article is to find out the impact of science fiction on English literature The other main objectives of this current research article are listed below.

• To explore the main features of science fiction.
• To determine the positive influence of science fiction on English literature.
• To find out how science fiction negatively impacts English Literature.
• To investigate the reasons behind the rise of science fiction in English Literature.

The rise of postmodernism and the circumstances that shaped and transformed literature

The aim of this current research study is to explore the events that led to postmodernism’s rise and transformed literature. The other primary objectives of this study are as follows.

• To explain the major events of history that shaped the literary period of postmodernism.
• To describe the key ideas of postmodernism in literature.
• To determine the main key features and characteristics of postmodernism literature.
• To explore the positive and negative effects of postmodernism in literature.
• To identify the major themes of postmodern literature.

The impact of globalization on promoting and inspiring literature

The primary aim of this research article is to investigate how globalisation help in the promotion of literature. The other primary goals of the current research investigation include.

• To explore the impact of globalisation on literature.
• To explain the possible outcome of globalisation, discuss in the literature.
• To determine the ways in which literature helps in understanding globalisation.

Writing styles of gender-based literary works

The main objective of this research thesis topic is to find out the writing styles of gender-based literary works. The other primary objectives of this study are highlighted below.

• To explore the representation of gender issues in the works of literature.
• To find out the ways in which gender influence writing.
• To determine the differences between the writing styles of males and females.
• To analyse the representation of female characters in literary works.
• To explain the importance of gender in literature.

How racial discrimination influences the development of works of literature.

The key aim of this study is to investigate the impact of racial discrimination on the development of literary works. There are other number objectives that this study seeks to find out and these include;

• To determine the impact of race on literature.
• To explore the major impact of racial discrimination on society
• To identify the different meanings of racism in literature.
• To find out the major causes behind discrimination in society.
• To identify the representation of racism in literature.
• Analyze various forms of historical fiction and their impact on today’s society.

Different kinds of historical fiction and their influence on today’s society

The primary aim of this thesis article is to explore the different kind’s historical fiction and to investigate the impact of historical fiction on todays’ society. There are other objectives that this study seeks to find out are described below.

• To determine the positive and negative influence of historical fiction on today’s society.
• To identify the main features of historical fiction.
• To find out the major themes of historical fiction.

How Literature Thesis Papers Contribute to Social Welfare?

Literature students have a close relationship with society, and when they write their dissertations and research papers, a field trip allows them to understand the problems that are now being faced. By illustrating these socially harmful behaviours in literature, governments can create new regulations to curtail them.

Spend some time reviewing the class materials, such as the course syllabus, curriculum, and some previously written works, to come up with the ideal topic on your own. You can get some wonderful ideas for your greatest thesis topic by using the resources provided. They can also help you save time on both the decision-making and the research processes. You’ll have more time to concentrate on writing, structure, revisions, and your creative abilities as a result. It is crucial to begin the idea-generation process first. Is the subject compelling? Is it pertinent to your class? Additionally, avoid picking a subject that your classmates might use for their own papers. Once you have an idea, discuss it with your peers or your professor and conduct further research to ensure you have all the necessary data to produce an excellent report. Change your topic instead of taking a chance if it appears that there will be some incomplete information. To organise your thoughts, create an outline.

A strong literature paper almost always contains an argument. You will be providing an analytical assessment, a critical interpretation, and a perspective. So having a thesis that is up for debate is a good idea. However, this is only a starting point recommendation! It would be a good idea to seek your instructor’s okay before you begin writing about anything you decide. You can be certain that your thesis topic for English literature does so in this manner. Once you have selected a topic, devote some time to continuously looking for research materials and making notes of what you uncover.

Need any help regarding the completion of your assignments on time?

The Research Guardian has professional writers who have great experience in writing dissertations and they can write on different topics and research areas such as PhD topics in English literature or research topics for English literature students who are enrolled in MA classes can also get assistance related to English literature topics for research. So buy assignments online at our website as our writers will meet all the requirements and can complete the thesis instantly. Our feasible thesis writing service provides complete assistance to students who struggle with any aspect of their papers.

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GRADUATE APTITUDE TEST IN ENGINEERING 2025

अभियांत्रिकी स्नातक अभिक्षमता परीक्षा २०२५, organising institute: indian institute of technology roorkee.

GATE 2025 TEST PAPERS & SYLLABUS

GATE 2025 will be conducted for 30 test papers. The following table shows the list of papers with codes. Please click the Paper/Code to download the syllabus.

A candidate is allowed to appear either in ONE or UP TO TWO test papers. Please see the page Two-Paper Combination for more details.

The test papers will be in English. Each GATE 2025 paper is for a total of 100 marks, General Aptitude (GA) is common for all papers (15 marks), and the rest of the paper covers the respective test paper syllabus (85 marks). Click here for detailed pattern of the question papers .

Multi-sessional papers: Candidate will be assigned to appear only in one of the sessions for the papers running in multiple sessions.

Computer Science and Information Technology (CS) and Civil Engineering (CE) will be conducted as multi-session papers in GATE 2025. More precisely, they will be two-session papers. This means that the candidates will be assigned to one of the sessions only — either the forenoon session or the afternoon session. The question papers will be different for each session. Test papers are held in multiple sessions when the candidate count is so high that they cannot all appear for the test in the same session. The scores of the candidates will be normalized according to the normalization formula given in Section 13.2 of the Information Brochure.

Candidates must familiarize themselves with the paper code as it is required both during application and examination.

Each candidate should fill ONLY ONE application. If they wish to appear in second paper (from the two-paper combination), they can add respective paper in their original application. In case of Multiple applications, only one will be accepted and remaining applications will be rejected without any refund for the paid fee.

IISc Bengaluru

IIT Guwahati

IIT Kharagpur

IIT Roorkee