Hi, I’m Francesca! I’m in the final year of my BA in English at York and have made the most of the amazing World Literature modules the Department offers throughout my degree. I wanted to tell you why York is the best place to study literature from all around the world!
“English” at York
Although I study a degree in English, the course is actually situated within the Department of English and Related Literature, and the “Related” part has been really key for me! This means that although the majority of my studies has been on texts written in the English language, the Department is committed to teaching literature not just from English-speaking countries. Whether this be studying texts in translation or translating texts myself (I’ll get on to that!) York has provided me the opportunity to study literature from a range of cultural and linguistic contexts. Personally, I was eager to find a course which combined my love of literature with my interest in modern foreign languages, having studied French and Spanish at A-level.
The Department’s emphasis on global literatures was really what attracted me to York when I was applying and I can easily say that it has been my favourite part of my degree. Let me introduce you to some of the exciting modules I have been able to take!
First Year: A World of Literature I and II
Right from the start of my degree, York’s English modules have encouraged me to think about literature within global contexts. This was first introduced in the World of Literature modules in my first year which, for me, were compulsory modules spanning a broad geographic and literary scope. The first of these modules was Classics and Cultural Translations, where we studied classical texts from Ancient Greece and Rome and how they inspired writers’ re-interpretations of them centuries later. The second was Empires and Aftermaths, which introduced me to texts and theories formed during and after imperial contexts, demonstrating the interconnectedness between English literature and other literatures. This immediately highlighted for me that English at York is not just about English-language literature.
Second Year: World Literature Option Modules
In my second year, I had the opportunity to choose from a wide range of World Literature modules, specifically designed to deep dive into the literature of a particular non-English speaking region. In my year, options included Against the Grain: European New Cinema, Medieval Arabic and Persian Global Literature and Old Norse Literature among many others. I went for Modern Latin American Literature and learned about a range of twentieth and twenty-first century texts from all over the Latin American continent, as well as their historical and political contexts. We studied the texts in their English translations, but we were encouraged to look at the Spanish if we wanted to, which really drew my two interests together. In fact, my final essay for this module was a comparison between the English and Spanish versions of a text!
Third Year: Translation
My final year has allowed me to go even further with studying literature from around the world, as I took the creative writing module Found in Translation. This module centred entirely on the practice of literary translation through both practical and theoretical learning. We chose texts written in a foreign language to translate into English, and we discussed our translations in the seminar for feedback and advice from our peers. I was also introduced to debates and theory on translation, to question what exactly it means to re-create a text in a new language. This module was not only academically stimulating, but it was really fun to be working creatively and collaboratively with other students. If I had to choose, I’d say this has been my favourite module at uni, and I am now considering pursuing a Masters in literary translation!
Dissertation
Finally onto the scariest part of the degree…Only joking! The Dissertation may seem intimidating at first because it is the largest piece of independent work done so far. But really, it‘s an opportunity to explore your personal interests in a project entirely of your making. This is one of the best things about English at York, as they give you total creative control. You can more or less write about what you want! I have chosen to do a Dissertation with Creative Practice, which is a creative writing project combined with a critical essay.
I am doing a translation project (unsurprisingly!), translating the Cuban poetry of Nicolás Guillén from Spanish into English and analysing English translations of his poetry. Guillén’s poetry was actually introduced to me on the Modern Latin American Literature module, so the Dissertation has been the perfect space to build on everything I have learned from the World Literature modules!
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