MA Early Modern English Literature - Books That Matter in London United Kingdom | King's College London

This Master's program in Early Modern English Literature offers a distinctive curriculum developed in partnership with the British Library. You'll examine literary works from the 16th and 17th centuries through modern critical frameworks including race, gender, class, sexuality, religion, and national identity. The program equips you with archival research skills to analyze overlooked texts, determining their significance, the insights they provide about both historical and contemporary contexts, and how they might be edited for today's audiences. Through the Early Modern English Literature MA: Books That Matter, you'll encounter fresh interpretations of classic works while gaining exclusive access to the British Library's vast collections - the world's most comprehensive repository of early modern texts. Key advantages: - Exclusive access to the British Library and its unmatched collections - Instruction from the British Library's expert curators through a dedicated module featuring rare original texts - Benefit from King's English Department's renowned expertise in Shakespeare studies, textual editing, and early modern literature, with connections to leading London-based academic forums - Explore a broader range of authors and texts that reveal more diverse narratives about this pivotal era in English literary history - Acquire paleographic skills to decipher early modern handwriting and prepare historical manuscripts for contemporary readers - Utilize London's unparalleled resources, with world-class archives, libraries, and historical sites within easy reach Developed in unique collaboration with the British Library, this MA program investigates how early modern literary texts were transmitted, printed, and received. You'll examine how physical texts and their production circumstances influence interpretation. Join one of the UK's strongest early modern literature departments, learning from leading specialists in Shakespeare, Milton, Donne, women poets, and other major writers, with particular focus on textual editing, book history, and paleography. The program offers cutting-edge approaches including literary politics, ecocriticism, and intersectional analysis of race, gender, and class. The curriculum spans from Henry VIII's reign through Shakespeare's era, the Civil War, and up to Milton's Restoration period. Studying in London provides direct access to original historical settings, with potential visits to Shakespeare's Globe, St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and the National Archives. You'll develop practical skills like reading 16th-17th century handwriting, identifying original correspondence formats, and transcribing rare manuscripts. The program also teaches contemporary theoretical applications and textual editing techniques for modern audiences.