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Expanding literary knowledge for applying for English at Oxbridge

Reply 20

hobnob

14

Mask Of Sanity

Ridiculously boring when we visited.
I had much more fun running around in the fields.

I'm sure the Brontës felt the same way about it. :wink:

Reply 21

Cirsium

19

Direct quotation from the English tutor at Jesus
'As long as you've read something other than your A-level texts and Harry Potter then it's possible to make a competitive application'.
Obviously, if you're not naturally gifted at analysis then looking at criticism and context are good ideas - but you may not be as disadvantaged as you think vs other candidates.

Reply 22

NissanMicra

thus spake zarathustra

Reply 23

ByronicHero

20

i think reeling off places you have visited etc could sound reatehr pretentious.

Reply 24

username102860

10

Two things:

Mentioning Shakespeare is not important.
Mentioning literary criticism is not important.

However, with the latter, I think certain universities do like to see candidates guaging with their favourite texts through literary criticism, so I guess I'm contradicting myself slightly, but there is no need to go into any depth about them (I didn't mention literary criticism at all, but then quite a few seem to).

English is not a subject that's significantly aided by extra-currics. Going to literary museums and other similar establishments that are of little value seems a little pointless. If you're that eager to get some extra stuff on your PS, audiences with authors/poets etc., literary festivals, workshops and other things all provide a good opportunity to get more practical benefits with lit and tend to challenge you more than a trundle round a museum.

Reply 25

Viewless Wings

8

ShinyButtons

The two biggest mistakes I made were arguing historical context wasn't all that important when studying literature (a lot of an English course is looking at history!) and cramming right up until the interview... much better to be relaxed and natural and able to think straight :smile:

Just to say - I have quite strong New Critic sympathies and made them pretty clear at interview, and it didn't seem to do me any harm. So if your stance really is that the text itself is essentially much more important than anything else, don't be afraid to voice it. Just don't be toobold/stubborn. It offends the not-inconsiderable egos of academic bigwigs, and that's never a good thing.

Agree with the second point - I did no work for the three days I was in Oxford. You don't have to be that extreme, but cramming is a bad idea.

Good luck!

Reply 26

yellowwdaisy

1

DaisySavage

Hi - I am looking at applying to Oxbridge to study English and was wondering if any students there (or with an offer) could give advice as to what they did to expand their literary knowledge before applying - I don't just mean reading widely, but would you recommend, for example, going to see as many plays as possible, visiting Haworth etc? This is mainly because I want to be able to write about things I have done in my personal statement that show enthusiasm and interest. Or is this a complete waste of time and I should simply just read as much as possible? (although I may still go to the theatre anyway :yes:

)
Also, as someone who has only recently decided on english, I perhaps haven't read as much as I could have done over the last few years as I was heavily involved in extra curricular music - I've read a lot, but for example I don't know everyone of Shakespeare's plays inside out. Will my lack of being as widely read hinder me?
Thankyou for any help, it is much appreciated.

I've got a place to do mml- so I'm probably not as well qualified to give you advice, but as a result of the teaching I got in english, I generally seem to know what I'm talking about when it comes to English

I'd say as a general principle- read. don't think that because you're supposed to put what you've 'done', that you have have to find anything to have 'done' in relation to english- they realise that its hard to have 'done' things to show your interest for subjects like maths, history, english (as opposed to languages and music). if you really want to do something that shows an aptitude for the subject- I'd do something like debating or perhaps creative writing- english as a subject is about forming arguments and engaging with artistic expression. in that way, it may well work in your favour that you are very musical- you might want to think about Aesthetics and Literary Theory a bit (they absolutely don't expect you to know anything about those areas- but that would be a good way to link music with literature- a way, perhaps, to show a more deep-rooted interest in the subject)

I've asked the question 'what should I read' a lot too. rule number one is read what you enjoy and what you understand (no use forcing the faery queene or beowulf on yourself just to try and impress them if you don't feel you could confidently discuss it)

aside from that- I personally find poetry and essays a very good idea- most people have mainly read novels- which also take quite a while to read- ie, it would take a lot longer to get a feel for *the victorian novel* than *romantic poetry*. maybe pick a particular period or movement that interests you and sample some poems from that period (and maybe pick 3-4 to know very well that you could refer to in case it comes up in your interview).

I find reading essays about literature (often by so-called 'poet-critics' like Eliot, Pound and Shelley) very illuminating- it really helps stimulate thought about literature in general- and helps make you feel more grounded. I would particularly recommend: tradition & the individual talent (eliot) defency of Poetry (Shelley) keats' letters, literary essays of Ezra Pound-
remember- you have to understand these works in the context they were written (so try to avoid crude applications of say, Shelley to Eliot's poetry)

and of course- if you try reading any of this stuff and it just doesn't interest you- its not going to help you much anyway for your interview (although if no literary essays at all and no poetry interests you, you wouldn't be applying for english lit)

hope this is some help!

Reply 27

yellowwdaisy

1

one more thing-
the faculty at cambridge was founded by pioneers of practical criticism,and is still heavily influenced by it (as they say on their website)- so, while you don't need to tailor your interests to fit what you think they want to see (you wouldn't want to do this anyways), it can only count in your favour if you show a suitability to practical criticism (since it is a significant aspect of the course, it would be worth reading into anyway)

Reply 28

yellowwdaisy

1

Dionysia

Try and visit some literary festivals - London, Cheltenham or Hay-on-Wye - if you're set on visiting places - choose some interesting talks to go to and then weave that into your PS by linking it to certain periods/genres/texts you've read and found interesting. Definitely expand your reading beyond the A-level syllabus. I'd say that rather than reading everything, focus more on a few texts that you've chosen, as hobnob says. I chose a few on which to concentrate, read around the genre/context a bit and then focussed very closely on certain texts, and it worked for me. Good luck!

this is a good idea
I went to a lot of lectures around easter in oxford- it was the times literary festival (not all of it literature- but there were some very interesting talks about shakespeare, austen, Chekhov)

I recommend an intro to Literature, Criticism and Theory by Bennett and Royle
also the introduction to Eagleton's Intro to literary theory

Reply 29

username102860

10

yellowwdaisy

one more thing-
the faculty at cambridge was founded by pioneers of practical criticism,and is still heavily influenced by it (as they say on their website)- so, while you don't need to tailor your interests to fit what you think they want to see (you wouldn't want to do this anyways), it can only count in your favour if you show a suitability to practical criticism (since it is a significant aspect of the course, it would be worth reading into anyway)

What, so you're going to say in your PS about your love of reading and analysing previously unknown poems? :confused:

A lot of colleges at both Oxford and Cambridge will probably do a form of practical crit anyway; whether it's a discussion or a written test is where it varies.

Reply 30

yellowwdaisy

1

Ploop

What, so you're going to say in your PS about your love of reading and analysing previously unknown poems? :confused:

A lot of colleges at both Oxford and Cambridge will probably do a form of practical crit anyway; whether it's a discussion or a written test is where it varies.

I didn't say you should explicitly state an interest in it, I just meant you ought to bare that in mind when it comes to the interview
certainly read a bit about what it is- understand the concept
(this may well have occurred to you already- I just thought I ought to make the point just in case it hadn't)

Reply 31

Dionysia

12

Yeah, I'm with VW...I did no work at all whilst in Oxford. Just had fun for three days and tried not to get nervous. Best way to make it a positive experience.

Reply 32

DaisySavage

OP

Mask Of Sanity

Ridiculously boring when we visited.
I had much more fun running around in the fields.

Haha perhaps I will miss that one out then...

Reply 33

DaisySavage

OP

Dionysia

Try and visit some literary festivals - London, Cheltenham or Hay-on-Wye - if you're set on visiting places - choose some interesting talks to go to and then weave that into your PS by linking it to certain periods/genres/texts you've read and found interesting. Definitely expand your reading beyond the A-level syllabus. I'd say that rather than reading everything, focus more on a few texts that you've chosen, as hobnob says. I chose a few on which to concentrate, read around the genre/context a bit and then focussed very closely on certain texts, and it worked for me. Good luck!