During the nineteenth century, many of the features of modern cultural, social, and political life were established. This programme allows you to study literature in English with a focus on the Victorian period, placing texts in the context of massive upheaval. You’ll develop your understanding of research methods, improving your skills in preparation for writing the dissertation as well as for a range of careers. You’ll also choose from optional modules within the Victorian pathway – and you can take a broader approach with modules from across the School of English. Taught by leading researchers in their fields, you’ll be able to focus on your interests and explore new texts and contexts. You’ll benefit from studying in a major nineteenth-century cultural and industrial centre, with all of the archives, museums, galleries and architecture the region has to offer. The family home of the Brontës is a short trip away in Haworth, and the city’s galleries and libraries contain substantial material to support your research. Our extensive library resources help to make the University of Leeds a stimulating environment for critical thinking. The world-class Brotherton Library contains a wealth of archival, manuscript, and printed material in its Special Collections, including the original manuscript of Elizabeth Gaskell’s novel Sylvia’s Lovers (1864) and her only surviving manuscript diary. You’ll also find works, including much correspondence, by the Brontë family as well as extensive collections of letters to and from figures including Gaskell, Thackeray, Dickens, Henry James, Thomas Hardy, and Bram Stoker among others.