In choosing to study literature, you are engaging with three of the oldest and most powerful human inventions:
- Verbal art: Words artfully chosen and arranged can imprint themselves on your memory, move you to laughter or tears, inspire passion or disgust, impel you to take action or show pity, or—most difficult of all—to change your mind.
- Storytelling: Humans respond more to stories than to statistics: storytelling renders complex problems in a way that our minds and hearts can grasp.
- Argument: Whether in the sense of a volley across disagreement, or in the sense of a highly crafted series of evidentiary claims, humans do a lot of arguing. Whether you do or don’t enjoy arguments, getting good at making observations and explaining or interpreting them is an important and sometimes even a fun life skill.
If you have any questions about the English program, please email englishdept@queensu.ca.
Testimonial
“Studying English at Queen’s, I have engaged with a rich diversity of literature, literary genres, and voices beyond any inert or exclusionary canon. Within the supportive and stimulating learning community of Queen’s English, I have developed the critical thinking and communication skills necessary for both understanding literature and meeting the demands of a dynamic job market.”
Mariel Matsuda
BA, MA, Queen's