study comparative literature

Why Study Comparative Literature?

The concentration in Comparative Literature at BU is designed for students whose interest in literature embraces works in multiple languages.

A fundamental project of Comparative Literature is to cultivate reading across linguistic boundaries in order to highlight everything that the exclusive focus on a national literature tends to obscure. Studying literature traditionally meant picking an academic department that reflects the nation state on a basically European model.  English, French, and German programs each focus on the canons of their respective national traditions. But literature and readers have both always ranged outside the boundaries of one national language. German literature is brimming with the influences of English and French and Italian and Greek and Roman literature and so on. And even writers who knew nothing of one another may show fascinating similarities and differences; a poem by Stéphane Mallarmé and a poem by Emily Dickinson throw each other into startling relief.

Traditionally, too, Asian, African, and Middle Eastern literatures (when they were studied at all) were long relegated to the rubric of Area Studies. The European literatures were understood as both aesthetically autonomous and expressive of the “national genius,” while texts from the non-West were read more from an ethnographic, historical, or anthropological perspective than as works of literature in their own right. The field of Comparative Literature also endeavors, then, to overcome this division between “the West” and “the Rest” by combining the formal rigor of European literary studies with the interdisciplinary reach of area studies.

Students of Comparative Literature trace the transformations and travels of literary genres and texts across time and space. They explore the connections of literature with history, philosophy, politics, and literary theory. And they study the intersections of literature with other cultural forms such as film, drama, the visual arts, music, and new media. In our increasingly globalized age, translation studies are also an important part of the comparative approach to literature. It’s surprisingly tricky to say that even a single sentence in one language is truly “equivalent” to its translation in another language; in what sense, then, can we really translate the complexity and nuance of novels, poems or plays? And yet we all depend on translations sooner or later. Literary translations also have their own kind of history and even politics. Why do some texts get translated and others not, for example? And how have the practice and theory of translation changed over time?

At the core of the concentration in Comparative Literature are courses introducing Western, East Asian, Middle Eastern and South Asian literary traditions in comparative perspective. These courses introduce students to the global diversity of literary forms and genres while acquainting them with the methods of comparative literary study. After or in tandem with the introductory courses, students meet with their advisors to put together a program of study that best suits their interests and goals. This will include advanced work in at least one foreign language and its literature and a series of interrelated courses of your choice. One attractive aspect of the Comparative Literature major is its flexibility. In close consultation with your advisor you might decide to focus on anything from the modernist novel to Romantic poetry, postcolonial literature, or Greek and Japanese epics.  At the same time you will have the opportunity to take courses listed or cross-listed under the Comparative Literature rubric (“XL”) that further hone your skills as a comparatist, such as “Gender and Literature,” “Literary Translation,” “Theory of the Novel,” or “Literature and Empire.”

A concentration in Comparative Literature is an excellent foundation for further work at the graduate level. It also prepares students to work in any field where critical thinking, strong writing skills and foreign-language competence and a sophisticated understanding of cultural difference and diversity are called for.

Comparative Literature Studies

Nergis ertürk, editor in chief.

Quarterly Publication ISSN 0010-4132 E-ISSN 1528-4212 Recommend to Library Code of Ethics Project MUSE Scholarly Publishing Collective JSTOR Archive

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Founded in 1963, Comparative Literature Studies publishes critical comparative essays on literature, cultural production, the relationship between aesthetics and political thought, and histories and philosophies of form across the world. Articles may also address the transregional and transhistorical circulation of genres and movements across different languages, time periods, and media. CLS welcomes a wide range of approaches to comparative literature, including those that draw on philosophy, history, area studies, Indigenous, race, and ethnic studies, gender and sexuality studies, media studies, and emerging critical projects and methods in the humanities. Each issue of CLS also includes book reviews of significant monographs and collections of scholarship in comparative literature. For more information, please visit also the journal's website at https://cl-studies.la.psu.edu/ .

Editor in Chief Nergis Ertürk, Pennsylvania State University, US

Associate Editor Shuang Shen, Pennsylvania State University, US

Book Review Editors Jonathan E. Abel, Pennsylvania State University, US Magalí Armillas-Tiseyra, Pennsylvania State University, US

Editorial Committee Kevin Bell, Pennsylvania State University, US Jonathan P. Eburne, Pennsylvania State University, US Charlotte Eubanks, Pennsylvania State University, US Emmanuel Bruno Jean-François, Pennsylvania State University, US Brian Lennon, Pennsylvania State University, US Nicolai Volland, Pennsylvania State University, US

Advisory Board Michael Allan, University of Oregon, US Alexander Beecroft, University of South Carolina, US Baidik Bhattacharya, Center for the Study of Developing Societies, IN Lucia Boldrini, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK Pheng Cheah, University of California, Berkeley, US David Damrosch, Harvard University, US Gina Dent, University of California, Santa Cruz, US Evgeny Dobrenko, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, IT Simon Gikandi, Princeton University, US Erin Graff Zivin, University of Southern California, US Tsitsi Ella Jaji, Duke University, US R. A. Judy, University of Pittsburgh, US Lydia H. Liu, Columbia University, US Ania Loomba, University of Pennsylvania, US Nelson Maldonado-Torres, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, US Rosalind C. Morris, Columbia University, US Francesca Orsini, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK Beth Piatote, University of California, Berkeley, US Vicente L. Rafael, University of Washington, US Jordy Rosenberg, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, US Jeff Sacks, University of California, Riverside, US Gerhard F. Strasser, Pennsylvania State University, US Shaden M. Tageldin, University of Minnesota, US Alice Te Punga Somerville, University of British Columbia, CA

Editorial Assistant Dina Mahmoud

Founding Editors Alfred Owen Aldridge Melvin J. Friedman

CLS publishes original scholarly articles on a wide range of critical comparative topics. Authors should keep in mind the diverse readership of CLS when they prepare their submissions and draw out clearly the implications of their findings both for specialists in their respective field(s) and the broader audience of comparatists. Manuscripts should be between 7,000 to 12,000 words including endnotes and quotations, and must include an additional 200-word abstract. CLS does not accept manuscripts simultaneously submitted elsewhere or articles previously published, in any language. Manuscripts should adhere to the guidelines of the most recent Chicago Manual of Style ( CMS) . In preparing notes, authors should use “endnote style”— CLS does NOT use the “Works Cited” style. All quotes should be in both the original language and in English translation, and for the sake of readability we request that you use a 12-point font, double-spaced.

To submit a manuscript to the editorial office, please visit http://www.editorialmanager.com/cls/ and create an author profile. The online system will guide you through the steps to upload your manuscript.

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What is Comparative Literature?

Comparative Literature is traditionally known as the study of two or more literatures in comparison (English and German, for example) and their multi-dimensional components which may encompass aspects such as the historical, gender, economic, cultural, social, philosophical, religious, and linguistic factors of the distinct cultures being analyzed.

Non-traditional study may include other forms of readable expression such as film, gender studies, ethnicity, politics, graffiti or television. 

Student Testimonials

"Comparative Literature to me isn't really just about literature. It's about paying attention to the ways in which we read, understand, and engage with the world and with meaning-making."

- Bess Rose, Program Alumna (MA, 2001)

"Comp Lit was interdisciplinary before interdisciplinarity became a trend."

- Program Alumnus

"For me comparative literature is simply an education in critical consciousness."

- Heidi Bohn, Program Alumna (PhD, 2010)

"To me Comparative Literature is a chance pursue interdisciplinary work and a way to challenge canonized approaches to theory and literature. It calls for constant dialogue between languages and fields both within and outside of academia."

-Mairéad Farinacci, MA Student 

"As a discipline, I believe Comparative Literature sets itself apart in methodology and praxis. Unlike other Humanities departments, Comparative Literature lends itself to a more experimental, cross cultural, and critical approach to knowledge and its production."

-Hunter Capps, PhD Student

"Comparative Literature offers a unique opportunity within contemporary academic practices to explore texts and ideas across barriers of language, temporality and discipline. While doing this, this program also allows us to reflect more deeply upon the nature of those barriers and how they gain their validation. "

-Rachit Anand, PhD Student

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Programs (43)

Schools (29), comparative literature mlitt.

• Master's degree
• St Andrews, Scotland

Comparative Literature - BA (Hons)

• Bachelor's degree
• Canterbury, England

German and Comparative Literature MLitt

Comparative literature ma joint degree, master's degree in theory of literature and comparative literature.

• Barcelona, Spain

MPhil/PhD English, Comparative Literature or Linguistics

• Doctorate / PhD
• London, England

PhD Course in Comparative Languages, Literatures and Cultures

• Florence, Italy

Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies

• Lugano, Switzerland

MSc Global and Comparative Politics

• Colchester, England

Comparative Literature

• Toronto, Canada
• Edmonton, Canada
• Fredericton, Canada

Comparative Literature (Taught)

• Nottingham, England

Comparative Literature (M.A.)

Comparative literature (ma), comparative literature (research).

• Edinburgh, Scotland

English and Comparative Literature

• Reading (England), England

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What is comparative literature, and why should you study it?

Saga Briggs

Can anything really be translated? What’s lost in the process? What does literature and language say about a certain culture? These are some of the core questions driving students and scholars of Comparative Literature.

If you love learning, speaking, reading, and writing in multiple languages but also find yourself fascinated by what gets lost in translation, this may be a great field of study for you.

In this post, we’ll help you better understand what Comparative Literature is and why it builds the case for taking up a foreign language.

What is comparative literature?

Comparative literature is an academic discipline devoted to studying how culture and literature are expressed differently in different nations and languages. According to some scholars, the term “comparative literature” was first introduced in French in 1816, as littérature comparée . It wasn’t until the later 19th century that the field was institutionalized across some European and American universities.

Criticism of the field quickly developed, as scholars realized that a more precise description of the field would have been “the comparative study of literature” and therefore “comparative literature” was a bit of a sloppy term. Another issue was raised concerning the Eurocentrism of the field.

Despite these issues, the field—and the term—have stuck around for over a century, and today’s comparative literature curricula tend to emphasize the complexity of the discipline. In fact, contemporary comparative literature is much more transdisciplinary, spanning other areas such as critical race theory and queer studies.

Comparative literature students often “read” across genres and media: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, graphic novel, film, TV, even graffiti. The point is to analyze the cultural narratives and stories being conveyed throughout history by different cultures. It’s also to determine how translation plays into the way these narratives are received.

Most comparative literature curricula teach texts that have been translated into English, while encouraging students to reach foreign texts in the original language alongside their primary reading list or minor in a foreign language. So while efforts have been made to make comparative literature less Eurocentric, most texts in comp lit classes still are taught in English.

However, one big part of studying comp lit is to try to understand what gets lost in translation. Students who are already interested in studying foreign languages, or already have competence in at least one, can choose to pursue a concentration in that language. They might then read English translations of texts by Latin American immigrants and compare those texts to their original Spanish versions.

Unlike strict discussions over the accuracy of the translations, comparative literature discussions would address what might have been lost in cultural meaning from one text to another. What kinds of shortcomings in translation might have an impact on the reader’s understanding of the culture being described?

Do patterns in translation across books, over time, influence entire nations’ understanding of one another? What might the political implications of this be? How much responsibility and power do translators have in this regard?

Why study comparative literature?

“Comparatists,” as students and scholars of comparative literature are called, are in a unique position to highlight and change the way literature influences culture.

“Due to the interdisciplinary and multi-national lens through which it studies its subject matter,” explains the University of Saskatchewan’s Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultural Studies webpage, “[comparative literature] is a field of inquiry which has enormous potential to lead to greater global consciousness and sensitivity to the diversity and nature of cultures and the differences and similarities in their codes, languages, literatures, and artistic expression.”

The world is more interconnected than ever before, meaning information travels faster than ever before. While this makes communication easier, it also poses a risk not only of misinformation but also misunderstanding between cultures. Messages get lost in translation frequently enough within a single language or culture, but across languages and cultures the picture gets even more complicated. That means we need more students and scholars devoted to highlighting these gaps in understanding and seeking to bridge them.

If you’re already a lover of languages , chances are you have a deep appreciation for different cultures as well. We need more people interested in uniting the world across languages and cultures. Studying comparative literature could be one way to contribute your personal passions to a global cause.

Where are the best comparative literature programs?

Master of Arts in Comparative Literary Studies: Utrecht University, Netherlands

“In this program, we approach literature as a cultural medium from a comparative, theoretical perspective. How do different cultures and societies think about the present, remember the past, and imagine the future in and through literature? And how has literature itself been understood and theorized across historical periods and geographical boundaries? In this program, you will have the opportunity to explore these and related questions.”

Master of Arts in Comparative Literature: SOAS University of London, London, UK

“The opportunity to move from the familiar Euro-American literary canons into the fresh but less well-known worlds of African and Asian literature is what attracts most students to this popular MA. While exploring new horizons and breaking out of the Euro-centric space in which comparative literature has developed so far, the program covers the major theoretical contributions made by Western scholars.”

Master of Arts in Comparative Literature and World Literature: East China Normal University, Shanghai, China

“The School of International Chinese Studies at East China Normal University accepts applications from international students interested in pursuing a 3-year research-oriented program for a Master degree in Literature. The program is based on ECNU’s main campus in Shanghai. Our program focus is on Chinese literature and culture, and we encourage comparative studies between China and other cultures as we strongly believe that literary and cultural dialogue is very necessary for the world.”

Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative Literature: Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

“The program prepares candidates for scholarship in the field and for teaching in comparative literature, separate departments of literature, and the humanities. The curriculum in comparative literature has two major objectives: while training students in one literary tradition, it also requires them to be seriously interested in at least two other literatures as well as in the historical, critical, and theoretical problems raised by the study of literature.”

Master of Arts/PhD in Comparative Literature: Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

“The Department of Comparative Literature offers Comparative Literature as a secondary field in GSAS to enrich the education of PhD students in other departments who seek to do research and teach across the institutional boundaries of national languages and literatures. As faculty members, students specializing in a national literature may be called on to teach comparative courses or courses in general or world literature. The secondary field in Comparative Literature prepares them to do so by introducing them to basic issues in the field.”

The advantage of multilingualism

Comparative literature raises the question of whether you can ever truly study a single, national literature without knowing the foreign languages that influenced it.

“For serious literary scholarship,” writes comparatist Geert Lernout of the University of Antwerp, “monolingualism is not even a serious option: maybe contemporary writers read and write in only one language, but almost all the great writers of the past did not. How can you really read Ulysses without French, Thomas Mann without Italian?”

For most of the history of literary studies, Lernout points out, knowing more than one language was the norm, not the exception.

“It is therefore not a good idea to have Kafka or Don Quixote studied at universities in English translations only, and not even having these important authors written about by scholars whose command of German and Spanish is not sufficient to write in the language and who more often than not work with translations.”

The subtext here is that all fields of literature—not just comparative literature—need more students and scholars who know multiple languages. One way to prevent a single culture from dominating (e.g. “the Westernization” of the world) is to perpetuate and preserve other cultures through foreign language learning. Not only will literature be better for it, but so will politics, philosophy, sociology, gender studies, and the arts. What’s lost in translation is also lost in culture.

“Comparative Literature has many languages—this is what distinguishes it from the study of traditional national literatures such as English, French, or Spanish,” writes comparatist Joseph Pivato in his 2018 essay The Languages of Comparative Literature . “The positive study of comparative literature is built on the study of different languages.”

Though it’s tempting to think of comparative literature as a combination of literature and cultural studies, these sentiments suggest it’s more than that: comparative literature is the only field that examines how different cultures put language to use.

Being proficient in several languages is a worthy goal in and of itself, but comparative literature takes it a step further: How is what we achieve in these languages a reflection of the past, present, and future interests of a given culture?

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Why Study Comparative Literature?

The number one reason to major in anything is that you like the subject . Do you like to read? Do you enjoy fiction, poetry, drama, cinema? Are you interested in other cultures, other languages, in the world at large? If so, Comparative Literature is the place for you.

What Is Comparative Literature?

Comparative Literature is the study of common features in the literature, cinema, and other forms of cultural production across national and regional boundaries, from an intercultural, interdisciplinary and global perspective. Today we live in a global society where languages, literatures and cultures intersect and interbreed, and that is why it is important to broaden our scope, to understand the many diverse ways in which human beings perceive and relate to the world and each other. We offer courses in the literatures and cultures of Europe and the Americas; of China, India, Japan, Korea and Vietnam; and of East and West Africa. We offer you, in short, a window to the world.

What about Job Prospects? For What Kind of Career Will the Comparative Literature Major Prepare Me?

If you are like most students, you may not be 100% sure what career path you wish to pursue. Are you bent on being an accountant? A computer programmer? A civil engineer? A speech pathologist? Probably not. You are still searching, and for a student like you a liberal arts education will open many doors.

Studying Comparative Literature, or any other subject in the humanities, will provide you with the necessary skills to excel, not just in one narrow field, but in any number of professions: analytical and critical thinking, close reading, research, and oral and written communication .

In each of our courses you will learn about other cultures and periods, but you will also learn how to make complex and forceful arguments based on carefully researched evidence. These are the skills employers are looking for . According to a survey of employers by the Association of American Colleges and Universities ,

The skills employers value most in the new graduates they hire are not technical, job-specific skills, but written and oral communication, problem solving, and critical thinking—exactly the sort of ״ soft skills ״ humanities majors tend to excel in.

And as Inc. Magazine reports, “a host of experts are arguing that liberal arts majors are about to make a major rebound.” One reason, among many, is that the skills you acquire in a humanities major like Comparative Literature are “the least likely to be automated.” In other words, you won’t be replaced by a robot or an algorithm.

Our majors go on to pursue careers in education, publishing, law, medicine, film, art, writing, communications, foreign service, international business, and many other fields.

How Much Will You Earn?

Another myth to be dispelled is that STEM majors have better job prospects and higher long-term earnings than Humanities majors. The latter, it is true, may need to do more searching for their path, but in the long run they very often end up in higher positions and earn higher salaries.

It's Easy to Double-Major!

Comparative Literature majors may use four courses in a different literature (English, Spanish, Russian, etc.) to fulfill their major requirements. Majors may also use four courses in a different field (from Anthropology to Women’s Studies) to fulfill their major requirements. See Option II and Option III in the Comparative Literature major requirements .

For More Information:

Contact the Undergraduate Advisor, Dr. Ari Lieberman .

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Comparative Literature (Literary Studies)

Grounded in literary and cultural theory, the one-year Master's Comparative Literature trains you to analyse cultural objects (both Western and non-Western) within an interdisciplinary theoretical framework and a globalised context.

Comparative Literature in the broadest sense

The Master's programme in Comparative Literature is theoretical in character. You will learn to use methods such as textual analysis, deconstruction and close-reading to examine politically urgent matters in the fields of post/de-coloniality, global literacy, environmental humanities, cultural memory, race,  and gender. If you want to gain a better understanding of the dynamics between the literary and the political, this programme will suit you.

Why study Comparative Literature in Amsterdam?

The Comparative Literature programme at the University of Amsterdam offers you:

• Situated in the heart of Amsterdam, the programme draws inspiration from the lively literary culture in this international urban hub. We have connections to and partnerships with publishers, theatres, poetry stages, and museums including the Stedelijk Museum, Perdu, De Balie and the Goethe Institut.
• Our education is research based and you will benefit from the national and international research networks and activities of our staff members.

The character of the Comparative Literature programme:

The programme offers you the chance to study contemporary literature and theory in an interdisciplinary context, approaching literature from a perspective grounded in literary and cultural theory, encouraging you to think about film, visual art, performance and music in addition to literary texts. It consists of a mandatory theoretical course that is closely aligned with the research profile of the teachers. You are free to choose from a wide range of electives and have the opportunity to organize your own internship.

World-class education

In the heart of Amsterdam

Interdisciplinary context

Diverse cultural partners, incl. Stedelijk Museum

After graduation

After graduation you are prepared for a career in any sector of cultural life, education, publishing, the arts, journalism, media, communications and civil service. If you want to pursue an academic career you can apply to a closely aligned research Master's programme within the first year (please note that this entails a new application).

Degree certificate

Comparative Literature is an accredited degree programme of Literary Studies. After successful completion of this programme, you will receive a legally accredited Master’s degree in Literary Studies and the title Master of Arts (MA).

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• Comparative Literature Studies

About this Journal

Founded in 1963, Comparative Literature Studies publishes critical comparative essays on literature, cultural production, the relationship between aesthetics and political thought, and histories and philosophies of form across the world. Articles may also address the transregional and transhistorical circulation of genres and movements across different languages, time periods, and media. CLS welcomes a wide range of approaches to comparative literature, including those that draw on philosophy, history, area studies, Indigenous, race, and ethnic studies, gender and sexuality studies, media studies, and emerging critical projects and methods in the humanities. Each issue of CLS also includes book reviews of significant monographs and collections of scholarship in comparative literature. For more information, please visit also the journal's website at https://cl-studies.la.psu.edu/.

published by

Available issues, table of contents, volume 60, 2023.

• Volume 60, Number 4, 2023
• Volume 60, Number 3, 2023
• Volume 60, Number 2, 2023
• Volume 60, Number 1, 2023

Volume 59, 2022

• Volume 59, Number 4, 2022
• Volume 59, Number 3, 2022
• Volume 59, Number 2, 2022
• Volume 59, Number 1, 2022

Volume 58, 2021

• Volume 58, Number 4, 2021
• Volume 58, Number 3, 2021
• Volume 58, Number 2, 2021
• Volume 58, Number 1, 2021

Volume 57, 2020

• Volume 57, Number 4, 2020
• Volume 57, Number 3, 2020
• Volume 57, Number 2, 2020
• Volume 57, Number 1, 2020

Volume 56, 2019

• Volume 56, Number 4, 2019
• Volume 56, Number 3, 2019
• Volume 56, Number 2, 2019
• Volume 56, Number 1, 2019

Volume 55, 2018

• Volume 55, Number 4, 2018
• Volume 55, Number 3, 2018
• Volume 55, Number 2, 2018
• Volume 55, Number 1, 2018

Volume 54, 2017

• Volume 54, Number 4, 2017
• Volume 54, Number 3, 2017
• Volume 54, Number 2, 2017
• Volume 54, Number 1, 2017

Volume 53, 2016

• Volume 53, Number 4, 2016
• Volume 53, Number 3, 2016
• Volume 53, Number 2, 2016
• Volume 53, Number 1, 2016

Volume 52, 2015

• Volume 52, Number 4, 2015
• Volume 52, Number 3, 2015
• Volume 52, Number 2, 2015
• Volume 52, Number 1, 2015

Volume 51, 2014

• Volume 51, Number 4, 2014
• Volume 51, Number 3, 2014
• Volume 51, Number 2, 2014
• Volume 51, Number 1, 2014

Volume 50, 2013

• Volume 50, Number 4, 2013
• Volume 50, Number 3, 2013
• Volume 50, Number 2, 2013
• Volume 50, Number 1, 2013

Volume 49, 2012

• Volume 49, Number 4, 2012
• Volume 49, Number 3, 2012
• Volume 49, Number 2, 2012
• Volume 49, Number 1, 2012

Volume 48, 2011

• Volume 48, Number 4, 2011
• Volume 48, Number 3, 2011
• Volume 48, Number 2, 2011
• Volume 48, Number 1, 2011

Volume 47, 2010

• Volume 47, Number 4, 2010
• Volume 47, Number 3, 2010
• Volume 47, Number 2, 2010
• Volume 47, Number 1, 2010

Volume 46, 2009

• Volume 46, Number 4, 2009
• Volume 46, Number 3, 2009
• Volume 46, Number 2, 2009
• Volume 46, Number 1, 2009

Volume 45, 2008

• Volume 45, Number 4, 2008
• Volume 45, Number 3, 2008
• Volume 45, Number 2, 2008
• Volume 45, Number 1, 2008

Volume 44, 2007

• Volume 44, Number 4, 2007
• Volume 44, Number 3, 2007
• Volume 44, Number 1-2, 2007

Volume 43, 2006

• Volume 43, Number 4, 2006
• Volume 43, Number 3, 2006
• Volume 43, Number 1-2, 2006

Volume 42, 2005

• Volume 42, Number 4, 2005
• Volume 42, Number 3, 2005
• Volume 42, Number 2, 2005
• Volume 42, Number 1, 2005

Volume 41, 2004

• Volume 41, Number 4, 2004
• Volume 41, Number 3, 2004
• Volume 41, Number 2, 2004
• Volume 41, Number 1, 2004

Volume 40, 2003

• Volume 40, Number 4, 2003
• Volume 40, Number 3, 2003
• Volume 40, Number 2, 2003
• Volume 40, Number 1, 2003

Volume 39, 2002

• Volume 39, Number 4, 2002
• Volume 39, Number 3, 2002
• Volume 39, Number 2, 2002
• Volume 39, Number 1, 2002

Volume 38, 2001

• Volume 38, Number 4, 2001
• Volume 38, Number 3, 2001
• Volume 38, Number 2, 2001
• Volume 38, Number 1, 2001

Volume 37, 2000

• Volume 37, Number 4, 2000
• Volume 37, Number 3, 2000
• Volume 37, Number 2, 2000
• Volume 37, Number 1, 2000

Volume 36, 1999

Additional information, additional materials.

• Indexing/Abstracting

Additional Issue Materials

• Editorial Board -- Volume 57, Number 1, 2020
• Editorial Board -- Volume 56, Number 4, 2019
• Editorial Board -- Volume 56, Number 3, 2019
• Editorial Board -- Volume 56, Number 2, 2019
• Editorial Board -- Volume 56, Number 1, 2019
• Editorial Board -- Volume 55, Number 4, 2018
• Editorial Board -- Volume 55, Number 3, 2018
• Editorial Board -- Volume 55, Number 2, 2018
• Editorial Board -- Volume 55, Number 1, 2018
• Editorial Board -- Volume 54, Number 4, 2017
• Editorial Board -- Volume 54, Number 3, 2017
• Editorial Board -- Volume 54, Number 2, 2017
• Editorial Board -- Volume 54, Number 1, 2017
• Editorial Board -- Volume 53, Number 4, 2016
• Editorial Board -- Volume 53, Number 3, 2016
• Editorial Board -- Volume 53, Number 2, 2016
• Editorial Board -- Volume 53, Number 1, 2016
• Editorial Board -- Volume 52, Number 4, 2015
• Editorial Board -- Volume 52, Number 3, 2015
• Editorial Board -- Volume 52, Number 2, 2015
• Editorial Board -- Volume 52, Number 1, 2015
• Editorial Board -- Volume 51, Number 4, 2014
• Editorial Board -- Volume 51, Number 3, 2014
• Editorial Board -- Volume 51, Number 2, 2014
• Editorial Board -- Volume 51, Number 1, 2014
• Editorial Board -- Volume 50, Number 4, 2013
• Editorial Board -- Volume 50, Number 3, 2013
• Editorial Board -- Volume 50, Number 2, 2013
• Editorial Board -- Volume 50, Number 1, 2013
• Editorial Board -- Volume 49, Number 4, 2012
• Editorial Board -- Volume 49, Number 3, 2012
• Editorial Board -- Volume 49, Number 2, 2012
• Editorial Board -- Volume 49, Number 1, 2012
• Editorial Board -- Volume 48, Number 4, 2011
• Editorial Board -- Volume 48, Number 3, 2011
• Editorial Board -- Volume 48, Number 2, 2011
• Editorial Board -- Volume 48, Number 1, 2011
• Editorial Board -- Volume 47, Number 4, 2010
• Editorial Board -- Volume 47, Number 3, 2010
• Editorial Board -- Volume 47, Number 2, 2010
• Editorial Board -- Volume 47, Number 1, 2010
• Editorial Board -- Volume 46, Number 4, 2009
• Editorial Board -- Volume 46, Number 3, 2009
• Editorial Board -- Volume 44, Number 4, 2007
• Editorial Board -- Volume 44, Number 3, 2007
• Editorial Board -- Volume 44, Number 1-2, 2007
• Editorial Board -- Volume 43, Number 4, 2006
• Editorial Board -- Volume 43, Number 3, 2006
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Comparative Literature BA

Ucas code: q200, key information.

At King’s we offer you a lively and intellectually stimulating home in the heart of London where you will be taught by leading experts. Our Comparative Literature modules embrace 10 languages and 5 continents and span over 2,500 years. The focus extends beyond the modern and ancient literatures of Europe to the Americas, the Middle East, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Where else in the UK can you study African literature in English and French alongside modern Indian literature and the eighteenth-century European novel? All in an exciting location that opens the doors to endless world-class libraries, institutes, cinemas, galleries, concert halls and theatres.

Key benefits

• All modules are taught in English translation, though you are encouraged to read in the original language where possible and supported in the development of new linguistic skills.
• Centrally located, offering opportunities to benefit from London’s unique literary and cultural resources.
• Friendly and supportive learning environment and student community.
• You will acquire analytical and presentational skills valued by employers in heritage-related professions, the media, education, civil service and the performing arts.
• Our flexible study courses allow you to pursue your research interests and choose from a wide variety of modules across a number of departments.
• Study abroad is available at a wide number of partner institutions in Europe, the USA, Asia and Australia.

“ I love studying Comparative Literature! It has given me the opportunity to learn about cultures that I may not have encountered otherwise and has given me the chance to continue learning Spanish, a language that I really enjoy studying. ”

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Employability

Our graduates go on to work in a range of professions including accountancy, administration, banking, broadcasting, the civil service, journalism, law, marketing, teaching (in the UK or abroad) and the tourism industry. Others choose to continue their studies at graduate level.

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Related departments

• Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures
• Faculty of Arts & Humanities

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Art, food, music, shopping – you'll never find yourself with nothing to do in the world's most vibrant city.

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Information about living in London, including events, budgeting and expenses, travel and safety.

Student support

During your time at King's College London, a range of academic and personal support and guidance is available to you.