Stockholm university

Literature

Do you like to read and are interested in how literature has changed throughout history, from the oral dictation of the past to today's digital text worlds? Do you think about what literature really is? Do you want to become an expert in analyzing and interpreting texts? Then literature science is a subject that suits you!

Subject description

In all times and in all cultures, people have been telling stories and performing songs and poetry, practices which have led to the written text that we identify as literature. But what is literature? What does it look like, how is it written, and how is it designed? And who decides what literature is? These are the questions we ask. The literary researcher comments, analyses, historicizes, and interprets literature.

As a literary scholar, you get to study poems, short stories, novels and plays in their historical, social and design contexts. You get to read and discuss both well-known classics as well as recent literature and at the same time immerse yourself in everything from the ABC of storytelling to ecocritical and intermedial perspectives. You get to listen to educational big lectures, you get to practice arguing at the seminars and you get to practice writing reviews and scientific texts.

During your studies in literature, you will develop literary-historical competence and be trained in critical thinking. If you study for a degree in literature, you will obtain a solid humanistic and scientific education.

We offer a variety of courses, from the basic course literature science and a number of independent evening and distance courses, up to the master's program in literature science.

Courses and programmes

  • PhD studies

    As a PhD student you will be contributing to the research from Stockholm University and to the research environment at the Department. The doctoral studies include writing an independent thesis.

    More about PhD studies

Degree

For a bachelor’s degree in Literature you can choose to study individual courses or join one of the bachelor’s programmes listed under Educations within the subject.

A master’s degree in Literature can only be obtained through enrolment in one of the master’s programmes listed under Educations within the subject.

More information about degrees at Stockholm University

Research

In all times and in all cultures people have been telling stories and performing songs and poetry, practices which have led to the written text that we identify as literature.

But what is literature? What does it look like, how is it written and how is it designed? And who decides what literature is? These are the questions that our field focuses on. The literary researcher comments, analyses, historicizes and interprets literature.

About our research