Edinburgh is proud to house the oldest Department of English Literature in the world, having offered courses on ‘rhetoric and belles lettres’ over 200 years ago. Located at the heart of the city, in close proximity to all the major cultural centres associated with a capital, the Department today remains a vigorous centre of scholarship and learning. In the last two UK University Research Exercises it was recognised as one of the premier departments in the country. The 2008 exercise confirmed this position, assessing Edinburgh's English Literature department as one of the best three in the United Kingdom.

Extending its rich scholarly tradition, the department is committed to moving with the times, constantly updating courses and teaching methods in line with the latest advances in the field. A broad range of teaching and research interests allows us to offer an unusually large variety of courses.

Edinburgh is UNESCO's first World City of Literature. Outstanding libraries are among the many factors that make the city an ideal place for the study of literature. As well as the wealth of resources in the main University Library, honours students and postgraduates will find themselves only five minutes walk from the National Library of Scotland, one of the finest bibliographical collections in Europe.

With its annual International Festival the attraction of the city for those with an interest in the performing arts is obvious: students enjoy attending productions in the city's many theatres, or working with the University's lively drama society. For those interested in creative writing, courses are available at undergraduate and postgraduate level and the University Writer in Residence is housed in the Department and is available for consultation. The department is also the home of the James Tait Black Prizes for fiction and biography, Britain's oldest and most prestigious literary awards.