Lit or Gen?

[Samueliscool223]

I'm a year 10 student, with year 11 approaching quickly. I've contemplated the decision of doing English Literature/ general but I honestly don't know which to pick. I've heard lit is a "specialist subject" and that it's differcult to achieve decent results. But general, is much more forgiving. I'm OK at writing, attaining an average score of a B. I like analyzing works of literature, it can be fun, and I'm bad at comparative essays and oral presentations. I also don't really enjoy reading.

Basically my question is:How differcult is literature, and would i be best suites to lit or gen on the basis of this information?

Thank you
Sam

[colline]

I've heard lit is a "specialist subject" and that it's differcult to achieve decent results.

Not entirely true. Lit is definitely more competitive, but it's not necessarily the harder one. If you enjoy doing close analysis of texts, looking at how language creates meaning, and exploring how different perspectives of reading a text gives you different interpretations, you may find literature to be the easier option. (I know I certainly did )

I like analyzing works of literature, it can be fun, and I'm bad at comparative essays and oral presentations. I also don't really enjoy reading.

Analysing is a big part of literature, but fair warning, lit also has a comparative SAC and an oral component as well. The literature comparative SAC (Unit 3 AOS 1) is 'Adaptations and Transformations' where you would compare two forms of a text, eg. a play and a film. The oral component isn't worth much and most people disregard it, but it's still there nonetheless.

Not enjoying reading might be a bit of a challenge. For lit, especially for Unit 4 AOS 1 Literary Perspectives, there is A LOT of reading involved. For lit perspectives, you would be required to not just read the text set, but also critiques of the text by other writers from different perspectives. It may be a bit of a struggle if you don't enjoy reading.


I can't really give you a definitive answer on whether or not literature or mainstream English would be better, but I hope this information gives you a bit more understanding of what assessments you'll be doing in lit so that you can make a more well-informed choice. Good luck!