Love through the ages

The 'Love through the ages' topic is a central component of AQA A-Level English Literature, exploring how love has been represented in poetry, prose, and drama from the 14th century to the present day. This comparative study requires you to analyse texts from different periods, considering how social, cultural, and historical contexts shape depictions of love—whether romantic, familial, platonic, or unrequited. The set texts typically include a Shakespeare play (e.g., 'Othello' or 'The Taming of the Shrew'), a pre-1900 poetry anthology (often focusing on poets like John Donne, Christina Rossetti, and Thomas Hardy), and a post-1900 novel (such as 'The Great Gatsby' or 'Atonement').

Mastering this topic is crucial because it develops your ability to make connections across texts, evaluate literary traditions, and articulate nuanced arguments about universal human experiences. The exam (Paper 1) tests your skills in close reading, contextual analysis, and critical evaluation, with questions that often require you to compare two texts or discuss a theme across a single text. Understanding the evolution of love—from courtly love to modern relationships—also enriches your appreciation of how literature reflects changing attitudes towards gender, sexuality, and power.

This topic fits into the wider A-Level course by building on skills from the AS year (if applicable) and preparing you for the synoptic paper (Paper 2: Texts in shared contexts). The comparative element mirrors the 'Worlds and Lives' poetry anthology, while the focus on love as a theme links to other AQA options like 'Modern times: literature from 1945 to the present day'. By studying love through the ages, you'll gain a deeper understanding of literary periods and the enduring power of love as a subject for artistic expression.