Personal Statement on Being Interested in Literature

My interest in English Literature began in my years in school where I had to read many books covering almost all periods of English Literature, from Medieval times to 20th century Modernism. Having read lots of books about this field and now in my English Degree of English Studies, I would like to specialize in English Literature and History.



I am interested above all in Medieval Literature, i.e., Anglo-Saxon Poetry, English Drama with Morality Plays and many medieval works such as Beowulf, Chaucer´s The Canterbury Tales or Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and King Arthur´s legends. That is the literary period I like the most. The rest of periods in English Literature are also interesting to me and I have a good knowledge of them, but specially Medieval Literature. Reading English novels and stories have stimulated my interest in this course for many years and convinced me that I well suited to this field.



My experiences in English Studies in particular and literature in general made me learn some abilities. Working as a collaborator in a library in a high school, supported by the Humanities and Philology Department, as well as giving proffesional advice to students about books, learnt me to be mature, flexible with other people, be critical with literary works and independent. I read many English novels in order to advice students about which book, novel or story best fit with their level. I had to listen to their expectations and then talk to them about the books they were going to read. So, oral communication as well as critical listening and reading are my major skills. Also working in this library, I had the possibility to write critically about books and novels to offer critical references to students and on some occasions, write criticism about major poets and novelists of English Literature, such as Chaucer, William Shakespeare, John Donne, Daniel Defoe or Virginia Woolf, among others. Writing about them, students were not only...