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Love through the ages set texts
Students select one Shakespeare play, one poetry text and one prose text, with one of the comparative texts written pre-1900.
15
Objectives
10
Flashcards
10
Questions
90 min
Study time
AqaA LevelEnglish Literature APaper 1 Love through the ages
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Syllabus checklist
What you need to know
15 objective pages available
Shakespeare choices3 objectives
- Identify the four official Shakespeare choices for Love through the ages.
- Study the selected play through dramatic methods, historicist context, connections and interpretations.
- Keep analysis anchored to the selected play rather than mixing optional Shakespeare texts.
Poetry anthology choices3 objectives
- Distinguish the official pre-1900 and post-1900 AQA love-poetry anthologies.
- Study the selected anthology through representations of love, poetic methods and comparison across poems.
- Use the anthology choice to satisfy the poetry requirement and, where applicable, the pre-1900 requirement.
Pre-1900 prose choices3 objectives
- Identify the official pre-1900 prose choices in the updated specification.
- Analyse the selected novel through representations of love, prose methods, context and interpretations.
- Compare the selected prose text directly with the chosen poetry text.
Later prose choices3 objectives
- Identify the official later prose choices for Love through the ages.
- Analyse the selected novel through representations of love, prose methods, context and interpretations.
- Check that the paired poetry choice satisfies the pre-1900 rule when the prose choice does not.
The Island of Missing Trees3 objectives
- Identify The Island of Missing Trees as an official updated-specification prose choice.
- Keep this choice within the 2027 specification version and out of final-2026 curriculum claims.
- Study the text through representations of love, prose methods, context and comparison.
Key terms
TragedyComedyRomantic LovePlatonic LoveSoliloquyDramatic IronyMetaphysical PoetryRomanticismImageryPersonaSonnetFree Indirect Discourse
Exam tips
- Use Textual Evidence: Always support your arguments with specific examples from the text.
- Use Quotations Effectively: Incorporate relevant quotations to support your arguments, ensuring they are well-integrated into your analysis.
Common mistakes
- Misidentifying Plays: Familiarize yourself with the key themes and characters of each play.
- Plot Summary Instead of Analysis: Focus on specific examples from the text to support your analysis of themes and characters.
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