Writers since Samuel Pepys have described the city of London itself as a character in its own story. And what a story! The tale of London has drama–plagues, the Great Fire, the Blitz; It has romance–the love between Queen Victoria & Prince Albert, star crossed lovers in Shakespeare’s plays; and it has deep human interest–the struggles of the Victorian working class, the stories of immigrants arriving from around the world.

This course will allow you to get to know this ever-changing, but ancient city through works of literature composed there. We will examine fiction, plays, and poetry composed across different historical periods, written by and about people from different gender, race, ethnic, and class identities. All the authors we study will have one thing in common: they wrote in and about the city of London itself, offering different perspectives on how the city both influenced their work and has been influenced by their work. In this course, you will reacquaint yourself with some writers that may be familiar to you, like Shakespeare, Dickens, Keats, and Woolf. But we will also explore new or less familiar voices, like those of women who wrote for magazines during World War II; the Caribbean-British writers of the Windrush Generation; dark fantasy writer, Neil Gaiman; and contemporary writers like poet/performance artist Sophia Thakur.

The literature we read will come alive as we travel the same crooked streets of London the authors did. Group excursions will give a very real sense of what is is like to live and write in London, as we visit authors’ homes, like Keats’ House and Dickens’ House; walk through the beautiful, green squares special to the Bloomsbury Group of writers and artists; visit sites dedicated to literature, like the Sherlock Holmes Museum, Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey, and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre; and explore places that offer a sense of the context and history London writers lived and worked in, like Churchill’s War Rooms, the Docklands Museum, Borough Market, The British Museum, Covent Garden, Victoria & Albert Museum, and St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Studying the literature of London in London will give you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the culture and history of this dynamic city. As part of your experience, you will use public transportation, shop for groceries and meals, and approach daily life in the city like a “real” Londoner. In addition to the group activities and excursions, you will have free time (and lots of suggestions from your professor!) to find what interests you most in a city that has everything to offer. We will also get to take a quick break from big city life through a group day trip to Stratford Upon Avon, where we will explore Shakespeare's hometown and enjoy a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company.


The Program Fee includes housing accommodations, all excursions, and international medical insurance and two group meals.

The Program Fee does NOT include airfare to/from London, nor airport transfers within the U.S. The program officially begins when students arrive in London. Students will receive detailed travel instructions after acceptance, explaining how and where to purchase their plane ticket. See the Cost section below for estimate airfare. For this program, students will be given recommended flight itineraries for traveling together.

Meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance, which is based on academic quality and demonstrated ability to contribute to the objectives of the program. Early application is encouraged.

• University of Delaware Tuition/Fees for one Winter Session

• Travel Study Program Fee
• Usually covers: housing, all program-related excursions and some meals (check with the program's faculty director for details).
• Does NOT cover: airfare to/from the program site and ground transportation to/from the U.S. departure airport. For planning purposes only, we estimate roundtrip airfare to be approximately $1,200.00.
• Plan ahead for how to pay for travel study, and make sure you understand the costs associated with your program.

• An initial payment of $1000.00 will be due in mid-May.
• The balance of the Program Fee and Tuition/Fees will be due in early January.
• Payments are submitted through My Finances in UDSIS.
• All charges, once posted to your account, are considered non-refundable.

• Program Fees are subject to change until the group's departure date. Final Program Fees may increase due to unforeseen local cost increases, fluctuations in exchange rates, or changes in the group size.
• CGPS reserves the right to cancel a program at any time due to under-enrollment, safety/health/security issues, staffing issues, or any other relevant reason. If your program is cancelled, you will receive a full refund of all Program Fees paid.