The Department of English at Grove City College prepares students for graduate and professional study, as well as a wide variety of careers. The Department is dedicated to the study of the great works of English, American, and world literature. Our approach is to read the literature for its explorations of the fundamental questions regarding the nature of God and man, the meaning of moral choice, the purpose of life, and the possibility of salvation. Our goal is to equip the student to discover this truth wherever it may be found, but especially in the enduring works of the literature of Western Civilization.
We affirm the classical tradition in literary studies, especially as challenged and shaped by Christian thought through the centuries. True to that tradition, we believe that literature engages us in psychagogia, the leading of the soul to virtue and wisdom. Following an exegetical approach, faculty challenge students to analyze idea, form and cultural context in formulating their response to particular works of literature.
The study of literature is for us an experience of Christian stewardship and we welcome into our program all those eager both to stir up in themselves the God-given gifts of intelligence and imagination, and to think after them the thoughts of the writers who have shaped us and our civilization.