AS and A Level English Literature: AO5 - What does ‘explore literary texts informed by different interpretations;’ mean? Does this mean viewpoints of critics only, or is it sufficient to discuss their own varying interpretations, and perhaps interpret?

There is no specific requirement to quote from critics (although this is often a differentiator). Our definition of different interpretations is quite inclusive and could mean a mix of any of the following:

• a students’ own alternative readings
• the views of classmates (I would advocate for some care about how to credit these in an academic essay, a simple “Others have stated/suggested etc” will do)
• views from academics in literary criticism (e.g. A.C Bradley, G. Wilson Knight, Jacqueline Rose)
• theoretical perspectives (reading the text through a particular theoretical lens e.g. feminism or Marxism)
• critical perspectives over time (i.e. the way the text has been viewed critically over time)
• for drama, readings provided by productions (offers both directorial interpretation as well as actors’ interpretations)
• stage and screen adaptations of works

Most importantly, the AO5 requirement to show awareness of other interpretations might be fulfilled by engaging with the idea the question is proposing in and of itself.

The essential quality we are looking for is awareness that there can always be more than one view of a text.  Learners should show that they have a view of their own in relation to the question, but that they are capable of seeing that there may be other ways of looking at it.