English Literature vs Literature in English

In the Nigerian novel ‘Americanah’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Obinze’s mum feels the need to clarify that she is a professor of literature in English and not a professor of English literature. You may be asking, what is the difference?

To begin to understand the difference, we must remember that there was a time, not so long ago, when England colonised over a hundred countries around the world. During this period, English was taught in schools and widely spoken in these colonised countries. The result was that authors in English colonies began to write in the English language. Authors from Asia, Africa, and Latin America wrote books directly in the English language. These books are now known as ‘literature in English’. As a genre, Literature in English, contains books set in different countries around the world; these books are based on different cultures and are not told from the perspective of an English citizen. Even now, in postcolonial times, there are authors around the world who continue to write in English, as the language has become universal in nature. These written works are all considered to be ‘literature in English.’

On the other hand, England itself produced a large body of its own literature, and continues to do so today. Authors in England, write in their native language of English, and this is known as ‘English literature’. For these books, the content is written from the perspective of English citizens, and the books tend to be set in England.

Now you may wondering about books that have been translated into English from other languages? Are these considered ‘literature in English’? I would say, no. These are considered as translated books, and the genre would be based on its original language, setting, and content.

In summary, though the lines may sometimes blur, the general guideline is that ‘English literature’ originates from England and is written by English authors, while ‘literature in English’ originates from different countries and is written in the English language by non-English authors.