Studying Literature in English provides the ideal point of entry for students of English Literature. This book is an accessible guide for Literature students around the world. This book: Grounds literature and the study of literature throughout by referencing a selection of well-known novels, plays and poems Examines the central questions that readers ask when confronting literary texts, and shows how these make literary theory meaningful and necessary Links British, American and postcolonial literature into a coherent whole Discusses film as literature and provides the basic conceptual tools in order to study film within a literature-course framework Places particular emphasis on interdisciplinarity by examining the connections between the study of literature and other disciplines Provides an annotated list of further reading From principal literary genres, periods and theory, to strategies for reading, research and essay-writing, Dominic Rainsford provides an engaging introduction to the most important aspects of studying literature in English. This book is invaluable reading for anyone studying literature in English.

Studying English Literature is a unique guide for undergraduates beginning to study the discipline of literature and those who are thinking of doing so. Unlike books that provide a survey of literary history or non-subject specific manuals that offer rigid guidelines on how to write essays, Studying English Literature invites students to engage with the subject's history and theory whilst at the same time offering information about reading, researching and writing about literature within the context of a university. The book is practical yet not patronizing: for example, whilst the discussion of plagiarism provides clear guidelines on how not to commit this offence, it also considers the difficulties students experience finding their own 'voice' when writing and provokes reflection on the value of originality and the concepts of adaptation, appropriation and intertextuality in literature. Above all, the book prizes the idea of argument rather than insisting upon formulaic essay plans, and gives many ways of finding something to say as you read and when you write, in chapters on Reading, Argument, Essays, Sentences and References.

Literature in English: How and Why is an accessible guide for students. It deals with the fundamental concepts of literary form and genre; the history of English-language literature from the medieval period to the present; relations between the study of literature and other disciplines; literary theory; researching a topic; and writing a paper. This new edition contains a brand new chapter which takes literary theory to another level, using it to link literature to the issues that concern us most, whether in our own lives or in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The book has also been fully updated throughout, with significant additions to the introduction and further reading sections. Overall, Literature in English: • Grounds the study of literature throughout by referencing a selection of well-known novels, plays and poems • Examines the central questions that readers ask when confronting literary texts, and shows how these make literary theory meaningful and necessary • Links British, American and postcolonial literature into a coherent whole • Discusses film as literature and provides the basic conceptual tools needed to study film within a literature-course framework • Places particular emphasis on interdisciplinarity by examining the connections between the study of literature and other disciplines • Links literary theory to current global challenges, placing special emphasis on new and evolving approaches such as ecocriticism, new materialism and the spatial turn • Provides extensive guidance on further reading. Written in a clear and engaging style, this is an essential guide for literature students around the world.

This introduction to the tools required for literary study provides all the skills, background and critical knowledge which students require to approach their study of literature with confidence.

This fully revised and expanded new edition gives practical help and guidance to students and sets out a logical method for approaching novels, plays and poems. Useful chapters on themes, characters, structure and style explain how to analyse a text and later chapters give advice on writing successful essays and on how to set about revision. Straightforward and lively, the book is an invaluable companion to all students of literature.

Clearly focussed on the needs of students, Robert Eaglestone and Jonathan Beecher Field have revised the best-selling Doing English specifically for English literature courses in America. Studying English presents the ideas and debates that shape literary studies in America today. This overview of the discipline explains not only what students need to know, but how and why English came to be the way it is. This uniquely comprehensive guide to the subject gives students the background they need to understand and enjoy their studies more fully. The book covers arguments about criticism and theory, value, the canon, Shakespeare, authorial intention, figural language, narrative, writing, identity, politics and the skills that are learned from studying English for the world of work. In a clear and engaging way, Robert Eaglestone and Jonathan Beecher Field: Orient you, by exploring what it is to study English in America now. Equip you, by explaining the key ideas and trends in English in context. Enable you to begin higher level study.