Eaglestone R. Doing English. A Guide For Literature Students

Routledge / Taylor & Francis Group, 2000. — 159 p. ISBN: 0-415-19135-1 (hbk) ISBN: 0-415-19136-X (pbk).
If you are studying English literature for A level, for the International Baccalaureate or on an Access course, or are starting a degree in literature, this book is for you. In fact, whatever English literature course you are taking, no matter where you are, this book is not only an ideal stepping-stone to university but also an introduction to crucial new questions and ideas about English and literature.
This book seeks to bridge the often daunting gap between traditional approaches to literature, still dominant in schools, and the new world of literary theory which dominates university English. The author shows how and why English is changing, explains current key ideas about English and literature, and introduces the study of literary theory. All that is central to English comes into question: how we read, what we read, reading and meaning, and English studies itself.
By introducing new and challenging ideas in an extremely accessible manner, this volume serves as the perfect springboard into degreelevel English.Part I. How we read.
Where did English come from?
Doing English today.
English and ‘the right answer’.
Critical attitudes.
Part II. What we read.
Literature, value and the canon.
Doing Shakespeare.
Part III. Reading and meaning.
The author is dead?
Metaphors and figures of speech.
Part IV. English studies…?
English, national identity and cultural heritage.
English, literature and politics.
Interdisciplinary English.
Conclusion — the significance of English.
Further reading.