Studying English Literature

by Chantler, Ashley; Higgins, David

• ISBN13: 9780826497505
• ISBN10: 0826497500
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-04-28
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

Studying English Literature introduces the skills and knowledge necessary to the interpretation of poetry, prose and drama from the Renaissance to the present day. Placing literature in its historical contexts, and drawing on a variety of critical and theoretical approaches, the book illustrates the range of techniques and terms vital in literary analysis. Case studies of key texts offer detailed and lively insights into methods of critical reading and show how textual evidence can be used to construct compelling arguments in their assignments. Guided further reading and a glossary of terms provide additional support.

Author Biography

Ashley Chantler is Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Chester, UK. David Higgins is Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Leeds, UK.

Table of Contents

Notes on Contributors	p. x
Introduction	p. 1
Studying Literature at Degree Level	p. 1
How to Use This Book	p. 4
Studying Shakespeare	p. 9
Shakespeare and the Renaissance	p. 11
The Renaissance	p. 11
Elizabeth I	p. 13
Renaissance Thought	p. 14
Country Love	p. 16
Shakespeare	p. 17
Further Reading	p. 20
The Comedies	p. 22
Key Texts	p. 22
Criticism and Literary Theory	p. 26
Case Study: Twelfth Night	p. 29
Further Reading	p. 33
The Tragedies	p. 35
Key Texts	p. 35
Criticism and Literary Theory	p. 39
Case Study: King Lear	p. 42
Further Reading	p. 45
Studying Seventeenth-and Eighteenth-Century Literature	p. 47
Literature 1600-1660	p. 49
Historical Context	p. 49
Key Authors and Texts	p. 53
Criticism and Literary Theory	p. 57
Case Study: John Donne's Poetry	p. 61
Case Study: John Milton's Poetry	p. 65
Further Reading	p. 69
Literature 1660-1714	p. 70
Historical Context	p. 70
Key Authors and Texts	p. 74
Criticism and Literary Theory	p. 78
Case Study: Rochester's Poetry	p. 82
Case Study: Aphra Behn's The Rover	p. 85
Further Reading	p. 89
Literature 1714-1789	p. 90
Historical Context	p. 90
Key Authors and Texts	p. 93
Criticism and Literary Theory	p. 99
Case Study: Alexander Pope's Poetry	p. 102
Case Study: Henry Fielding's Joseph Andrews	p. 106
Further Reading	p. 110
Studying Romantic and Victorian Literature (1789-1901)	p. 111
The Romantic Period	p. 113
Historical Context	p. 113
Key Authors and Texts	p. 117
Criticism and Literary Theory	p. 123
Case Study: William Wordsworth's Poetry	p. 126
Case Study: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice	p. 129
Further Reading	p. 133
The Victorian Period	p. 134
Historical Context	p. 134
Key Authors and Texts	p. 138
Criticism and Literary Theory	p. 143
Case Study: Charles Dickens' Great Expectations	p. 146
Case Study: Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest	p. 149
Further Reading	p. 152
Studying Twentieth-Century and Contemporary Literature	p. 155
Literature 1901-1945	p. 157
Historical Context	p. 157
Key Authors and Texts	p. 163
Criticism and Literary Theory	p. 169
Case Study: T.S. Eliot's Poetry	p. 172
Case Study: Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway	p. 176
Further Reading	p. 180
Literature 1945-1990	p. 181
Historical Context	p. 181
Key Authors and Texts	p. 185
Criticism and Literary Theory	p. 189
Case Study: Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot	p. 192
Case Study: Angela Carter's The Magic Toyshop	p. 195
Further Reading	p. 199
Literature 1990-The Present	p. 200
Historical Context	p. 200
Key Authors and Texts	p. 204
Criticism and Literary Theory	p. 208
Case Study: Pat Barker's Regeneration	p. 212
Case Study: Carol Ann Duffy's Poetry	p. 215
Further Reading	p. 218
Glossary of Terms	p. 219
References	p. 226
Index	p. 243
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.