Studying English Literature

1. Introduction: 1.1 What this book is about; 1.2 Some practicalities: how to use this book; 1.3 Reading and writing in your life; 1.4 A very brief history of writing and reading; 1.5 What do novels know?; 1.6 Literacy in contemporary society; 1.7 Stories, narrative and identity; Works cited; 2. Reading: 2.1 Writing as reading?; 2.2 A love of literature; 2.3 The discipline of English; 2.4 The new English student; 2.5 Plagiarism: too complete a loss of self; 2.6 How to read: ways of avoiding plagiarism; 2.7 What to read; 2.8 Some recommended websites; Works cited; 3. Argument: 3.1 Having something to say; 3.2 Rethinking dialogue: Mikhail Mikhailovitch Bakhtin (1895
1975); 3.3 Stories, arguments and democracy; 3.4 The folded paper: how to stand at a distance and start a dialogue with a text; 3.5 What is rhetoric?; 3.6 A very brief survey of Classical rhetoric; 3.7 Wayne Booth (1921
2005) and The Rhetoric of Fiction; 3.8 More ways of discovering arguments; Works cited; 4. Essays: 4.1 What are essays for?; 4.2 What is an essay?; 4.3 How do you think you write an essay?; 4.4 The stages of writing an essay; 4.5 Thinking of or about the question; 4.6 Research; 4.7 Making a plan; 4.8 The thesis statement; 4.9 Writing the main body of the essay; 4.10 Beginnings and endings; 4.11 Editing; 4.12 Finally, a frequently asked question:
Is it OK to use ?
; Works cited; 5. Sentences: 5.1 The most common errors made in student assignments; 5.2 Errors involving clauses; 5.3 Errors involving commas; 5.4 Errors involving apostrophes; 5.5 Errors involving pronouns; 5.6 Errors involving verbs; 5.7 Errors involving words; Works cited; 6. References: 6.1 The MLA system; 6.2 Citations in the MLA style; 6.3 Quotations; 6.4 Bibliographies and works cited in the MLA style; Works cited; Appendi

Tory Young is Senior Lecturer in English at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge.

'An ideal course-book and companion. Full of practical tools and fresh insights, this is a book that not only shows how to read, research and write about English literature, it also explores why. Much more than a 'study skills' manual, it encourages a genuinely historical and theoretical grasp of the subject.' Professor Rob Pope, Oxford Brookes University 'I've nothing but praise for this book: it's clear, well-structured, intelligent and most welcome in that it is subject specific and speaks to the UK university system. This surpasses all current introductory guides to studying English Literature.' Dr Matthew Woodcock, University of East Anglia