This comprehensive guide to the historical and cultural context of English literature covers the core periods of literature, and history, from the English Renaissance to the present. Peter Widdowson introduces and outlines key terms, concepts and developments and provides a series of timelines showing political, social, cultural and literary events for each year. Together, this indispensable reference work offers a concise history of Britain for literature students at all levels and provides readers with the context for any literary work from 1500 to 2000. The Palgrave Guide to English Literature and its Contexts, 1500-2000 - Overs a wide range of canonical British authors and works but also provides contextualising examples of works from other countries - Each chapter focuses on a key period in English Literature and History, gives a brief overview of that period, and defines the main terms and ideas of the age - Contains easy-to-follow timelines which may be viewed either horizontally or vertically, allowing readers to track a chronological history, or single out the developments and events of a specific year

Focusing on what it means to study English in higher education, this book guides students through key aspects of English Studies including major topics and approaches, subject-specific study skills and assessment, including seminar presentations, assignments, and exams. Peter Childs offers down-to-earth practical guidance on developing the skills needed to succeed and includes coverage of literature, language and creative writing. This is an essential introduction to English Studies for students beginning their studies at university or college and anyone considering taking a degree in English.

Studying English Literature and Language is unique in offering both an introduction and a companion for students taking English Literature and Language degrees. Combining the functions of study guide, critical dictionary and text anthology, this is a freshly recast version of the highly acclaimed The English Studies Book. This third edition features: fresh sections on the essential skills and study strategies needed to complete a degree in English—from close reading, research and referencing to full guidelines and tips on essay-writing, participating in seminars, presentations and revision an authoritative guide to the life skills, further study options and career pathways open to graduates of the subject updated introductions to the major theoretical positions and approaches taken by scholars in the field, from earlier twentieth century practical criticism to the latest global and ecological perspectives extensive entries on key terms such as ‘author, ‘genre’, ‘narrative’ and ‘translation’ widely current in debates across language, literature and culture coverage of both local and global varieties of the English language in a range of media and discourses, including news, advertising, text messaging, rap, pop and street art an expansive anthology representing genres and discourses from early elegy and novel to contemporary performance, flash fiction, including writers as diverse as Aphra Behn, Emily Dickinson, J.M. Coetzee, Angela Carter, Russell Hoban, Adrienne Rich and Arundhati Roy a comprehensive, regularly updated companion website supplying further information and activities, sample analyses and a wealth of stimulating and reliable links to further online resources. Studying English Literature and Language is a wide-ranging and invaluable reference for anyone interested in the study of English language, literature and culture.

The second edition of the book, with its emending and updated text, provides a glimpse into the English life and culture, starting from the middle ages to the twenty-first century. As the English life and culture are inextricably interwoven with the literary traditions of England and its myriad aspects, this study provides significant insights into the field of English literature and the contexts it emerges from. The text begins with a description of English life and culture from the Medieval period to the Renaissance. The author gives a masterly analysis of such subjects as Feudalism, Medieval Drama and literature, the Renaissance, the Reformation and most significantly, the Elizabethan Theatre. A new sub-section on 'Women Writers of the Renaissance' has been added to this chapter. Then, the text goes on to describe in detail about the Restoration Period and the Age of Reason. Besides, the book gives a wealth of information on important topics like Romanticism, the Industrial Revolution, Victorianism and Victorian literature. The text concludes with a chapter that deals on Modernism, Literature and Culture in the Postmodern World, and Aspects of Contemporary Culture and Society. In the last chapter, two sub-sections have been introduced on 'British Fiction in the Twenty-First Century' and 'Brexit'. What distinguishes the text is the provision of a Glossary at the end of each chapter, which gives not only the meaning and definition of the terms but also provides the entire cultural background and the history that these terms are associated with. Students of English literature—both undergraduate honours and postgraduate students—will find this book highly informative, enlightening, and refreshing in its style. In addition, all those who have an abiding interest in English life and culture will find reading this text a stimulating and rewarding experience TARGET AUDIENCE • BA (Hons.) English • MA English Literature/English

Literature as History presents a selection of specially commissioned essays by a range of key contemporary thinkers on the interdisciplinary study of literature and history. The unifying theme is the interrelationship between literary / cultural production and its historical moment. The essays in the collection are astute and exciting in terms of their engagement with ever-changing developments in critical and theoretical practice while retaining an invaluable focus on familiar and engaging texts and authors. The contributors offer a reappraisal of the nature of literary studies today, looking back over the thirty-five years of Peter Widdowson's career - a career which has coincided with the emergence of, challenges to, and reformulations of critical theory - and ask what the future holds, particularly for the interdisciplinary ways of working which Widdowson pioneered. Bringing together distinguished scholars in the interdisciplinary study of English and History, it seizes the opportunity to take stock of the current field of literary studies and to ask searching questions about its future development.

Gale Researcher Guide for: Writing in the Political and Spiritual Crucibles of the Sixteenth Century is selected from Gale's academic platform Gale Researcher. These study guides provide peer-reviewed articles that allow students early success in finding scholarly materials and to gain the confidence and vocabulary needed to pursue deeper research.

Through original essays from a distinguished team of international scholars and Hardy specialists, A Companion to Thomas Hardy provides a unique, one-volume resource, which encompasses all aspects of Hardy's major novels, short stories, and poetry Informed by the latest in scholarly, critical, and theoretical debates from some of the world's leading Hardy scholars Reveals groundbreaking insights through examinations of Hardy’s major novels, short stories, poetry, and drama Explores Hardy's work in the context of the major intellectual and socio-cultural currents of his time and assesses his legacy for subsequent writers

There is a queue, the phone is ringing, the photocopier has jammed and your enquirer is waiting for a response. You are stressed and you can feel the panic rising. Where do you go to find the information you need to answer the question promptly and accurately? Answering queries from users is one of the most important services undertaken by library and information staff. Yet it is also one of the most difficult, least understood subjects. There are still very few materials available to help frontline staff - often paraprofessional - develop their reader enquiry skills. This award-winning sourcebook is an essential guide to where to look to find the answers quickly. It is designed as a first point of reference for library and information practitioners, to be depended upon if they are unfamiliar with the subject of an enquiry - or wish to find out more. It is arranged in an easily searchable, fully cross-referenced A-Z list of around 150 of the subject areas most frequently handled at enquiry desks. Each subject entry lists the most important information sources and where to locate them, including printed and electronic sources, relevant websites and useful contacts for referral purposes. The authors use their extensive experience in reference work to offer useful tips, warn of potential pitfalls, and spotlight typical queries and how to tackle them. This new edition has been brought right up-to-date with all sources checked for currency and many new ones added. The searchability is enhanced by a comprehensive index to make those essential sources even easier to find - saving you valuable minutes! Readership: Offering quick and easy pointers to a multitude of information sources, this is an invaluable reference deskbook for all library and information staff in need of a speedy answer, in reference libraries, subject departments and other information units.

This book investigates how decolonising the curriculum might work in English studies — one of the fields that bears the most robust traces of its imperial and colonial roots — from the perspective of the semi-periphery of the academic world- system. It takes the University of Lisbon as a point of departure to explore broader questions of how the field can be rethought from within, through Anglophone (post)coloniality and an institutional location in a department of English, while also considering forces from without, as the arguments in this book issue from a specific, liminal positionality outside the Anglosphere. The first half of the book examines the critical practice of and the political push for decolonising the university and the curriculum, advancing existing scholarship with this focus on semi-peripheral perspectives. The second half comprises two theoretically-informed and classroom-oriented case studies of adaptation of the literary canon, a part of model syllabi that are designed to raise awareness of and encourage an understanding of a global, pluriversal literary history.