Contents

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Preface to the Second Edition vii
4. Section I – Introductory
5. 1 What is Literature? 1
6. 2 English Literary Studies: Origins and Nature 16
7. 3 Kinds of Literature 25
8. Section II – Poetry
9. 4 Poetry: An Introduction 37
10. 5 Metre and Rhythm 47
11. 6 Verse Forms 57
12. 7 Poetic Imagery 67
13. 8 Poetry and History 78
14. 9 Vernacular Poetry 88
15. Section III – Narrative
16. 10 Genre and Form: The Short Story 101
17. 11 Narrative Language 110
18. 12 Narrative Structure and Technique 120
19. 13 Constructing Character 129
20. 14 Narrative, Society and History 139
21. 15 Life Writing 148
22. Section IV – Drama
23. 16 Introducing Drama 161
24. 17 Text and Performance 171
25. 18 Tragedy 180
26. 19 Comedy 189
27. 20 History and Politics 199
28. 21 Sex, Gender and Performance 208
29. Section V – Reading, Writing, Reflecting
30. 22 Reading 223
31. 23 Writing an Essay 228
32. 24 Reflecting 234
33. Works Cited 239
34. Notes on Contributors 249
35. Index 254