English in Practice: In Pursuit of English Studies

Fully revised and updated, this new edition of English in Practice aims to define or redefine our purposes for studying English. It is for all those who are about to embark on an English degree or are in the midst of completing one, and for those who want to re-engage with their reasons for teaching it.

Including five new chapters, English in Practice outlines key topics such as literary criticism and theory, English as language, online resources and advice on writing a dissertation. The book works through a series of fully developed examples rather than abstract exposition, encouraging student readers to think for themselves.

Aimed at all those who are taking English degrees or teaching them, English in Practice is a reflective overview of the discipline's core and why we study it. This book acts as a map for the terrain of English studies and can be used from pre-degree through to Masters level.

Peter Barry is Professor of English at Aberystwyth University, UK.

Part One: Studying English: Introduction: the value and appeal of English;
Reading the Lines;
Reading Between the Lines;
Reading Beyond the Lines;
New Genres in English;
English as Language;
English and Creative Writing;
The Essay; Part 2: Progressing in English:
Literary Criticism and Literary Theory;
Text as Text;
English and History;
English then and now;
Online and digital English;
The Dissertation;
Continuing your English to Masters Level
Index