Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
Students will find Barry's style clear, honest and informative. -
Times Higher Education SupplementI cannot imagine a better way for a student of English to start his or her studies than by reading English in Practice. The best thing about Peter Barry's book is that issues of fundamental importance are introduced by means of detailed examples, so that the student reader never need feel lost or out of his or her depth. But at the same time it is a book that forces the reader to think rather than merely to absorb facts and opinions. Lecturers who prescribe this book will surely find that they spend less time introducing basic issues and more time continuing and deepening an exploration that Barry has initiated so effectively. This is a book that will charge a student's intellectual batteries - and probably re-charge those of his or her lecturers. - Jeremy Hawthorn, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
The great strength of Peter Barry's English in Practice is its rare combination of common sense and personal, even idiosyncratic judgement as to the value of studying English. - Marjorie Perloff, Sadie Dernham Patek Professor Emirtus
Synopsis
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.
Synopsis
Fully revised and updated, this new edition of English in Practice continues to be an essential practical guide to studying English at University. 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.
The second edition now includes new chapters offering practical advice on writing undergraduate dissertations and on taking your studies beyond undergraduate level, as well as a thoroughly updated chapter on getting the most of out of online resources. Written by an experienced writer and teacher, the book also covers such topics as:
- Reading and interpretation
- English and Creative Writing
- Literary criticism and theory
- The English language
- Exploring historical contexts
- Constructing an essay
Including an annotated guide to further reading, English in Practice is an important resource for students keen to succeed in their study of English at University.
About the Author
Peter Barry is Professor of English at Aberystwyth University, UK. He is author of Literature in Contexts (2007) and Reading Poetry (2012).
Table of Contents
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