Martin Coyle

John Peck

A Brief History of English Literature provides a lively introductory guide to English literature from Beowulf to the present day. The authors write in their characteristically lucid style which enables the reader to engage fully with the narrative and easily understand the texts in relation to the social, political and cultural contexts in which they were written. A masterpiece of clarity and compression, this book is a must have for anyone interested in the history of literature from the British Isles.

A Brief History of English Literature

Aimed at students wishing to improve their writing skills, this guide deals with the key basics of grammar, punctuation and spelling while also showing students how to construct a sentence, how to build a paragraph and how to structure an essay. This third edition includes an expanded 'Spot the Mistake' section.

Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar

The Student's Guide to Writing

Literary Terms and Criticism

Tragic balance in Hamlet - Comedy of Hamlet - Poison, play and duel - Value of Hamlet - Verbal presence, conceptual absense - A heart cleft in twain - Women in Hamlet - Revenge in Hamlet - Power in Hamlet.

Hamlet

Nicholas Marsh

How to Begin Studying English Literature has established itself as one of the most successful and popular introductory student guides in the field. This fully revised and expanded third edition offers practical help and guidance. It shows the reader how to approach novels, plays and poems, and includes chapters on themes, characters, structure, style, irony and analysis. In addition, sections on writing essays, how to revise, and how to use the critics make this book an invaluable companion for anyone beginning to study English literature.

How to Begin Studying English Literature

Peter Garside

Malcolm Kelsall

This Encyclopedia is the most comprehensive guide yet both to the nature and content of literature, and to literary criticism. In ninety essays by leading international critics and scholars, the volume covers both traditional topics such as literature and history, poetry, drama and the novel, and also newer topics such as the production and reception of literature. Current critical ideas are clearly and provocatively discussed, while the volume's arrangement reflects in a dynamic way the rich diversity of contemporary thinking about literature. Each essay seeks to provide the reader with a clear sense of the full significance of its subject as well as guidance on further reading. An essential work of reference, The Encyclopedia of Literature and Criticism is a stimulating guide to the central preoccupations of contemporary critical thinking about literature. Special Features * Clearly written by scholars and critics of international standing for readers at all levels in many disciplines * In-depth essays covering all aspects, traditional and new, of literary studies past and present * Useful cross-references within the text, with full bibliographical references and suggestions for further reading * Single index of authors, terms, topics

Encyclopedia of Literature and Criticism

Dr John Peck

Feedback from users of the Student's Guide to Writing suggested that some students find it hard to make time to read a book from cover to cover, and need a quick, problem-solving approach to improving their writing. This is what is offered in Peck and Coyle's new book Write it Right. Write it Right offers advice in short 'modules' which target particular tasks (such as applications or essays) or common problems (like punctuation). It will be ideal for students who are short of time, but nevertheless want to improve their writing.

A Handbook for Students

Write it Right

Shows students how to make their writing effective and grammatically correct. Organised into mini units and easy to read, it deals with everyday tasks and problems. This second edition adds further guidance on common questions raised by students, for example 'When does one use italics and/or underlining?'

The Secrets of Effective Writing

This Columbia Critical Guide steers a clear path through the huge body of critical material onRichard II that has accrued over the past three centuries, elucidating the play's reception by audiences, critics, and scholars since its first production. Beginning with a discussion of early commentaries, the book presents and addresses the most significant critical arguments to give the reader a clear understanding of the ways in which each generation has sought to investRichard II with new meaning. The final section considers the radical new reading of Shakespeare's work provided by contemporary critics.

William Shakespeare, Richard II

Honorary Professorial Fellow Peter Garside

Professor of English Malcolm Kelsall, Professor

This new edition of an established text provides a succinct and up-to-date historical overview of the story of English literature. Focusing on how writing both reflects and challenges the periods in which it is produced, John Peck and Martin Coyle combine close readings of key texts with recent critical thinking on the interaction of literary works and culture. Providing a lively introductory guide to English literature from Beowulf to the present day, the authors write in their characteristically lucid and accessible style. A true masterpiece of clarity and compression, this is essential reading for undergraduate students coming across the vast areas of English literature for the first time and looking for a way of making critical sense of the texts being studied. In addition, the concise nature and narrative structure of this book makes it excellent reading for general readers. New to this Edition: - Revised chapter on twentieth century literature - Complete new chapter on twenty-first century literature - Updated Chronology and Further Reading section

This collection of essays is aimed at students who are working on The Merchant of Venice and who are looking for new ways of thinking about the play and new ways of thinking about their own practice as critics. The collection offers a spectrum of the more recent writings on the play, that open up its historical, cultural and political significance and serve to demonstrate some of the ways in which contemporary criticism is not only based upon critical theory but is also about the practice of criticism.

The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare

This new edition of an established text provides a lively, concise and up-to-date historical overview of the story of English literature. Focusing on how writing both reflects and challenges the periods in which it is produced, John Peck and Martin Coyle combine close readings of key texts with recent critical thinking on the interaction of literary works and culture. A Brief History of English Literature: • offers an engaging chronological narrative of all the main literary periods, from Anglo-Saxon times through to the present day • now features a new final chapter on twenty-first century literature and an updated Chronology and Further Reading section • places novels, poems, plays and other forms of writing in their social, political and cultural contexts • covers canonical and non-canonical texts. A true masterpiece of clarity and compression, this is essential reading for students of English Literature and general readers alike.

Literary Terms and Criticism has long been established as the best-selling guide to the study of English literature. It offers a comprehensive introduction to English poetry, drama and the novel, complete with practical advice and tips on how to analyse texts and how to make sense of the critical terms we employ in discussing literature. It is also the clearest and most useful of all guides to modern critical theory. There are entries on all aspects of critical thinking, ranging from traditional criticism through to postcolonialism and cultural materialism. This new edition also contains updated material, a revised further reading list and additional discussion of critical terms and approaches. In so doing, it remains the indispensable guide - providing you with the vital starting-point for whatever text you are studying, and giving you ideas you can draw on throughout your course.

No text has attracted more controversy over the centuries than Machiavelli's The Prince. Placed on the Index of Prohibited Books by the Catholic Church in 1599, The Prince nevertheless proved to be the means by which Machiavelli came to be known throughout Europe, establishing his name as a byword for the cunning and unscrupulous politician. Written as the medieval world was giving way to the new dynamic of renaissance capitalism, The Prince embodies a whole series of vital issues that affect our understanding of modern politics, including power and morality, history and human nature, language and meaning, gender and government. It is these issues which the essays in this volume debate and explore from a variety of perspectives, from the original responses to The Prince through to feminist and deconstructive approaches. The result is a volume packed with ideas and insights. With contributions by international scholars and critics, a chronological table and select bibliography, this is an essential guide for anyone studying Machiavelli.

Martin Coyle

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