An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory

Lively, original and highly readable, An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory is the essential guide to literary studies. Starting at `The Beginning` and concluding with `The End`, chapters range from the familiar, such as `Character`, `Narrative` and `The Author`, to the more unusual, such as `Secrets`, `Pleasure` and `Ghosts`. Now in its sixth edition, Bennett and Royle`s classic textbook successfully illuminates complex ideas by engaging directly with literary works, so that a reading of Jane Eyre opens up ways of thinking about racial difference, for example, while Chaucer, Monty Python and Hilary Mantel are all invoked in a discussion of literature and laughter. The sixth edition has been revised and updated throughout. In addition, four new chapters – `Literature`, `Loss`, `Human` and `Migrant` – engage with exciting recent developments in literary studies. As well as fully up-to-date further reading sections at the end of each chapter, the book contains a comprehensive bibliography and an invaluable glossary of key literary terms. A breath of fresh air in a field that can often seem dry and dauntingly theoretical, this book will open the reader`s eyes to the exhilarating possibilities of reading and studying literature.