An Introduction to Literary Studies

In this volume, Mario Klarer provides the essential beginner's guide to English literary studies. Offering a concise, easy-to-understand discussion of central issues in the study of literary texts, looking at:

    * definitions of key terms such as 'literature' and 'text'
    * major genres, such as fiction, poetry, drama and film
    * periods and classifications of literature
    * theoretical approaches to texts
    * the use of secondary resources
    * guidelines for writing research essays.

Klarer has fully updated the highly successful first edition to provide greater guidance for online research and to reflect recent changes to MLA guidelines for referencing and quoting sources. He concludes with suggestions for further reading and an extensive glossary of important literary and cinematic terms.

Table of Contents
1. What is Literature, What is a Text? 2. Major Genres in Textual Studies 1. Fiction 2. Poetry 3. Drama 4. Film 3. Periods of English Literature (Old-English, Middle-English, Renaissance, Eighteenth Century, Puritan Age, Romanticism, Transcendentalism, Realism and Naturalism, Modernism, Postmodernism, Feminist and 'Minority' Literatures, New Literatures in English) 4. Theoretical Approaches to Literature 1. Text-Oriented Approaches 2. Author-Oriented Approaches 3. Reader-Oriented Approaches 4. Context-Oriented Approaches 5. Literary Critique and Evaluation 5. Where and How to Find Secondary Literature 6. How to Write a Scholarly Paper 7. Suggestions for Further Reading 8. Glossary of Literature and Cinematographic Terms Notes Author and Title Index Subject Index