Author argues that the examination of old strains in new ballads should be the starting point in teaching the Tudor-Stuart period in literature and discusses various approaches to teaching the ballad. (MM)

Along with pioneering thrusts into new thematic territory for children's literature has come experimentation in form, style, and technique, even more marked in the field of illustration than in verbal narrative. This article serves as an introduction to contributions by English, French and American experts on children's literature. (Author/SJ)

Shaw's preoccupation with Hamlet resonates in his creative writing. Article documents this statement not only by examining his novels and plays but by searching through prefaces, postscripts, reviews, letters, speeches, etc. that span Shaw's lifetime. (Author/RB)

Discusses the relevance of two Lewis Carroll novels to the lives of 20th century adolescents when interpreted as satiric views of adulthood and society. (RD)

Notes that the brief but crucial appearances of Prince Escalus in "Romeo and Juliet" offer a key to the understanding of how plot proceeds in any dramatic or comedic work. (FL)

Addresses the question of what graduate students should know about fields of English in which they are not specializing. Finds the best answer is to teach "the classics." Illustrates with the example of a course on "The Faerie Queene" and "Paradise Lost," to show students how to work with texts and what can be…

Historicism critiques cultural history and cultural materialism as a methodology for literary analysis. Questions the finality of interpretation, how original values change, and whether dramatic history implies actual history. Using Shakespearean plays, analyzes the power and politics of a play in relation to its audience; posits that cultural…

Discusses how films of Shakespeare's plays can be used to teach literary analysis in the classroom and to nurture an interest in Shakespeare. Suggests some books for teachers which specifically address Shakespeare and film. (PRA)

It is general knowledge that John Milton, when he came to Cambridge, chose not to proceed into the official ministry of the church, but to dedicate his life instead to the calling of literature. If, indeed, Milton rejected the official ministry of the church, after completing the education leading to it, choosing to teach through poetry rather…

John Milton presented a wide spectrum of materials and ideas illuminating the literary landscape like a rainbow which critics and authors have been discussing for centuries. One example of the multiple layers of meaning in Milton's poems is found in Sonnet XIX, which can be useful for both forensic discussion as well as for composition…

The social and literary representation of the unmarried woman of "a certain age"--the spinster--provides a convenient focus for observing the overall progress of all women in English life. As the single woman's stature increased in the esteem of her culture, English writers began to reflect the changing social attitudes by depicting her in ever…

One of a series of works aimed at presenting contemporary critical opinion on major authors, this collection includes essays by Arthur Mizener, Wyndham Lewis, Hugh Kenner, R. P. Blackmur, Elizabeth Sewell, S. Musgrove, George L. K. Morris, F. R. Leavis, D. W. Harding, Allen Tate, Ezra Pound, William Empson, John Peter, Denis Donoghue, and Donald…

This book was developed to serve as a reference for criticisms of poems by British and American poets. Included are 2,862 criticisms of 1,150 poems by 285 poets. The books and articles indexed were selected on the basis of their availability in college and university libraries; most were written during the eleven-year period from 1960-1970. The…