Jacques Derrida (1930-2004) is the most prominent figure in contemporary philosophical and literary debate. He originates a trend-breaking theory of deconstruction. He opines the persistence in west European philosophical tradition of what he labels is logocentric metaphysics of presence. He argues that the different theories of philosophy, from…

This article looks at how four British-based poets born in the Caribbean exploit the rich language repertoire available to them in their work for children and young people. Following initial consideration of questions of definition and terminology, poetry collections by James Berry, John Agard, Grace Nichols and Valerie Bloom are discussed, with a…

For the past few decades, stylistics has emerged as a discipline that encompasses both literary criticism and linguistics. The integration of both disciplines opened many opportunities for English literature and language teachers to get creative in their teaching--by introducing the stylistic approach in their classrooms. However, in a typical…

For the past few decades, stylistics has emerged as a discipline that encompasses both literary criticism and linguistics. The integration of both disciplines opened many opportunities for English literature and language teachers to get creative in their teaching--by introducing the stylistic approach in their classrooms. However, in a typical…

This paper argues that people can be trained to use language to respond to varieties of literature with more discrimination and with more confidence than in the past. This is true first, because there are now studies which detail categories of response to literature; and second, because clinical psychiatrists and psychological counselors have…

Offers a rebuttal to an earlier article in which the author had argued that language use must not be distorted to serve political purposes. (HOD)

Contains a "polished" literary essay on Charles Dickens'"A Christmas Carol" that reviews the work's original reception and accounts for its success through a description of its best moments and language. (TB)

Applies chaos theory to J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy "The Lord of the Rings," to see order and patterns in a supposed chaotic world. Discusses how Tolkien's background as a philologist served as a foundation for the stories he created, and notes how language itself changes events and controls and dominates characters in the trilogy. (SR)

Reviews Mark Twain's "The Prince and the Pauper." Discusses Twain's use of realism and language in writing about life in London in 1547. (EL)

Uses Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of heteroglossia (the dialectal voices present in language) to describe the narrative discourse in Flannery O'Connor's novel "Wise Blood," and to explore the rhetorical effects of the novel and the values embodied in its language. (SR)

The author asserts that by integrating literature and language, students will gain deeper insights into both areas. (Author/LF)

Argues that the application of a linguistic framework to the study of literature provides a vocabulary with which certain features may be discussed, may communicate certain aspects of literary language to students, and offers a new venture to the study of literature. (HOD)

Assesses the writing style of a famous author of children's books, concluding that E.B. White's informal tone uses anaphora, simple sentences, doubling and redundancy, and mixes colloquial with standard English. Provides examples of his style, from 10 years old to maturity. (NKA)

Reacts to the essays in "Alice in Genderland," a publication of the National Association of Teachers of English, that are concerned with the ways in which society's sexually differentiated view of "normality" is mediated to children in schools. (HOD)

A linguistic analysis of a German short story examines the techniques which make it a powerful, outstanding story (namely the author's exploitation of the richness of German syntax and semantics) and demonstrates the general value of applying linguistic analysis to works of great literature. (CB)