One of a series of works aimed at presenting contemporary critical opinion on major authors, this collection includes essays by Dorothy Van Ghent, Marvin Mudrick, Mark Schorer, Harry T. Moore, Julian Moynahan, Monroe Engel, Graham Hough, Mark Spilka, W. D. Snodgrass, V. de S. Pinto, Arthur E. Waterman, Richard Foster, and Raymond Williams--all…

Part I (in English) introduces the drama "Lear," its author and his previous works. Part II (in German) offers suggestions for teaching the material, both as to foreign language instruction and as to content. Part III (in German) offers approaches to interpretation. (Text is in German and English.) (IFS/WGA)

Contributors offer suggestions for teaching "David Copperfield," a vocabulary unit built around the theme of love, and a vocabulary guessing game. (HOD)

Immediately popular when published over a century and a half ago, the novel "Jane Eyre" has continued to find appreciative audiences ever since. This student casebook offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Charlotte Bronte's landmark novel. While the casebook gives literary analysis, it also contextualizes the novel in…

More than 100 years after being written, "Great Expectations" is still one of the most widely studied works of fiction. This casebook of historical documents, collateral readings and essays brings to life both Charles Dickens' masterpiece and the social issues surrounding his work. The interdisciplinary approach in the casebook offers…

A seemingly simple tale of schoolboys marooned on an island, the novel "Lord of the Flies" is an enigmatic and provocative piece of literature. This casebook probes the many layers of meaning in the novel, examining its literary, philosophical, historical, scientific, and religious significance. The casebook integrates analysis and…

This lesson introduces students to one of the most admired characterizations in Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales," the Wife of Bath. Students read Chaucer's description of the Wife in the "General Prologue" to consider how he represents her, both as the poet of "The Canterbury Tales" and as a character in his own poem,…

Describes a method for giving a final examination in a British Literature class by having students write a paper using an original approach based on the works studied during the semester. Provides four possible approaches and includes an example written by a student. (TJ)

Draws on a report produced by the Suffolk schools concerning the factors that seem to underlie success at "A" level English literature at six schools. Suggests that the factors of greatest significance were the subject expertise and commitment of staff; the balance of teaching methods used; and the pupil's experience of a challenging…

An experimental group studied Macbeth in an independent, constructivist setting using multimedia; the control group studied traditionally. Eleven of 23 experimental students and 2 of 21 in the traditional class failed. In an experiment with Hamlet, the results were reversed. Students were most successful when the teacher was actively involved,…

Describes the results of a study in which 32 English teachers were requested to identify passages of verse disguised as prose. Analyzes which features enabled the readers to recognize the poetry passages. (KEH)

Questions whether English literature should be retired from the two-year college curriculum or, at the very least, altered. Contends that the time has come to require the English literature course as prerequisite to college entrance and eliminate it from the first two years of college study. (MS)

Designed for young adults, this book on William Shakespeare's tragedies is one of an anthology series providing accessible resources for students researching great literary lives and works. Contributing writers' essays in the book are taken from a wide variety of sources and are edited to accommodate the reading and comprehension levels of young…

A senior English course at Padua Academy (Delaware) is going to be taught through an interdisciplinary approach that involves as many faculty members as possible, stresses the teaching of the writing process, and reinforces the concept that writing is not just for the English class. Speaker presentations by members of other departments will be…

One of a series of works aimed at presenting contemporary critical opinion on major authors, this collection includes essays by Alfred Harbage, H. B. Charlton, Willard Farnham, H. T. Price, Donald A. Stauffer, Brents Stirling, Maynard Mack, Helen Gardner, C. S. Lewis, Alvin Kernan, Bernard Spivack, L. C. Knights, Francis Fergusson, G. Wilson…