The holdings of the Darton Collection, a special library of children's books published in England before 1850, are discussed. The collection, housed at Columbia University in New York City, includes childrens' games and illustrations as well as books. (PP)

The author argues that ambiguity in language plays an important part in moral growth and that ambiguity constitutes a rich strand in English culture. Through criticism of some moral education materials, he asserts that the context, rather than the language, of social interaction is often the key to interpreting communication. (Author/SJL)

Describes how a computerized environment supplemented traditional undergraduate courses in English literature and composition at the University of Florida, and was developed with a grant from IBM. Highlights include the use of MOO (multi-user, object-oriented) space; student assignments; the client-server setting; and student and teacher…

Compares characterization in Western and African novels. Observes that the characters in African novels are principally mediums for exposing the sociopolitical situation. (FMW)

Posits that the 1990 publication of the New Revised Standard Version of the BIBLE offers a teaching opportunity for public schools, especially in social studies and literature. Points out that new knowledge about ancient texts generated by biblical scholarship and changes in the English language necessitated creating a new standard text. (CH)

Responds critically to Ward Elliott and Robert Valenza's computerized stylometric analyses of Shakespeare plays and purported Shakespearean materials. Argues that the Elliott-Valenza tests are deeply flawed, both in their design and execution. Claims that inconvenient data were ignored, control samples not identified, and unwarranted assumptions…

Considers what it means to be a teacher of literature. Looks at the ways Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) students develop as teachers of literature, drawing on the author's personal experiences of working with PGCE students in school and at university. (PA)

The author of this article recounts his experience of teaching English literature at Plymouth High School. The course description was simple and straightforward--Semester 1: historical survey of English literature up to Wordsworth; Semester 2: historical survey from Wordsworth to the present. Evaluation will include tests, essays, and a research…

Romanticism's valuing of love and the life of the imagination, combined with its belief in human potential taken heroically to and beyond its limits, provides a way of addressing differently and fruitfully certain issues to do with pedagogy in schools, making in particular better sense of what it means to be an effective teacher and a productive…

Intended as an accessible resource for students researching Great Britain's greatest literary figures, this collection of essays about Charles Dickens's (1812-1870) work contains an in-depth biography and essays taken from a wide variety of sources. The essays are edited to accommodate the reading and comprehension levels of young adults; each…

This handout is a guide to library resources in the J. Murrey Atkins Library at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte for the study of the 19th-century American authors Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville. The guide details resources in Atkins library for biographical and critical material on the two authors. The guide is in four…

This report describes a computer-assisted instructional application created on a Macintosh computer using HyperCard software. The instructional program is aimed at those who teach college-level English education courses and those who are planning a course on the use of technology in the English classroom. It is noted that the HyperCard software…

From the very first, textbook editions of Shakespeare have been, "badly edited, ineptly glossed, and inexcusably bowdlerized" (Levin, 1976). What is studied in schools is a version, or rather a "perversion" of Shakespeare controlled by narrow religious, sexual, racial, and social interests. A fear of laughter and cultural…

A study examined the content and approaches embodied in seven popular high school literature anthology series, grades 7 through 12. The seven series examined consisted of 42 volumes with 1989 copyrights, stratified by grade level and by series. All selections in all 42 volumes were analyzed to develop a portrait of the content of literature…

A comparison of literature examination procedures in North American and German universities shows the German "Staatsexamen" to be an outdated and elitist form of testing. Types of classroom, take-home and oral examinations are discussed. (CHK)