Books give an overview of your subject and provide information on core concepts and theories. They are a good starting point for your assignments.
Search the library catalogue for the books you need, or take a look at our recommendations for your subject.
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Use the library catalogue to find the books you need.
Check the status to see if the book is available or on loan.
If the book is available, make a note of the location and the shelfmark (where you will find the book on the shelves).
If the copies of the book you need are out on loan you can request a copy from the library.
Main shelfmarks for English Literature and Language
| 401.4 | Language and Languages |
| 401.41 | Discourse Analysis |
| 410 | Linguistics |
| 801 - 891 | Literature |
| 808 | Rhetoric |
| 808.3 | Creative Writing |
| 812 | American Drama |
| 821 | English Poetry |
| 822 | English Drama |
| 822.914 | Plays |
| 823 | Criticism and Interpretation |
These recommended books are available for you to borrow from the library.
Top Girls by
Marlene hosts a dinner part in a London restaurant to celebrate her promotion to managing director of 'Top Girls' employment agency. Her guests are five women from the past- Isabella Bird (1831- 1904), the adventurous traveller; Lady Nijo (b1258), the mediaeval Japanese courtesan who became a Buddhist nun and travelled on foot through Japan; Dull Gret, who as Dulle Griet in a Bruegel painting, led a crowd of women on a charge through hell; Pope Joan, the transvestite early female pope and last but not least Patient Griselda, and obedient wife out of Chaucer. As the evening continues we are involved with the stories of all five women and the more pressing dilemmas of Marlene herself. A classic of contemporary theatre, Churchill's play is seen as a benchmark for ushering a new generation of playwrights after it was premiered by the Royal Court in 1982. Top Girls has a combination of directness and complexity which keeps you both emotionally and intellectually alert. You can smell life, and at the same time feel locked in an argument with an agile and passionate mind. (John Peter, Sunday Times) This volume contains a chronology of the playwright's life and work; an introduction giving the background to the play; a discussion of the various interpretations, notes on individual words and phrases and photographs from stage productions.
Jane Eyre by
Introduction and Notes by Dr Sally Minogue, Canterbury Christ Church University College. Jane Eyre ranks as one of the greatest and most perennially popular works of English fiction. Although the poor but plucky heroine is outwardly of plain appearance, she possesses an indomitable spirit, a sharp wit and great courage. She is forced to battle against the exigencies of a cruel guardian, a harsh employer and a rigid social order. All of which circumscribe her life and position when she becomes governess to the daughter of the mysterious, sardonic and attractive Mr Rochester. However, there is great kindness and warmth in this epic love story, which is set against the magnificent backdrop of the Yorkshire moors. Ultimately the grand passion of Jane and Rochester is called upon to survive cruel revelation, loss and reunion, only to be confronted with tragedy.
King Lear by 
Fresh Apples by
Eleven wry and defiant stories on the power and beautiful transience of youth.
Frankenstein by
Obsessed by creating life itself, Victor Frankenstein plunders graveyards for the material to fashion a new being, which he shocks into life by electricity. But his botched creature, rejected by Frankenstein and denied human companionship, sets out to destroy his maker and all that he holds dear. Mary Shelley's chilling gothic tale was conceived when she was only eighteen, living with her lover Percy Shelley near Byron's villa on Lake Geneva. It would become the world's most famous work of horror fiction, and remains a devastating exploration of the limits of human creativity.
Watching the Fire-Eater by
A collection of essays covering a variety of subjects and locations. It includes a vivid series of attempts to strip away the exhausted mythologies of the writer's own country. Reprint; first published in 1992.
A Streetcar Named Desire by 
Once in a House on Fire by 
The Handmaid's Tale by King Lear by Frankenstein by
Obsessed by creating life itself, Victor Frankenstein plunders graveyards for the material to fashion a new being, which he shocks into life by electricity. But his botched creature, rejected by Frankenstein and denied human companionship, sets out to destroy his maker and all that he holds dear. Mary Shelley's chilling gothic tale was conceived when she was only eighteen, living with her lover Percy Shelley near Byron's villa on Lake Geneva. It would become the world's most famous work of horror fiction, and remains a devastating exploration of the limits of human creativity.
Great Expectations by 
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Much research has been done on the social messages conveyed to children reading or listening to fairy tales. In this highly original study, the emphasis shifts from content to linguistic expression. The language and linguistic organization of a dozen versions, old and new, of the Little Red Riding Hood story are analyzed using a variety of theoretical approaches, including Critical Discourse Analysis, Conversational Analysis, Functional Grammar and Critical Stylistics, to uncover the contribution of fairy tales to the discourse of gender relations over time.
Language and Power is widely recognised both as a classic and an essential introductory textbook to the field of Critical Discourse Analysis. It focusses on how language functions in maintaining and changing power relations in modern society, the ways of analysing language which can reveal these processes and how people can become more conscious of them, as well as, more able to resist and change them. In this twenty-fifth anniversary edition, Norman Fairclough includes a substantial new introduction and brings the discussion up-to-date. He shows both the importance of the book in the development of critical discourse analysis over the past three decades and how language and power relations have changed due to major socio-economic changes. It remains vital reading for all students of discourse analysis, critical discourse analysis and other related courses.
Language, Society and Poweris the essential introductory text for students studying language in a variety of social contexts. This book examines the ways in which language functions, how it influences thought and how it varies according to age, ethnicity, class and gender. It seeks to answer such questions as: How can a language reflect the status of children and older people? Do men and women talk differently? How can our use of language mark our ethnic identity? It also looks at language use in politics and the media and investigates how language affects and constructs our identities, exploring notions of correctness and attitudes towards language use.
Britain has lost the Falklands war, Margaret Thatcher battles Tony Benn for power and Alan Turing achieves a breakthrough in artificial intelligence. In a world not quite like this one, two lovers will be tested beyond their understanding. 'Machines Like Me' occurs in an alternative 1980s London. Charlie, drifting through life and dodging full-time employment, is in love with Miranda, a bright student who lives with a terrible secret. When Charlie comes into money, he buys Adam, one of the first batch of synthetic humans. With Miranda's assistance, he co-designs Adam's personality. This near-perfect human is beautiful, strong and clever - a love triangle soon forms. These three beings will confront a profound moral dilemma.
Critical introductions to a range of literary topics and genres. The gothic influence on modern writers such as Angela Carter, Iain Banks and Stephen King is vivid and great as is the effect on the world of film and rock music. Part of the function of this book is to offer some guidance: not in terms of a fixed or definitive set of Gothic characteristics, but rather in giving a framework for questions and explorations.
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