Studying literature: The Essential Companion is a unique book. It is designed to accompany students of literature – whether on English, combined humanities or foreign-language degrees – throughout the whole of their studies. This is a one-stop reference for all the information they need, both on their subject and on the best way to go about studying it.

Combining a concise glossary of critical terms and theories, a guide to literary theorists and a study skills guide in one, the Companion is written with a real awareness of the needs of students today and blends academic rigour with essential practical information.

Section 1: Study guide – takes the student through reading a text, preparing for courses, getting the most out of seminars and lectures, making presentations, finding and using secondary material, writing essays, and taking exams
Section 2: Guide to the use of electronic media – offers advice on finding information on-line, downloading texts and criticism, joining web and email discussion groups and using n-line bibliographies
Section 3: Introduction to literary theories and approaches – provides a clear overview of the field of literary studies, cross-referenced with sections 4 and 5
Section 4: Glossary of literary and theoretical terms – helps students with the essential terminology for literary analysis
Section 5: Guide to theorists – provides concise biographical and critical profiles of the key modern theorists in literary studies

About the Author
Paul Goring is Senior Lecturer in English, Jeremy Hawthorn is Professor of English and Domhnall Mitchell is Professor of English, all at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Section 1: Guide to studying literature at university

• Introduction
• Getting organized
• Reading literary texts
• Literary criticism
• Writing essays

• Some introductory comments
• Electronic media: opening definitions
• Finding primary electronic information
• Issues of reliability
• Downloading literary texts
• Reading in the electronic age
• Searching and analyzing electronic texts
• Browsing the web
• Evaluating secondary sources
• Revising and editing electronically
• Documenting electronic media
• Safety measures

• Why theory?
• The theoretical object
• Types of theory
• Theory and method
• Formalisms
• The hermeneutic tradition
• Structuralism and its progeny
• Psychological and psychoanalytic theories
• Isms

• Glossary of literary and theoretical terms