A definitive introduction to the English language through the medium of English Literature. Through the use of illustrations from poetry, prose and drama, it offers a lively and accessible guide to concepts and techniques in English language.

Preface 1 Introduction: studying language and literature 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Why stylistics? 1.3 Register and ‘literary language’ 1.4 Using this book Suggestions for further reading 2 From shapes to words: exploring graphology and morphology in poetry 2.1 Introduction 2.2 The system of graphology 2.3 Morphemes and words 2.4.1 Using linguistic models for stylistic analysis 2.4.2 Extending the analysis: a workshop 2.5 Summary Suggestions for further reading 3 Words and meanings: an introduction to lexical semantics 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Words and meanings 3.3 Words and combinations 3.4 Techniques for stylistic analysis 3.5 Summary Suggestions for further reading 4 Exploring narrative style: patterns of cohesion in a short story 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Practical activity: reconstructing a short story 4.3 Results and discussion 4.4 Extending the analysis 4.5 Practical activity: creative writing 4.6 Summary Suggestions for further reading 5 Dialogue and drama: an introduction to discourse analysis 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Dialogue and discourse 5.3 Models for the analysis of discourse 5.4 Discourse analysis and drama dialogue 5.5 Summary Suggestions for further reading Afterword.