Teaching English Language and Literature 16-19

"This book is an excellent addition to any English teacher's bookshelf. Its informative introduction provides a very engaging overview of historical approaches to English teaching, successfully persuading readers of the importance of stylistics and offering a strong platform for the chapters that follow. Chapters all share good practice, offer practical steps to take in lessons and helpfully follow a teacher's train of thought regarding teacher and student tasks.

The book acts as a great support and coach for practitioners, experienced or otherwise. Some chapters are must-reads and, where others explore more challenging concepts, you are carefully guided by relatable and reliable authors. Crucially, it offers very clear, practical teaching of language and demonstrates how to put it into action in analytical and creative tasks that students will find engaging. It is, however, more than a 'how to teach this book' guide. Each short and accessible chapter provides rigorous academic and pedagogical context. The reader is left educated and feels reassured.

Notably, this book gives welcome time and space to unpacking and exploring some of the key introductory ideas to be found in current textbooks. This text is a very different next step on from that and will be welcomed by teachers who might be overwhelmed by the idea of teaching literature through language, or who seek fresh thinking on approaches to familiar literary texts." - Nick King, King George V College, Southport, UK

"This fascinating collection of essays seeks to bridge what Giovanelli describes as 'the lang-lit problem' in the teaching of English. It traces some of the historical routes of this dichotomy, arguing that stylistics can bring an extra dimension to the teaching of texts and students' understanding of them. These approaches are exemplified through practical examples from a diverse range of texts including The Kite Runner, Frankenstein, The Great Gatsby, A Streetcar Named Desire and an assortment of poetry. Thoughtful and dynamic, this is a great starting point for any teacher of English at A-level." - Rachel Roberts, University of Reading, UK

"In 1921, Sir Henry Newbolt wrote that a university School of English should comprise both language and literature. Yet today university English is usually defined as English Literature, while language study in schools is often subsidiary to the study of literary works. This book outlines the historical development of this compartmentalisation and shows how integrated study could offer students a much richer and more useful experience by revealing the grammar of the literary and non-literary text. Fifteen case studies by practitioners in post-16 English education demonstrate how this can be done. It will be of enormous interest and help to teachers of English at every level."  - John Hodgson, University of the West of England, UK