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What is Literature, and Why Does It Matter?
This section brings together some resources from the across the Great Writers Inspire site to illustrate how these can be used as a starting point for exploration of or classroom discussion about the the questions 'What is Literature?', and 'Why Does It Matter?'.
The 'What is Literature, and Why Does It Matter?' essay introduces a series of topics and questions and gives examples of resources to explore. It is aimed at teachers, students and anyone who is interested in literature who wants to put text into context and be inspired by Great Writers. Read the essay
| # | Title | Description | Contributor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Are traditional texts always what they seem? Great Expectations pt2 (lecture) |
Video lecture by Simon Swift, University of Leeds and discussion board. In this second... |
Simon Swift |
| 2 | Are traditional texts always what they seem? Great Expectations pt1 (lecture) |
Video lecture by Simon Swift, University of Leeds and discussion board. |
Simon Swift |
| 3 | Beyond AC Bradley & FR Leavis: The critics & how to handle them pt2 |
Dr. Alaric Hall of the University of Leeds gives concrete advice for A-level students on how to... |
Alaric Hall |
| 4 | Beyond AC Bradley & FR Leavis: The critics & how to handle them pt1 |
Dr. Alaric Hall of the University of Leeds gives concrete advice for A-level students on how to... |
Alaric Hall |
| 5 | The concept of 'literariness' or 'the literary' pt2 |
Dr Katie Mullan and Professor Francis O'Gorman (University of Leeds) discuss the notion of the... |
Katie Mullan, Francis O'Gorman |
| 6 | The concept of 'literariness' or 'the literary' pt1 |
Dr Katie Mullan and Professor Francis O'Gorman (University of Leeds) discuss the notion of the... |
Katie Mullan, Francis O'Gorman |
| 7 | How words, form and structure create meaning: Women and writing (pt2) |
Video podcast and discussion board. |
Simon Swift |
| 8 | How words, form and structure create meaning: Women and writing (pt1) |
Video podcast and discussion forum. By Simon Swift, University of Leeds. |
Simon Swift |
| 9 | What is a Classic? English Graduate Conference 2012 Panel Debate, Talk 3 |
Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, draws on her experience as a trustee of the Booker Prize and as a... |
Helena Kennedy |
| 10 | What is a Classic? English Graduate Conference 2012 Panel Debate, Talk 2 |
Judith Luna, the Senior Commissioning Editor at Oxford World's Classics, draws on her... |
Judith Luna |
| 11 | What is a Classic? English Graduate Conference 2012 Panel Debate, Talk 1 |
Dr Ankhi Mukherjee, Wadham college, Oxford, speaks to the question 'What is a Classic?... |
Ankhi Mukherjee |
| 12 | Literature and Form 4: What is "Comparative Literature"? |
Dr Catherine Brown gives the fourth and final lecture in the Literature and Form lecture series... |
Catherine Brown |
| 13 | Literature and Form 3: Multiple Plotting |
Dr Catherine Brown gives the third lecture in the Literature and Form lecture series. Including... |
Catherine Brown |
| 14 | Literature and Form 2: Chapters |
Dr. Catherine Brown offers a series of talks introducing different writing forms and their use... |
Catherine Brown |
| 15 | Literature and Form 1: Unreliable Narrators |
Dr. Catherine Brown offers a series introducing different writing forms and their use in great... |
Catherine Brown |
| 16 | What is a Great Writer? An academic panel discusses the question. |
In this panel discussion from the Great Writers Inspire Engage Event workshop, Dr Seamus Perry,... |
Seamus Perry, Margaret Kean, Peter McDonald, Ankhi Mukherjee, Rebecca Beasley |
| # | Title | Description | Contributor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Why should we study the humanities? |
For those wanting a further challenge, Professor Helen Small of Pembroke College, Oxford,... |
Helen Small, Ilana Lassman |
| 2 | Why should we study Johnson? |
Professor Ros Ballaster of Mansfield College, Oxford, discusses her current research and... |
Ros Ballaster, Sarah Wilkin |
| 3 | Why should we study Postcolonial Literature? |
Professor Elleke Boehmer of Wolfson College, Oxford, discusses her current research and proposes... |
Elleke Boehmer, Sarah Wilkin |
| 4 | Why should we study Chaucer? |
Dr Laura Ashe of Worcester College, Oxford, discusses her current research and proposes why we... |
Laura Ashe, Ilana Lassman |
| 5 | Why should we study Shakespeare? |
Dr Emma Smith of Hertford College, Oxford, discusses her current research and proposes why we... |
Emma Smith, Ilana Lassman |
| 6 | Why should we study Dickens? |
Dr Robert Douglas-Fairhurst of Magdalen College, Oxford, discusses his current research and... |
Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, Ilana Lassman |
| 7 | Great Writers Inspire Great Writing |
Alex Pryce considers how writers are readers, influenced and inspired by the works of other... |
Alex Pryce |
| 8 | What is a Classic? English Graduate Conference 2012 Panel Debate, Talk 3 |
Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, draws on her experience as a trustee of the Booker Prize and as a... |
Helena Kennedy |
| 9 | What is a Classic? English Graduate Conference 2012 Panel Debate, Talk 2 |
Judith Luna, the Senior Commissioning Editor at Oxford World's Classics, draws on her... |
Judith Luna |
| 10 | What is a Classic? English Graduate Conference 2012 Panel Debate, Talk 1 |
Dr Ankhi Mukherjee, Wadham college, Oxford, speaks to the question 'What is a Classic?... |
Ankhi Mukherjee |
| 11 | Literature and Form 4: What is "Comparative Literature"? |
Dr Catherine Brown gives the fourth and final lecture in the Literature and Form lecture series... |
Catherine Brown |
| 12 | Literature and Form 3: Multiple Plotting |
Dr Catherine Brown gives the third lecture in the Literature and Form lecture series. Including... |
Catherine Brown |
| 13 | Literature and Form 2: Chapters |
Dr. Catherine Brown offers a series of talks introducing different writing forms and their use... |
Catherine Brown |
| 14 | Literature and Form 1: Unreliable Narrators |
Dr. Catherine Brown offers a series introducing different writing forms and their use in great... |
Catherine Brown |
| 15 | What is a Great Writer? An academic panel discussion. |
In this panel discussion from the Great Writers Inspire Engage Event workshop, Dr Seamus Perry,... |
Seamus Perry, Margaret Kean, Peter McDonald, Ankhi Mukherjee, Rebecca Beasley |
| # | Resource Title | Description | Contributor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The future of books (article) |
The book publishing industry has gone through more change during the past few decades than in... |
John Thompson |
| 2 | Introduction to Theory of Literature (course) |
This is a survey of the main trends in twentieth-century literary theory. Lectures will provide... |
Paul Fry |