Introduction
Readers, writers and texts
CHAPTER 1 Why and how do we study language and literature?
CHAPTER 2 How are we affected by texts in various ways?
CHAPTER 3 In what ways is meaning discovered, constructed and expressed?
CHAPTER 4 How does language use vary amongst text types?
CHAPTER 5 How does the structure or style of a text affect meaning?
CHAPTER 6 How do texts both offer insights and challenges?
Time and space
CHAPTER 7 How important is cultural context to the production and reception of a text?
CHAPTER 8 How do we approach texts from different times and cultures to our own?
CHAPTER 9 To what extent do texts offer insight into another culture?
CHAPTER 10 How does the meaning and impact of a work change over time?
CHAPTER 11 How do texts engage with local and global issues?
CHAPTER 12 How does language represent social distinctions and identities?
Intertextuality: connecting texts
CHAPTER 13 How do texts adhere to and deviate from conventions associated with genre or text type?
CHAPTER 14 How do conventions evolve over time?
CHAPTER 15 In what ways can diverse texts share points of similarity?
CHAPTER 16 How valid is the notion of a ‘classic’ work?
CHAPTER 17 How can texts offer multiple perspectives of a single issue, topic or theme?
CHAPTER 18 In what ways can comparison and interpretation be transformative?
Glossary