Understanding Literature

In this book, originally published in 1965, Mr Mayhead provided a companion to Professor Ludowyk's Understanding Shakespeare. It is an introduction to the reading and study of English literature: not an historical summary, but an attempt to say why literature is important, how it works, and how it can be approached, in the hope that this would lead to understanding and enjoyment as well as examination success. The first chapter treats literature as the source and guardian of the vitality of...