Living Literature

This bold and timely book challenges the recent and worrying decline of English Literature A Level and presents a set of cardinal principles that should underpin successful teaching and learning in the subject.Expert contributors make the case that English Literature at A Level is in danger of losing touch with its distinctive and living character as it has evolved over time and present a radical, democratic reaffirmation of the core principles of the subject. This reaffirmation underlines a commitment to textual knowledge and personal engagement in Literature.Living Literature: Sharing Meaning and Experience in the A Level Classroom begins by tracing the history of how English Literature A Level has reached its current state. It then offers thirteen fascinating personal reflections on the teaching of individual texts in the context of that situation, twelve from a range of teachers across the country at different points in their careers, and one from a recent student. It concludes with a joint statement on the rethinking that is essential if the subject is firmly to re-establish its own distinctive place in the curriculum.Teachers of English Literature at every stage of their career will find this an essential, urgent read, as will policy makers and researchers.

Richard Jacobs is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Brighton, UK. He has previously authored A Beginner’s Guide to Critical Reading (2001), Literature in Our Lives (2020), and Literature and the Critics (2022) all published by Routledge.Sean McEvoy is a fellow of Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge. His recent books include Shakespeare: The Basics (4th edition; 2024), and Theatrical Unrest: Ten Riots in the History of the Stage, 1601-2004 (2017) both published by Routledge.Martin Nichols was formerly Head of English at a Sixth Form College and is currently a Senior Examiner for one of the major examination boards