What does university study of English Literature involve today? How should students read literary texts? Answers to these questions have substantially changed and developed over recent decades, often in response to advances in literary theory. In the light of this and other recent developments, the Edinburgh Introduction provides a new, updated guide for students beginning their study of literature today. Recent developments in theory are explained throughout, but they are not the only focus of attention. Instead, the emphasis is on clear, pragmatic explanation of critical practices, and of literary forms, styles and techniques. These explanations are carefully illustrated through examples taken from readily-available works - usually ones included in the Norton or other major anthologies. Each chapter is written by an experienced academic and teacher from Edinburgh University's Department of English Literature, recently reaffirmed as one of the best in the United Kingdom. The result is an unbeatable resource for new students: a well-stocked toolbox, offering foundational introductions to ways literary texts can be approached, and to the critical, formal and historical understanding this requires. New students will find essential insights on every page, guiding their understanding for years to come and thoroughly opening up for them all the imaginative promise of literary study. Key Features: * An up-to-the minute foundational guide for new students * Comprehensive range of literary forms, styles and critical strategies introduced * Careful exemplification, demonstrating reading strategies at work * Based on successful introductory courses in one of the UK's leading university literature departments * The texts discussed in the book generally appear in the Norton Anthology of English Literature