Research Methods for English Studies

by Gabriele Griffin (Editor)

Introduces readers to a wide range of research methods for use in English Studies With a revised Introduction and with all chapters revised to bring them completely up-to date, this new edition remains the leading guide to research methods for final-year undergraduates, postgraduates taking Masters degrees and PhDs students of 19 th - and 20 th -century Literary Studies. Written by a range of distinguished contributors, each chapter centres on one particular method, offering both concrete practical advice on how to utilise it and exploring some of the methodological issues that are involved in the use of the particular method. The chapters cover research methods familiar to English scholars such as textual analysis, as well as those less commonly explored such as visual and quantitative methods, which also contribute significantly to research in English Studies. Other approaches discussed include auto/biographical methods, discourse analysis, interviewing, archival methods, ethnographic methods, oral history, creative writing as a research method, and research using information and communication technologies (ICTS). Key

Genres: Academic, Nonfiction, Grad School, Reference

264 pages, Paperback

First published April 2, 2005

Reviews

[Kristin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh my gosh I struggled with this one. It was pulling teeth to get anything informative out of it, made all the more painful by having four weeks of assignments to deliver based on my understanding of the text.

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of a series, and not quite as useful as RESEARCH METHODS FOR HISTORY, but not without merit. This came out 20 years ago and was updated just over a decade ago, so some of the more technical material is out of date, but most of it holds. There are the usual explanations of archival research and the like before more specific sections on oral history, autobiography, discourse analysis and ethnography. The sections on interviewing and creative writing as research are some of the most novel areas featured here and worth a look. Given that this is a relatively short book it doesn't go into a huge amount of detail, but it serves as a useful primer for the topic and I found it readable and often engaging.

[Katheryn Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

As so many of the authors in this book recognise, research methods and methodologies are not talked about enough in English studies. Research Methods for English Studies is only an introduction, and can only cover a limited range of topics from a limited range of perspectives, but it's a good place to start. I found most of the chapters, even the ones that weren't directly relevant to my research interests, really interesting and somewhat useful. This book doesn't have all the answers, but if this is a topic you're thinking about, it's well worth a read.

[Nora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unsurprisingly, i still love research, and don't love absent teachers

[abhishek Chakraborty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should have been more focused on traditional research Methods