Hey everyone,

does someone happen to know of a book that has the Old English texts and translations of them in it?
I have found some stuff online, but I need a reliable source.

Thanks!

Hi all. I'm starting to look at MA programs in Comparative Literature and trying to build a shortlist of ones that are genuinely well-funded, wherever they are in the world. Not tied to one country or continent, just want to hear what's actually worked out for people.

A bit about me if it helps narrow suggestions: I work across Vietnamese, German, and Russian, and I'm eventually aiming at a PhD.

Would love to hear about any programs (well-known or under-the-radar) where funding was solid in your experience — stipend + tuition waiver (i,e,. Dartmouth). Doesn't have to be exhaustive, even one good example helps. Thanks!

I've read that Milton restructured Paradise Lost from 10 books 12 and that sounds like a pretty substantial difference.

Is one version regarded as more authoritative, canonical, or influential than the other?

For context, the path that led me here is: an interest in 1960s counterculture -> the Beat Generation & 1950s writings about psychedelics (ie Aldous Huxley's The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell) -> William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell -> Paradise Lost; and so I figure I should read Milton and then Blake sooner rather than later.

Greetings,

for a literary project I'm pursuing I need to up my knowledge about the werewolf trope. Since when and why do people tell those stories about humans totally losing control and humanity while simultaneously gaining superhuman strength? Is it correct that in modern narratives the vampire is a much more refined, standardized trope? Is there a modern werewolf classic in literature ("modern" = roughly the last 150 years)? What's the gendered aspect about werewolves (most seem to be male)? Is there even any? Last but not least, and quite specifically, if you know about any tales of werewolves or other shapeshifting agents of chaos originating from southern France, especially the regions of Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrénées, or any modern works that incorporate them, please do tell me.

I'm very interested in any thoughts or recommendations of sources, primary or secondary and am very thankful vor any help.

I've been wanting to learn about William Blake's poems and paintings. Is there a video on him that teaches his life, how he was influenced to write his poems and draw his paintings, also analyze and explain what were his references, what he and the world went through at the time?

I always had a sense that a polyphonic novel necessarily was told from the point of view of multiple characters (first or third person) and then that the author is not using the characters to put forward a specific moral position or to obviously express an authorial opinion via the characters' dialogue/actions/role as metaphor.

I'm currently 3/4 of the way through reading Angel Down by Daniel Kraus, and noticed that the back of the book calls it a "polyphonic tale". The book has one point of view from the third person. I do think that the book meets the condition of not expressing authorial moral positions/opinions/etc.

Is there some other definition of polyphonic? Am I misunderstanding and there's some aspect that I don't remember? It's been quite some time since I got my lit degree and I unfortunately have not used it much since then.

Hi everyone!

I'll be joining the Department of English, University of Delhi for my M.A. in English very soon, and I want to make the most of the time before classes start.

I'd love to know from current students, seniors, or alumni:

What books or texts do you wish you had read before starting the course?

Are there any literary theory or criticism books I should be familiar with?

Which novels, plays, poems, or authors are essential?

Any academic skills (critical writing, research, MLA, etc.) that I should brush up on?

Are there any YouTube channels, lectures, or other resources you'd recommend?

I'm not looking to complete the entire syllabus beforehand—just want to build a solid foundation so the transition into the course is smoother.

Any advice, reading lists, or general tips about the Department of English would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance! 😊

Hey everyone I've been meaning to study english literature for a long time like understanding poetry, rhetoric and meaningful writing but I don't know where to begin without a formal course. So any paths strategies or direction to start as a self learner. Also English is my third language so there's that😭

Hey folks, currently in my BA program and im about to hand in a preliminary outline for a Paper i intend to write on the archetype of the "Mad Oracle" or in other words characters that seem in some way neurodivergent or even mentally ill, but as either a result or a coincidence have some sort of insight/gift that helps them process or see truths hidden to most people. I am struggling with coming up with a good research question for what exactly i want to do with the analyses of these characters. I suppose im most interested in what makes them such a recurring trope, to the point of it being a thing even in ancient greece (aristotle speaks of the "melancholy genius"). Is why is this so appealing "enough"?

I made a question related to this in [r/askspain](r/askspain) , I’ll leave translated fragments of the important parts here:

“A bit of context: I’m 17, and [im about to enter my last year of high school*]. I was born in Texas, to Mexican parents, so I’ve been able to learn both languages at the same time — however, I am better in Spanish.”

Anywho, in school I’ve been able to do good in the English courses: [I got a 5 in AP Literature.**]. This upcoming year I’ll be taking AP Spanish literature, the equivalent class for Spanish … I’m done with all English courses and this’ll be my first and last Spanish course.

My dream has always been to work with literature, however I began to think that by going to Galveston I could study to be a merchant-mariner with A&M, or any of the other academies. [I thought I could make some money, and keep a literary pursue for later.] However, I’ve spoken to those who’ve taken such path and my dreams have shattered. Now I’d like to see if maybe I could have some luck with my original idea of perusing literature.

[I think, because my readings and interest are in the Spanish language, I’d have better luck following it in a Spanish speaking country, and what better than Spain?**]

* I wrote in Spanish that I was going to go out from my last year of high school by accident, corrected it here!

** Summary of what I said in Spanish, I mentioned other things too.

I’m aware that it is competitive in almost all places, it not all, however — if it is not already asked weekly, in such case, I apologize —, how competitive is the field in your different country or location?

If bad, do y’all see this getting worst in the future with the increasing presence of artificial intelligence?

i can't read and analyze poems . i cant recognize Rhythm, metre , sonnet forms , metaphors , etc etc . i also can't recite them out loud like they might be meant to ( i think ) .

is there a book / video lecture series that can help me . thanks ???

Hello all!
I’m looking for some sources that can help me expand my view when interpreting literary texts. I want to connect the dots and understand which literary theory can apply to different texts. Is there any book recommendations that you can give me for this matter?

I’m going to keep this super brief because I’m kind of lost on this topic. I keep seeing “literary history” when discussing a period of time or someone’s expertise in a particular era. Is literary history the historical period through literature? Or is literary history historiography using literature (if those are the same thing, apologies). Thank you!

Title.

Everyone’s different, but I wanted to see what English graduate students and professors in this sub recommend.

One of my favourite things in uni were the few courses I was able to take that in-depth analysed single or a couple books. Shakespeare, Joyce, Melville, Hawthorne, substantial time was spent on single works deeply analysing them.

I'm well out of school and frequently live in places without much variety in the way of post-work life so I've gotten heavily back into reading and watching film. I really miss having more substantive analyses with books I'm reading and I'm wondering if there are any online courses, resources, books, etc. that you'd recommend to read alongside a main text? Not necessary any specific books. One offs or series or works, I'm interested in it all.

For the Wordsworth and Romantic scholars out there, what edition of the Prelude would you recommend? Penguin or Norton? For reference I am an English major undergraduate doing an independent paper on the sublime and ethics in Wordsworth.

I have recently become somewhat serious about going back to school. My college experience wasn't all that great, and I would love to study something more suited to good career opportunities/something I'm passionate about. MA or MFA in Literature or English seems good to me.

However, I have a full-time job that I like, that pays relatively well (remote IT work). How possible is it to keep your full-time job and get a Master's degree? Are night schools/low residency schools worth it? Has anyone left their stable job for a Master's degree and is willing to share their experience? Thank you!

I want to engage more deeply with my reading, fiction or otherwise, and was never really taught how to do that,

Although I do note what stand outs, I find it to be very surface level and I struggle to have meaningful conversations on books I’ve read or to contribute something new,

So I’m interested in knowing how you annotate, what questions you ask along the way, and if you keep any journals or make specific notes as you read.

I want to engage more deeply with my reading, fiction or otherwise, and was never really taught how to do that,

Although I do note what stand outs, I find it to be very surface level and I struggle to have meaningful conversations on books I’ve read or to contribute something new,

So I’m interested in knowing how you annotate, what questions you ask along the way, and if you keep any journals or make specific notes as you read.

I am a first-year English literature student, and I want to start studying the history of English literature, including its various periods and eras. How should I get started? Are there any books, YouTube channels, movies, or articles you can recommend? Additionally, how should I study a specific era, and what key elements should I highlight?