Doing English examines the evolution of English as a subject and questions the assumptions that lie behind approaches to literature. The author deals with the exciting new ideas and contentious debates that inform English education today, covering a range of issues from critical approaches to value, the canon and Shakespeare, to cultural heritage and national identity and on to the future of English. In response to requests from readers, this fully revised second edition includes a new chapter on narrative. This volume is an essential purchase for all those planning to 'do English' at degree level.