How to Write Essays & Dissertations
A Guide for English Literature Students
By Nigel Fabb & Alan Durant
December 2005
Pearson Education
ISBN: 0582784557
184 pages, Illustrated
$37.50 Paper Original
The first book that literature students should read, this guide reveals the distinct set of skills, conventions and methods of essay and dissertation writing.
Taking students through the various stages of writing, from planning to final submission, it offers specific guidelines and a lively, detailed commentary on actual examples of student work at each stage.
Contents
Preface
1. Introduction
2. Writing on a prescribed topic
3. Devising your own topic
4. What markers want
5. Selecting primary and secondary texts
6. Getting help from reference works, online resources and your supervisor
7. The first draft
8. Developing your argument
9. Weighting different elements in your argument
10. The voice to write in
11. Revising an essay draft
12. Editing the beginning and ending
13. Incorporating other people's words into what you write
14. Mistakes in spelling, grammar and punctuation
15. Handing in
Features
• Enables students to take advantage of the conventions of essay writing, while allowing them to develop an individual writing style
• Provides general guidelines and practical suggestions
• Detailed commentary on extracts from actual student essays
• Short follow-up exercises at the end of each unit
• Special consideration of longer coursework projects and dissertations
• Designed to be read through as a whole and then kept as a practical reference tool
Author
Nigel Fabb is Professor of Literary Linguistics, an editor of Journal of Linguistics,
and Head of the Department of English Studies at University of Strathclyde.
Alan Durant is Professor of English Studies at Middlesex University London;
formerly head of the School of English, Cultural and Communication Studies
at Middlesex and Head of English at Goldsmiths College, University of London.
This is their third book for literature students and between them they have
written ten books on literature and linguistics. Their most recent successful
textbook is Ways of Reading (Routledge, 3rd edition).