Games for English Literature

The games in this book are designed to be adaptableto different levels of study of English Literature. Some are more likely toappeal more to ‘A’ level students than to undergraduates, and vice versa. Theydraw on a common stock of materials that can be bought and adapted at littlecost, and in some cases they map directly onto the kind of questions thattypically get asked when students face assessment. Many of the games can beplayed without a teacher being present, although many also assume that someonewill be there to draw together threads of discussion. If nothing else, thesegames are a great way of overcoming that horrible problem, the wall of silencethat confronts every teacher of literature at some stage in his or her career.

Thegames are divided into different categories, reflecting the way literaturestudents have to move between detailed analysis and general evaluation. Theystart small, with games about words and images, and build towards the morechallenging theoretical topics students might encounter in the study ofliterary theory. Overall, this book is conceived as a provocation, not anencyclopaedia. If the result is that readers go away and dream up more andbetter games to play with students of literature, history, sociology, law, or anyother discipline involving the close study and theorization of texts, it willhave served its purpose. So, a little creative ingenuity and willingnessto experiment are all it takes to break out of the confines of routine andinject a little variety into your classroom. All that remains is to be said is‘Let the games begin’.