AuthorHouse in conjunction with Oxface Publications is pleased to announce publication of the above book, which we hope will be of interest to you.
About the book: As 'the English Athens', Oxford has long been seen as central to England's intellectual life. For over six centuries the city has been lauded, slighted, and cited in the pages of English literature. While it has been hailed as the embodiment of excellence, beauty and truth on the one hand, it has also been attacked for its elitism, insularity and traditionalism on the other. Oxford in English Literature provides an overview of these literary representations, ranging from Chaucer's account of medieval students to modern-day detective stories. The book is aimed at the general reader and is free of specialist jargon or theory. The original publication, which came out in hardback in the US in 1999, was well received, since which time the book has been extensively revised. The present paperback constitutes a completely new UK edition.
Contents include the Middle Ages; Renaissance and Royalist Oxford; the Oxford Novel; the Oxford Myth; and modern writings from Hardy to detective novels. Chaucer's Clerk, Alice in Wonderland, Brideshead Revisited, Oscar Wilde, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Inspector Morse and Philip Pullman are just some of the works and writers featured.
Response to the original publication: 'an elegantly written, solidly researched romp through the past millennium of Oxford history... Mr. Dougill wears his learning lightly and tells many delightful stories.' Martin Sieff, Washington Post
'skilful summaries and well-chosen quotations... The book has few weaknesses.' Alan T. Mckenzie in Modern Fiction Studies
'This engaging book goes further than any predecessor in telling the history of the university from the memoirs, novels, poems, and other writings of the past millennium...' T.J. Schaeper, Choice: Reviews for Libraries
'John Dougill's thoroughly readable Oxford in English Literature...' Ted Tapper and David Palfreyman in Oxford and the Decline of the Collegiate Tradition (Woburn Education Series)
About the author: John Dougill did a postgraduate course at Queen's College, Oxford, and lived for seven years in the city. He holds a PhD in English Literature and is currently a professor of British Culture at Ryukoku University in Kyoto, Japan. According to Jan Morris, Kyoto is the only city in the world that compares to Oxford, and the distance involved has enabled him to see it in a different light. He has long been fascinated by the spirit of place and has written two popular guides, Oxford's Famous Faces and Oxford: A Literary Guide as well as co-authoring Pubs of Oxford and Oxfordshire. He has also written a cultural history of Kyoto with a foreword by leading Japanologist, Donald Richie, and is currently working on a book about the Hidden Christians of Japan. His hobbies include chess, haiku and visiting Shinto shrines.
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