Anyone with a desire to learn more about English Literature can find it difficult to know where to start, but here is the perfect solution. David Rothwell's book is an idiosyncratic and light-hearted review of all that is great (and not so great) about the major figures of English Literature, and provides lucid and entertaining explanations of every literary form and technique. Free of pointless biographical detail, it concentrates on providing examples of prose and poetry that help to understand the essence of the work. With their total lack of any pretence of neutrality, you may not always agree with David Rothwell's views, but you can hardly fail to be informed and entertained by them.