Summary:

Student Text Guides are written by experienced teachers and examiners for the specific needs of students of AS/A-level English Literature, whether attempting a coursework assignment or revising for an examination. They are the perfect accompaniment to the set text, providing invaluable background and exam advice.

This combination provides students with the opportunity to:
develop a deeper understanding of the text
form a more considered response to essay questions
strengthen your exam technique and improve your grades

Each guide comprises three sections:

an Introduction, which outlines the aims of the guide, the relevant exam board specifications and their Assessment Objectives, and offers a revision scheme with a suggested programme for using material in the guide

Content Guidance, which presents succinct and accessible coverage of key aspects of the text, including contexts, controversies and interpretations, glossaries and timelines, and sections on character, theme and symbol

Questions and Answers, which focus on various types of essay question and offer specimen plans and sample answers, together with mark schemes

• Succint and accessible coverage of all the key aspects of the set text, including contexts, interpretations and controversies
  

• Clear outline of the exam board specifications and their Assessment Objectives
  

• Invaluable Question and Answer section with various types of questions, plans, mark schemes and answers
  

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Aims of the guide
Assessment Objectives
Writing examination essays
Text guidance
Contexts
Biographical details
America before the Great War
Postwar America
New York City
Literary contexts
Critical history
Chapter summaries and notes
Characters
The narrative voice: Nick Carraway
Jay Gatsby: man and myth
‘The trouble with Daisy’
The other women
Who killed Gatsby?
Plotting events before spring 1922
Plotting the narrative
Structure
Narrative technique
Stylistic variety
Symbolism
East and West
Imagery
The Jazz Age
Themes
Author’s comments
Selected literary criticism
Useful quotations
Literary terms and concepts
Glossary
Questions and Answers
Essay questions, specimen plans and notes
Sample essays
Further study

About the Author(s):
Anne Crow has taught A-level English literature for more than 30 years, and is an experienced examiner. She also writes regularly for The English Review, also published by Phiip Allan Updates.