Coward. It's a grave insult, likely to provoke anger, shame, even violence. But what exactly is cowardice? When terrorists are called cowards, does it mean the same as when the term is applied to soldiers? And what, if anything, does cowardice have to do with the rest of us? Bringing together sources from court-martial cases to literary and film classics such as Dante's Inferno, The Red Badge of Courage, and The Thin Red Line, Cowardice recounts the great harm that both cowards and the fear of seeming cowardly have done, and traces the idea of cowardice's power to its evolutionary roots. But Chris Walsh also shows that this power has faded, most dramatically on the battlefield. Misconduct that earlier might have been punished as cowardice has more recently often been treated medically, as an adverse reaction to trauma, and Walsh explores a parallel therapeutic shift that reaches beyond war, into the realms of politics, crime, philosophy, religion, and love. Yet, as Walsh indicates, the therapeutic has not altogether triumphed--contempt for cowardice endures, and he argues that such contempt can be a good thing. Courage attracts much more of our attention, but rigorously understanding cowardice may be more morally useful, for it requires us to think critically about our duties and our fears, and it helps us to act ethically when fear and duty conflict. Richly illustrated and filled with fascinating stories and insights, Cowardice is the first sustained analysis of a neglected but profound and pervasive feature of human experience.

Coward. It's a grave insult, likely to provoke anger, shame, even violence. But what exactly is cowardice? When terrorists are called cowards, does it mean the same as when the term is applied to soldiers? And what, if anything, does cowardice have to do with the rest of us? Bringing together sources from court-martial cases to literary and film classics such as Dante's "Inferno," "The Red Badge of Courage, "and "The Thin Red Line, Cowardice "recounts""the great harm that both cowards and the fear of seeming cowardly have done, and traces the idea of cowardice's power to its evolutionary roots. But Chris Walsh also shows that this power has faded, most dramatically on the battlefield. Misconduct that earlier might have been punished as cowardice has more recently often been treated medically, as an adverse reaction to trauma, and Walsh explores a parallel therapeutic shift that reaches beyond war, into the realms of politics, crime, philosophy, religion, and love.

Yet, as Walsh indicates, the therapeutic has not altogether triumphed--contempt for cowardice endures, and he argues that such contempt can be a good thing. Courage attracts much more of our attention, but rigorously understanding cowardice may be more morally useful, for it requires us to think critically about our duties and our fears, and it helps us to act ethically when fear and duty conflict.

Richly illustrated and filled with fascinating stories and insights, "Cowardice" is the first sustained analysis of a neglected but profound and pervasive feature of human experience.

Chris Walsh When Will They Ever Learn? Is the warmly funny and often poignant true story of a young man in his first teaching post as he wrestles with the final hurdle to fully qualified teaching status the probationary year. His arrival at Colne Valley High School in the West Riding of Yorkshire in August 1972 sets the scene for an unforgettable series of triumphs and disasters at the hands of a variety of pupils, colleagues, friends and the pretty local girl who walked unexpectedly into his life. 'This nicely titles book takes us along the first faltering steps of a newly trained teacher, from the job interview through to some well defined and memorable moments, as the new boy finds not just his feet but a love life too. We meet his splendid Irish Mrs Malaprop of a landlady, vigorous in her campaign to root out 'immorality' on her premises, and we witness the triumphs and embarrassments in the classroom battlefield. Gradually, a mixture of experience and cunning enables the young teacher to take command and even attract a kind of affection from his pupils, and you winder who has done most for the learning mentioned in the title.' Huddersfield Examiner 'When Will They Ever Learn? Is a highly engaging book reflecting a more innocent age, and the desire to keep turning pages is irresistible. One can open it at virtually any page and be drawn into the world that is evoked. It shows how chaotic things could be back then, how much was left up to the individual teachers, and leaves us with a chuckle and a warm feeling inside. It's quite an achievement.' Writer's Workshop

The Practice of Reading is a lucid and lively examination of the art of interpreting the novel in the context of recent developments in literary theory and criticism. Believing that reading is - or should be - a pleasurable, creative activity, the authors analyse a range of seven novels from the eighteenth century to the present, focusing upon the experiential dimensions of the reading process. What is the role of the reader? What happens when a novel is read? How far does meaning depend on the reader, and how far on the text? These and other related questions are explored in readings of novels as diverse as Tristram Shandy, Pride and Prejudice, Great Expectations, Daniel Deronda, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Beckett's Trilogy and Possession. In its insistence upon a return to the practice of close reading, the book represents a timely intervention in current literary debates. An accessible, informative and above all stimulating text for all university and college students of literature.