Assuming no prior knowledge, books in the Routledge English Language Introductions series offer an accessible overview of the subject, with activities, study questions, sample analyses, commentaries, and key readings – all in the same volume. The innovative and flexible 'two-dimensional' structure is built around four sections – introductions, development, exploration, and extension – which offer self-contained stages for study. Each topic can also be read across these sections, enabling the reader to build gradually on the knowledge gained. Stylistics:

- is a comprehensive introduction to literary stylistics
- covers the core areas, including register, dialect, vocabulary, grammar, sound and rhythm, speech and thought, narrative, dialogue, metaphor, and meaning
- draws on a range of literary texts, from Ernest Hemingway and D.H. Lawrence to Sylvia Plath, Roger McGough, and Irvine Welsh
- provides classic readings by the key names in the discipline, including Derek Attridge, Ronald Carter and Walter Nash, Roger Fowler, and Mick Short.