First published in 1983, Teaching the Text explores the issue of teaching and the question of theory and its relation to practice. The chapters reflect the reality of teaching in a university English department, both for teachers and students, making clear the criteria of teaching, not only through the variety of contributors and approaches but also through the range of different texts and subjects offered.

The subjects covered include Troilus and Cressida, Macbeth, The Duchess of Malfi, Milton's use of language, and William Collins' 'Ode to Evening'. There are essays on Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, on Emerson and Hawthorne, and on Dorothy Richardson's novels. Also discussed are Robert Musil's Törless, Sartre's La Nausée and the work of Gabriel García Márquez.