Is the study of English literature passé, an archaic and irrelevant relic of an oppressive colonial society? As a professor of English at the University of Warrick, the author might be expected to argue for preserving English departments; but this work is more complex than that. Docherty is alarmed by the trend for universities to be governed by political and economic forces, and he wants them to evolve into places where controversy can thrive. He uses the study of English as an example but is really speaking about all departments, including the sciences. Many of his comments apply to the educational system of Great Britain, but the same struggle between teachers and administrators exists in the United States. After a look at the university over the past 300 years, he moves on to point out recent changes and the outside forces causing them, and lastly suggests improvements, both in the way English literature is taught and in the university as a whole. He quotes liberally from poets, novelists, statesmen and theorists to substantiate his proposal. Distributed in the US by ISBS. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)