Key papers in Literature and Literary Theory
Pofolia’s corpus holds 83 papers from the Literature and Literary Theory subfield (2012–2026). The list below starts with the most cited.
Most cited
Ranked by citation count. Because citations accumulate over time, this list naturally leans towards work published a few years ago; for where the field is now, see “recently added”.
Childhood and Society
Open MIND · 2026 · 11,316 citations
Erik Erikson's "Childhood and Society" introduced a groundbreaking theory of psychosocial development, positing that identity is shaped by eight distinct stages of psychosocial crises throughout life.
Translanguaging
Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks · 2013 · FWCI 140.66 · 3,533 citations
The concept of 'Translanguaging' offers a new perspective on language, bilingualism, and education, with the potential to reshape semiotic systems, speaker identities, and social structures.
In the Wake: On Blackness and Being
2016 · FWCI 874.91 · 3,265 citations
Christina Sharpe introduces the concept of the 'orthography of the wake' to analyze how the afterlives of slavery shape Black existence, revealing both persistent violence and emergent possibilities.
Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence
Multilingual Matters eBooks · 2020 · FWCI 615.05 · 3,251 citations
This revised edition of Michael Byram's 1997 book offers an updated framework for understanding, teaching, and assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC). It incorporates recent research and critiques to guide educators and curriculum developers.
Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence
Multilingual Matters eBooks · 2021 · FWCI 789.86 · 3,119 citations
This revised edition of Michael Byram's 1997 book updates his framework for Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) based on new research and critiques.
Jokes and their Relation to the Unconscious 1905
2024 · FWCI 258.47 · 2,868 citations
This abstract describes a newly updated translation of Sigmund Freud's complete psychological works, aiming to clarify ambiguities and incorporate previously excluded writings.
An Introduction to Second Language Acquisition Research
2014 · FWCI 227.19 · 2,201 citations
This book synthesizes empirical findings on second and foreign language learning in children and adults, focusing on research design and execution.
Teaching and Researching: Autonomy in Language Learning
2013 · FWCI 202.25 · 2,073 citations
This revised edition of 'Teaching and Researching Autonomy' offers a comprehensive critical account of autonomy in language learning, updated to include new technologies and teacher autonomy.
Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching
Cambridge University Press eBooks · 2014 · FWCI 102.17 · 1,849 citations
This revised edition of a successful textbook surveys major and alternative language teaching approaches and methods, updating coverage of communicative approaches and introducing new material on CLIL, text/genre-based teaching, and outcomes-based initiatives.
The Colonizer and the Colonized
2013 · FWCI 145.22 · 1,846 citations
This abstract outlines the structure of a 1965 work, "The Colonizer and the Colonized," which explores the psychological and social dynamics between colonizers and the colonized.
Critical Discourse Analysis
2013 · FWCI 41.28 · 1,795 citations
This is a collection of 22 revised and enlarged papers by Norman Fairclough, spanning 25 years, offering a comprehensive contribution to the field of Critical Discourse Analysis.
Strategies in Learning and Using a Second Language
2014 · FWCI 249.71 · 1,738 citations
This revised edition of 'Strategies in Learning and Using a Second Language' clarifies the distinction between language learning and language use strategies, offering a framework to enhance second language performance.
The Cultural Politics of English as an International Language
2017 · FWCI 189.44 · 1,657 citations
Alastair Pennycook's influential book critically examines the globalization of English, challenging the idea that English can be separated from its social, cultural, economic, or political contexts.
From communicative competence to communicative language pedagogy
Language & Communication · 2014 · Q1 · FWCI 1124.56 · 1,641 citations
This chapter argues that effective second language learning requires not only grammar and vocabulary but also mastering the 'rules of speaking' – sociolinguistic behaviors of the target language.
Marxism and the Philosophy of Language
2013 · FWCI 993.28 · 1,629 citations
This poem dramatizes and extrapolates upon Mikhail Bakhtin's ideas, particularly his argument that experience exists only within signs and that inner speech is dialogical rather than monological.
A comparative analysis of international frameworks for 21<sup>st</sup>century competences: Implications for national curriculum policies
Journal of Curriculum Studies · 2012 · Q1 · SJR 1.00 · FWCI 240.35 · 1,485 citations
An analysis of eight international frameworks reveals broad agreement on what 21st-century competences are and why they matter, but a significant gap exists between these stated intentions and actual educational practice.
Learnability and Cognition
The MIT Press eBooks · 2013 · FWCI 121.80 · 1,464 citations
This book presents a theory on how children acquire verb meanings and uses, resolving the paradox of how they learn subtle linguistic distinctions without explicit correction.
A systematic review of English medium instruction in higher education
Language Teaching · 2017 · Q1 · SJR 2.00 · FWCI 182.93 · 1,444 citations · Open access
A review of 83 studies indicates that while English Medium Instruction (EMI) is growing in higher education, there's insufficient evidence to confirm benefits for language learning or detriments to content learning.
Methods of Critical Discourse Studies
2016 · FWCI 115.77 · 1,438 citations
This book offers a comprehensive and accessible introduction to Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), updated with new chapters on social media and online data analysis.
Word of mouth and interpersonal communication: A review and directions for future research
Journal of Consumer Psychology · 2014 · Q1 · SJR 5.00 · FWCI 603.58 · 1,434 citations
Word of mouth is driven by five self-serving psychological functions, including impression management, emotion regulation, information acquisition, social bonding, and persuasion, often operating unconsciously.
Recently added
Oral Literature in Africa
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026 · FWCI 4551.52 · 536 citations · Open access
This revised edition of Ruth Finnegan's seminal 1970 work, "Oral Literature in Africa," is now available to a new generation of scholars. It features a new introduction, updated images, and an expanded bibliography alongside the original chapters.
Topic as a Discourse Notion: a Study of Topic in the Conversations of Children and Adults( )
2026 · 286 citations
This paper systematically studies how topics are initiated, sustained, and dropped in natural conversations between children and adults, integrating conversational analysis with new observations.
Childhood and Society
Open MIND · 2026 · 11,316 citations
Erik Erikson's "Childhood and Society" introduced a groundbreaking theory of psychosocial development, positing that identity is shaped by eight distinct stages of psychosocial crises throughout life.
Arts of the Contact Zone
SUNY Press eBooks · 2025 · 1,004 citations
Children's emergent literacy is demonstrated through their playful, phonics-based decoding of baseball player names, such as "Many Trails" for Manny Trillo and struggling with "Carl Yastremski."
The Postcolonial Studies Reader
2024 · FWCI 223.22 · 760 citations
The third edition of The Postcolonial Studies Reader is a thoroughly revised and updated collection of 125 extracts from key works in postcolonial theory and criticism, reflecting the discipline's diversity and anti-imperialist writing.
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