This book provides a theoretical introduction to the task-based methodology in language and literature teaching. For teachers the main points of interest are Part Two and Three, where a plethora of contemporary texts both from Britain and the US are given a literary analysis which is followed by detailed task-based lesson plans. Part Two focuses on multiculturalism, one of the seminal issues of our time, Part Three tackles gender, another highly topical theme which students are naturally interested in. Well-known authors like the British-Asian writer Hanif Kureish and the Indian-American novelist Jhumpa Lahiri feature in the chapter on multiculturalism; the gender question is represented by Carol Ann Duffy, the current Poet Laureate and Caryl Churchill, the main representative of feminist drama.