The title of this book does not pertain to its content but to the effort required for its writing. It is, in a way, an indirect response to that class of readers who believe that research and scientific engagement with literary texts is not serious work but a pleasant private 'play'. With the exception of fellow writers, very few consider the arduous work hours that are required for serious research and the writing of such works.

The word 'test' thus refers to the following definition from the dictionary: 'Great mental and physical suffering'. The essays included in this volume attempt to pose new interpretative questions regarding both the relationship of literary texts with historical and theoretical discourse and the relationship of these discourses with literary texts themselves.

The literary texts upon which the reading work is based come from ancient Greek tragedy, modern Greek literature, and English literature, culminating in the contemporary genre of the university novel. The 'style' of these essays does not always conform to the normative specifications of academic discourse. Because every interpretative question addressed to the texts simultaneously requires a distinct and idiosyncratic style.

The search for and expression of this 'style', along with the painstaking, evidential process, constitute for the researcher what she calls: The test of reading.