Fourth Genre, The Contemporary Writers of/on Creative Nonfiction

by Root, Robert L., Jr.; Steinberg, Michael J.

• ISBN13: 9780205172771
• ISBN10: 0205172776
• Edition: 6th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-06-20
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

The Fourth Genreoffers the most comprehensive, teachable, and current introduction available today to the cutting-edge, evolving genre of creative nonfiction.  While acknowledging the literary impulse of nonfiction to be a fourth genre equivalent to poetry, fiction, and drama, this text focuses on subgenres of the nonfiction form, including memoir, nature writing, personal essays, literary journalism, cultural criticism, and travel writing.   This anthology was the first to draw on the common ground of the practicing writer and the practical scholar and to make the pedagogical connections between creative writing practice and composition theory, bridging some of the gaps between the teaching of composition, creative writing, and literature in English departments.

Table of Contents

Alternative Contents: Forms and Processes of Creative Nonfiction	p. xi
Preface: Beginning the Conversation	p. xv
Introduction: Creative Nonfiction, The Fourth Genre	p. xxiii
Writing Creative Nonfiction	p. 1
ôOut Thereö	p. 3
ôOde to Every Thingö	p. 8
ôThe Answer That Increasingly Appealsö	p. 11
ôFictionö	p. 19
ôSoundtrackö	p. 29
ôLes Cruel Shoesö	p. 31
ôBefriending Barbieö	p. 35
ôI'm Just Getting to the Disturbing Partö	p. 46
ôSilent Dancingö	p. 54
ôA Little Whileö	p. 61
ôOn the Fringes of the Physical Worldö	p. 64
ôWelcome to Afghanistanö	p. 73
ôInto the Gulf: A Journal-Day 10: Beyond the Oiled Pelicanö	p. 79
ôNortheast Directö	p. 83
ôOn the Busö	p. 87
ôRed Sky at Morningö	p. 91
ôStripped for Partsö	p. 95
ô13,1977,21ö	p. 101
ôPortrait of My Bodyö	p. 107
ôI Met a Man Who Has Seen the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, and This Is What He Told Meö	p. 115
ôSome Things About That Dayö	p. 118
ôMother's Dayö	p. 120
ôThe Search for Marvin Gardensö	p. 128
ôGeasö	p. 137
ôIn Plain Sightö	p. 147
ôGrammar Lessons: The Subjunctive Moodö	p. 151
ôGlaciologyö	p. 162
ôCelebrating Creationö	p. 167
ôKnowing Where You've Beenö	p. 171
ôPostcards from Birobidzhan: The Life & Death & Life of the Jewish Autonomous Republicö	p. 178
ôCloud Crossingö	p. 188
ôMy Father Always Saidö	p. 194
ôAn E-Book Is Not a Book, In Which I Launch the Slow Book Movementö	p. 202
ôNatural History, or What Happens When We're Not Lookingö	p. 204
ôChin Musicö	p. 208
ôEverything But Your Witsö	p. 218
ôSpreading the Wordö	p. 223
ôHow I Became a Bed-Makerö	p. 232
ôBathingö	p. 237
Talking About Creative Nonfiction	p. 241
ôThe Landscape of Creative Nonfictionö	p. 243
ôThe Art of Memoirö	p. 250
ôOn the Origin of the Video Essayö	p. 254
ôI Think I'm Musing My Mindö	p. 258
ôA Narrator Leaps Past Journalismö	p. 261
ôMemory and Imaginationö	p. 264
ôThe Art of Selfö	p. 274
ôThe Digital Essay: An Introductionö	p. 276
ôCourting the Approval of the Deadö	p. 278
ôMending Wallö	p. 292
ôDays into Essays: A Self for All Seasonsö	p. 296
ô'Brenda Miller Has a Cold,' or: How the Lyric Essay Happensö	p. 308
ôHow to Live: Grandfather of the Writing We Love to Hateö	p. 315
ôCollage, Montage, Mosaic, Vignette, Episode, Segmentö	p. 318
ôProse Poems, Paragraphs, Brief Lyric Nonfictionö	p. 330
ôFinding the Inner Story in Memoirs and Personal Essaysö	p. 333
ôExperimental Critical Writingö	p. 337
ô(Note to Self): The Lyric Essayö	p. 342
Composing Creative Nonfiction	p. 345
ôHomeö	p. 347
ôUnwrapping Surprises in the Personal Essayö	p. 354
ôWarping Time with Montaigneö	p. 362
ôNotes from a Journey Toward 'Warping Time'ö	p. 368
ôLambing Midwifeö	p. 376
ôGestating Memory: Capturing Narrative Details in 'Lambing Midwife'ö	p. 382
ôTeacher Trainingö	p. 388
ôComposing 'Teacher Training'ö	p. 394
ôZionö	p. 402
ôOn Writing 'Zion'ö	p. 410
Notes on Authors	p. 416
Credits	p. 419
Index	p. 423
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