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Edgar V. Roberts, Emeritus Professor of English at Lehman College of The City University of New York, is a native of Minnesota. He graduated from the Minneapolis public schools in 1946, and received his Doctorate from the University of Minnesota in 1960. He taught English at Minnesota, the University of Maryland Overseas Division, Wayne State University, Hunter College, and Lehman College. From 1979 to 1988, He was Chair of the English Department of Lehman College.
He served in the U.S. Army in 1946 and 1947, seeing duty in Arkansas, the Philippine Islands, and Colorado.
He has published articles about the plays of Henry Fielding, the subject of his Ph.D. dissertation. In 1968 he published a scholarly edition of John Gay's The Beggar's Opera (1728), and in 1969 he published a similar edition of Fielding's The Grub-Street Opera (1731), both with the University of Nebraska Press. He first published Writing About Literature (then named Writing Themes About Literature) in 1964, with Prentice Hall. Since then, this book has undergone eleven separate revisions, for a total of twelve editions. In 1986, with Henry E. Jacobs of the University of Alabama, he published the first edition of Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. After Professor Jacobs's untimely death in the summer of 1986, Professor Roberts continued working on changes and revisions to keep this text up to date. The Ninth Edition was published early in 2009, with Pearson Longman. The Fourth Compact Edition of Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing was published in 2008.
Professor Roberts is an enthusiastic devoté of symphonic music and choral singing, having sung in local church choirs for forty years. Recently he has sung (bass) with the New Choral Society of Scarsdale, New York (where he lives), singing in classic works by Handel, Beethoven, Bruckner, Bach, Orff, Britten, Brahms, and others. He is a fan of both the New York Mets and the New York Yankees. When the two teams play in inter-league games, he is uneasy because he dislikes seeing either team lose. He also likes both the Giants and the Jets. He has been an avid jogger ever since the early 1960s, and he enjoys watching national and international track meets.
Professor Roberts encourages queries, comments, and suggestions from students who have been using any of the various books. Use the following email address: <edgar.roberts@verizon.net>.
T o the I nstructor xv
Part I Introduction
C hapter 1 T he P rocess of R eading , R esponding to , and W riting
A bout L iterature 1
What Is Literature, and Why Do We Study It? 1
Types of Literature: The Genres 2
Reading Literature and Responding to It Actively 4
Alice Walker, Everyday Use 5
Reading and Responding in a Computer File or Notebook 14
Major Stages in Thinking and Writing About Literary Topics: Discovering Ideas,
Preparing to Write, Making an Initial Draft of Your Essay, and Completing the
Essay 17
Discovering Ideas (“Brainstorming”) 19
Box: Essays and Paragraphs—Foundation Stones of Writing 24
Preparing to Write 25
Box: The Need for the Actual Physical Process of Writing 27
Making an Initial Draft of Your Assignment 30
Box: The Need for a Sound Argument in Writing About Literature 31
Box: Referring to the Names of Authors 33
Box: The Use of Verb Tenses in the Discussion of Literary Works 34
Illustrative Paragraph 35
Commentary on the Paragraph 38
Illustrative Essay: Mrs. Johnson’s Overly Self-Assured Daughter, Dee, in Walker’s
“Everyday Use” 39
Completing the Essay: Developing and Strengthening Your Essay Through
Revision 41
Illustrative Student Essay (Revised and Improved Draft) 48
Illustrative Essay (Revised and Improved Draft): Mrs. Johnson’s Overly Self-Assured
Daughter, Dee, in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” 49
Commentary on the Essay 52
Essay Commentaries 52
A Summary of Guidelines 52
Writing Topics About the Writing Process 53
A Short Guide to Using Quotations and Making References in Essays About
Literature 53
Part II Writing Essays on Designated Literary Topics
C hapter 2 W riting A bout P lot : T he D evelopment of C onflict and
T ension in L iterature 58
Plot: The Motivation and Causality of Literature 58
Determining the Conflicts in a Story, Drama, or Narrative Poem 58
Writing About the Plot of a Particular Work 60
Organize Your Essay About Plot 60
Illustrative Essay: The Plot of Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path” 61
Commentary on the Essay 63
Writing Topics About Plot 63
C hapter 3 W riting A bout P oint of V iew : T he P osition or S tance
of the W ork ’ s N arrator or S peaker 65
An Exercise in Point of View: Reporting an Accident 66
Conditions That Affect Point of View 67
Box: Point of View and Opinions 68
Determining a Work’s Point of View 68
Box: Point of View and Verb Tense 72
Summary: Guidelines for Point of View 73
Writing About Point of View 74
Illustrative Essay: Shirley Jackson’s Dramatic Point of View in “The Lottery” 77
Commentary on the Essay 80
Writing Topics About Point of View 80
C hapter 4 W riting A bout C haracter : T he P eople in L iterature 82
Character Traits 82
How Authors Disclose Character in Literature 83
Types of Characters: Round and Flat 85
Reality and Probability: Verisimilitude 87
Writing About Character 88
Illustrative Essay: The Character of Minnie Wright of Glaspell’s “Trifles” 90
Commentary on the Essay 93
Writing Topics About Character 93
C hapter 5 W riting A bout a C lose R eading : A nalyzing E ntire S hort
P oems or S elected S hort P assages from F iction , L onger
P oems , and P lays 95
The Purpose and Requirements of a Close-Reading Essay 95
The Location of the Passage in a Longer Work 96
Writing About the Close Reading of a Passage in Prose Work, Drama,
or Longer Poem 97
Box: Number the Passage for Easy Reference 98
Illustrative Essay: A Close Reading of a Paragraph from Frank O’Connor’s
Story “First Confession” 98
Commentary on the Essay 101
Writing an Essay on the Close Reading of a Poem 101
Illustrative Essay: A Close Reading of Thomas Hardy’s “The Man He Killed” 103
Commentary on the Essay 106
Writing Topics for a Close-Reading Essay 106
C hapter 6 W riting A bout S tructure : T he O rganization of
L iterature 107
Formal Categories of Structure 107
Formal and Actual Structure 108
William Shakespeare, Sonnet 73: That Time of Year Thou Mayst
in Me Behold 110
Writing About Structure in Fiction, Poetry, and Drama 112
Organize Your Essay About Structure 113
Illustrative Essay: The Structure of Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path” 113
Commentary on the Essay 116
Writing Topics About Structure 116
C hapter 7 W riting A bout S etting : T he B ackground of P lace ,
O bjects , and C ult ure in L iterature 118
What Is Setting? 118
The Importance of Setting in Literature 119
Writing About Setting 122
Organize Your Essay About Setting 122
Illustrative Essay: Maupassant’s Use of Setting in “The Necklace” to Show the
Character of Mathilde 124
Commentary on the Essay 126
Writing Topics About Setting 127
C hapter 8 W riting A bout an I dea or T heme : T he M eaning and the
“M essage ” in L iterature 128
Ideas and Assertions 128
Ideas and Values 129
The Place of Ideas in Literature 129
How to Locate Ideas 130
Writing About a Major Idea in Literature 133
Organize Your Essay on a Major Idea or Theme 134
Illustrative Essay: The Idea of the Importance of Minor and “Trifling” Details
in Susan Glaspell’s Trifles 135
Commentary on the Essay 139
Special Topics for Studying and Discussing Ideas 140
C hapter 9 W riting A bout I magery : T he L iterary W ork ’ s L ink
to the S enses 141
Responses and the Writer’s Use of Detail 141
The Relationship of Imagery to Ideas and Attitudes 142
Types of Imagery 142
Writing About Imagery 144
Organize Your Essay About Imagery 145
Illustrative Essay: The Images of Masefield’s “Cargoes” 146
Commentary on the Essay 148
Writing Topics About Imagery 149
C hapter 10 W riting A bout M etaphor and S imile : A S ource of D epth
and R ange in L iterature 151
Metaphors and Similes: The Major Figures of Speech 151
Characteristics of Metaphors and Similes 153
John Keats, On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer 153
Box: Vehicle and Tenor 155
Writing About Metaphors and Similes 155
Organize Your Essay About Metaphors and Similes 156
Illustrative Essay: Shakespeare’s Metaphors in “Sonnet 30:
When to the Sessions of Sweet Silent Thought” 157
Commentary on the Essay 160
Writing Topics About Metaphors and Similes 161
C hapter 11 W riting A bout S ymbolism and A llegory : K eys to
E xtended M eaning 162
Symbolism and Meaning 162
Allegory 164
Fable, Parable, and Myth 166
Allusion in Symbolism and Allegory 166
Writing About Symbolism and Allegory 167
Organize Your Essay About Symbolism or Allegory 168
Illustrative Essay (Symbolism in a Poem): Symbolism in William Butler Yeats’s
“The Second Coming” 170
Commentary on the Essay 172
Illustrative Essay (Allegory in a Story): The Allegory of
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” 173
Commentary on the Essay 177
Writing Topics About Symbolism and Allegory 177
C hapter 12 W riting A bout T one : T he W riter ’ s C ontrol
over A ttitudes and F eelings 179
Tone and Attitudes 180
Tone and Humor 181
Tone and Irony 182
Writing About Tone 184
Organize Your Essay about Tone 185
Illustrative Essay: Kate Chopin’s Irony in “The Story of an Hour” 186
Commentary on the Essay 190
Writing Topics About Tone 190
C hapter 13 W riting A bout R hyme in P oetry :
T he R epetition of I dentical S ounds to
E mphasize I deas 192
The Nature and Function of Rhyme 192
Writing About Rhyme 196
Organize Your Essay About Rhyme 196
Illustrative Essay: The Rhymes in Christina Rossetti’s “Echo” 197
Commentary on the Essay 200
Writing Topics About Rhyme in Poetry 201
Part III Writing About More General Literary Topics
C hapter 14 W riting A bout a L iterary P roblem : C hallenges to
O vercome in R eading 202
Strategies for Developing an Essay About a Problem 203
Writing About a Problem 205
Organize Your Essay About a Problem 205
Illustrative Essay: The Problem of Robert Frost’s Use of the Term
“Desert Places” in the Poem “Desert Places”
206
Commentary on the Essay 208
Writing Topics About Studying Problems in Literature 209
C hapter 15 W riting E ssays of C omparison -C ontrast and
E xtended C omparison -C ontrast : L earning by
S eeing L iterary W orks T ogether 210
Guidelines for the Comparison-Contrast Essay 211
The Extended Comparison-Contrast Essay 214
Box: Citing References in a Longer Comparison-Contrast Essay 215
Writing a Comparison-Contrast Essay 215
Organize Your Comparison-Contrast Essay 215
Illustrative Essay (Comparing and Contrasting Two Works): The Views
of War in Amy Lowell’s “Patterns” and Wilfred Owen’s “Anthem for
Doomed Youth” 216
Commentary on the Essay 220
Illustrative Essay (Extended Comparison-Contrast): Literary Treatments
of the Tension Between Private and Public Life 220
Commentary on the Essay 225
Writing Topics About Comparison and Contrast 226
C hapter 16 W riting A bout a W ork in I ts H istorical ,
I ntellectual , and C ult ural C ontext 228
History, Culture, and Multiculturalism 229
Literature in Its Time and Place 230
Writing About a Work in Its Historical and Cultural Context 230
Organize Your Essay About a Work and Its Context 232
Illustrative Essay: Langston Hughes’s References to Black Servitude and
Black Pride in “
Negro” 234
Commentary on the Essay 237
Writing Topics About Works in Their Historical, Intellectual, and
Cultural Context 237
C hapter 17 W riting a R eview E ssay : D eveloping I deas and E valuating
L iterary W orks for S pecial or
G eneral A udiences 239
Writing a Review Essay 240
Organize Your Review Essay 240
First Illustrative Essay (A Review for General Readers): Nathaniel
Hawthorne’s Story “Young Goodman Brown”: A View of Mistaken
Zeal 242
Commentary on the Essay 244
Second Illustrative Essay (Designed for a Particular Group—Here, a
Religious Group): Religious Intolerance and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Story
“Young Goodman Brown” 244
Commentary on the Essay 246
Third Illustrative Essay (A Personal Review for a General Audience):
Security and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Story “Young Goodman Brown,” 247
Commentary on the Essay 249
Topics for Studying and Discussing the Writing of Reviews 250
C hapter 18 W riting E xaminations on L iterature 251
Answer the Questions That Are Asked 251
Systematic Preparation 253
Two Basic Types of Questions About Literature 256
C hapter 19 W riting and D ocumenting the R esearch E ssay ; U sing
E xtra R esources for U nderstanding 262
Selecting a Topic 262
Setting Up a Working Bibliography 264
Locating Sources 264
Box: Evaluating Sources 265
Box: Important Considerations About Computer-Aided Research 267
Taking Notes and Paraphrasing Material 270
Box: Plagiarism: An Embarrassing But Vital
Subject—and a Danger to Be Overcome 273
Classify Your Cards and Group Them Accordingly 277
Documenting Your Work 280
Organize Your Research Essay 283
Illustrative Research Essay: The Structure of Katherine Mansfield’s
“Miss Brill” 284
Commentary on the Essay 290
Writing Topics for Research Essays 292
Part IV Appendixes
A ppendix A
C ritical A pproaches I mportant in the S tudy
of L iterature 293
Moral / Intellectual 294
Topical/Historical 295
New Critical/Formalist 296
Structuralist 297
Feminist Criticism, Gender Studies, and Queer Theory 299
Economic Determinist/Marxist 300
Psychological/Psychoanalytic 301
Archetypal/Symbolic/Mythic 302
Deconstructionist 303
Reader-Response 305
A ppendix B
MLA R ecommendations for D ocumenting
S ources 307
(Nonelectronic) Books, Articles, Poems, Letters, Reviews, Recordings,
Programs 307
The Citation of Electronic Sources 312
A ppendix C
W orks U sed in the T ext for I llustrative E ssays
and R eferences 315
Stories
Kate Chopin, The Story of an Hour 316
A woman is shocked by news of her husband’s death, but there is still a greater shock in
store for her.
Nathaniel Hawthorne, Young Goodman Brown 317
Living in colonial Salem, Young Goodman Brown has a bewildering encounter that
affects his outlook on life and his attitudes towards people.
Shirley Jackson, The Lottery 327
Why does the prize-winner of a community-sponsored lottery make the claim that the
drawing was not fair?
Frank O’Connor, First Confession 332
Jackie as a young man recalls his mixed memories of the events surrounding his first
childhood experience with confession.
Mark Twain, Luck 338
A follower of a famous British general tells what really happened.
Eudora Welty, A Worn Path 341
Phoenix Jackson, a devoted grandmother, walks a well-worn path on a mission of great
love.
Poems
Matthew Arnold, Dover Beach 347
When you lose certainty, what remains for you?
William Blake, The Tyger 348
What mysterious force creates evil as well as good?
Gwendolyn Brooks, We Real Cool 348
Just how cool are they, really? How successful are they going to be?
Robert Browning, My Last Duchess 349
An arrogant duke shows his dead wife’s portrait to the envoy of the count.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Kubla Khan 350
What does Kubla Khan create to give himself the greatest joy?
John Donne, Holy Sonnet 10: Death Be Not Proud 352
How does eternal life put down death?
Robert Frost, Desert Places 352
What is more frightening than the emptiness of outer space?
Thomas Hardy, Channel Firing 353
What is loud enough to waken the dead, and then, what do the dead say about it?
Thomas Hardy, The Man He Killed 354
A combat soldier muses about the irony of battlefield conflict.
Langston Hughes, Negro 354
What are some of the outrages experienced throughout history by blacks?
John Keats, Bright Star 355
The speaker dedicates himself to constancy and steadfastness.
John Keats, On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer 356
How can reading a translation be as exciting as discovering a new planet or a new
ocean?
Irving Layton, Rhine Boat Trip 356
What terrible memory counterbalances the beauty of German castles, fields, and
traditions?
Amy Lowell, Patterns 357
What does a woman think when she learns that her fiancé will never return from
overseas battle?
John Masefield, Cargoes 360
How do modern cargo ships differ from those of the past?
Wilfred Owen, Anthem for Doomed Youth 360
War forces poignant changes in normally peaceful ceremonies.
Christina Rossetti, Echo 361
A love from the distant past still lingers in memory.
William Shakespeare, Sonnet 30: When to the Sessions of Sweet
Silent Thought 361
The speaker remembers his past, judges his life , and finds great value in the present.
William Shakespeare, Sonnet 73: That Time of Year Thou May’st
in Me Behold 362
Even though age is closing in, the speaker finds his reason for dedication to the past.
Walt Whitman, Reconciliation 362
In what way is the speaker reconciled to his former enemy?
William Wordsworth, Lines Written in Early Spring 363
The songs of woodland birds lead the speaker to moral thoughts.
William Butler Yeats, The Second Coming 364
What new and dangerous forces are being turned loose in our modern world?
NOTE—The following selections are referenced throughout Writing About Literature ,
but do not physically appear in the text:
Guy de Maupassant, “The Necklace”
Edgar Allan Poe, “The Cask of Amontillado”
Katharine Mansfield, “Miss Brill”
Robert Browning, “My Last Duchess”
Susan Glaspell, Trifles
William Shakespeare, Hamlet
However, these selections are available in the eAnthology featured in
MyLiteratureLab (www.myliteraturelab.com), along with more than 200
additional literary works. Please refer to the inside front and back cover
for a complete listing of available selections. For more information on
packaging this text with MyLiteratureLab at no additional cost, refer to page xvi.
A G lossary of I mportant L iterary T erms 365
C redits 377
I ndex of T itles , A uthors , and F irst L ines of P oetry 379
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