Literature and Ourselves : A Thematic Introduction for Readers and Writers

by Henderson, Gloria Mason; Higgins, Anna Dunlap; Day, William; Waller, Sandra

• ISBN13: 9780205606382
• ISBN10: 0205606385
• Edition: 6th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-01-01
• Publisher: Longman

Summary

This thematically organized anthology treats literature as a continually expanding commentary on our infinitely varied lives, helping to make the connection between literature and our own unique life stories. Each of the anthology's themes-Family, Men and Women, Vulnerability, Freedom and Responsibility, Creativity, and Quest-progresses outward from reflections on the self to more universal issues. Within each theme, the readings provide a unique combination of traditional and contemporary works that highlight the diverse cultures and perspectives of our world today. A new emphasis on argumentthroughout the book is evidenced by an all new introductory section on literary argument, including an annotated student essay, and argument-oriented questions and suggestions for writing after the reading. New selectionsboth classic and contemporaryinclude 12 essays, 9 poems, 7 short stories, and 3 plays. New pieces range from Black Elk to Anton Chekhov and Todd James Pierce and from Walt Whitman to bell hooks and Julia Alvarez. New Casebooks on Robert Frost and Alice Walkerenrich the units on Men and Women and Creativity. Revised Appendix B, Writing about Film, along with an expanded focus on filmdiscusses film adaptations of literature, helping students view films with knowledge of the unique techniques available for this art form and write essays that make connections between films and literature.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Reading Literature

Critical Reading: Engagement, Response, and Analysis

Engaging with a Text: Annotation

Special Feature: Sample Student Annotation of Sandra Cisneross Bread

Responding to a Text: The Readers Journal

The Readers Box

Sample Student Readers Journal

Freewriting

Analyzing a Text

Approaches

Author-Oriented Approaches

Reader-Oriented Approaches

Text-Oriented Approaches

The Elements of the Essay

Style

Tone

Theme

The Readers Box

Questions for Engagement, Response, and Analysis

Essay

The Elements of Fiction

Point of View

Setting

Style

Character

Plot

Theme

The Readers Box

Questions for Engagement, Response and Analysis

Short Stories

The Elements of Poetry

Situation and Speaker

Structure and Sound

Style

Theme

The Readers Box

Questions for Engagement, Response, and Analysis

Poetry

The Elements of Drama

Dialogue and Stage Directions

Setting

Style

Character

Plot

Theme

The Readers Box

Questions for Engagement Response, and Analysis

Drama

Writing About Literature

Critical Writing: Argument

Steps for Writing Arguments about Literature

Step One: Establishing Purpose and Audience

Modes

Debatable Topics

Audience

Step Two: Generating a Working Thesis

Re-reading

Pre-Writing Strategies

The Writers Box

Sample Student Brainstorming

Clustering and Listing

Honing the Thesis

Step Three: Gathering Evidence

Primary Source Evidence

Secondary Source Evidence

Step Four: Drafting, Revising, and Editing

Writing the Introduction

Crafting Body Paragraphs and Making Transitions

Concluding Well

Integrating Source Evidence

The Writers Box

Avoiding Common Pitfalls at the Drafting Stage

Revising and Editing

The Writers Box

Avoiding Common Pitfalls in the Editing Stage

Sample Student Paper

Thematic Anthology

Family

Writing about Family

Essays

Joan Didion, On Going Home

Bill Cosby, from Fatherhood

Bramare:(Archaic) To Yearn for

Fiction

A Domestic Dilemma

Sonnys Blues

A Christmas Memory

Joyce Carol Oates, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

ShermanAlexie, Because My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play TheStar-Spangled Bannerat Woodstock

Poetry

A Prayer for My Daughter

Theodore Roethke, My Papas Waltz Gwendolyn Brooks

The Mother Sylvia Plath

My Father Is a Simple Man Nikki Giovanni, Nikki-Rosa

The Gift

Future Connected By Drama

Casebook on August Wilson August Wilson Fences

The Dramatic Vision of August Wilson

Boundaries, Logistics, and Identity

The Property of Metaphor in Fencesand Joe Turners Come and Gone

Filling the Time: Reading History in the Drama of August Wilson

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