Exploring Literature: Writing and Arguing about Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay - Softcover

Madden, Frank

9780321366306: Exploring Literature: Writing and Arguing about Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0321366301 ISBN 13: 9780321366306

Publisher: Pearson, 2006

Featuring culturally rich and diverse literature, this anthology weaves critical thinking into every facet of its writing apparatus and guides students through the process of crafting their personal responses to literature into persuasive arguments. With engaging selections, provocative themes, and comprehensive coverage of the writing process, Madden's anthology is sure to capture the reader's imagination. Exploring Literature opens with five chapters dedicated to writing and arguing about literature. An anthology follows, organized around five themes. Each thematic unit includes an ethnically diverse collection of short stories, poems, plays, and essays, as well as a case study to help students explore literature from various perspectives.

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From the Back Cover:

Exploring Literature: Writing and Arguing About Fiction, Drama, Poetry and the Essay, 5/e

Frank Madden

With engaging selections, provocative themes, and comprehensive coverage of the writing process, Exploring Literature combines practical writing instruction with a carefully selected anthology of classic and contemporary literature from around the world. Critical thinking is woven into every facet of its writing apparatus while guiding you through the process of crafting personal responses into persuasive arguments. Following five opening chapters dedicated to reading, writing, arguing, and researching about literature, theanthology is divided into five thematically-arranged sections that include contextual case studies, writing prompts, and sample student essays to help you approach literature with a critical eye and write thoughtful essays. Exploring Literature assembles stimulating literature and structured advice to create a valuable guide that will not only help you to write about literature, but to improve your writing and thinking processes in general.

WHAT’S NEW IN THIS EDITION

A new one-page “Primer on Punctuation” with basic rules and examples for the comma, semi-colon, colon, and apostrophe as part of the section on proofreading–adjoining the Basic Rules for a Literary Essay.
Two new 10-minute dramas: Galsworthy “The Sun” (Faith and Doubt); and Anton Chekhov, “Swan Song.”
Added four new selections to the thematic section including Marjane Satrapi from “Persepolis”–a work of graphic nonfiction.
Added a mini-theme to Culture and Identity Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie paired with/against a Christopher Durang parody For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls.
Added two student essays.

“One of the greatest strengths of this book is the author’s tone and style. He is very down-to-earth and encouraging . . . you can tell that Madden is an experienced teacher because he anticipates common questions and problems . . . he bridges personal response to writing a critical essay quite well.”

Professor Daniel Schierenbeck - University of Central Missouri

“The writing coverage is this text’s strongest element. From the process-based writing at the outset to the prompts and questions at the end of each reading, the book gives instructors more than sufficient material to work with and gives students a very healthy, well-rounded set of tools and ideas to create critical essays. The student essays are very good . . grounded enough and real enough that students can connect with them and use them as guides.”

Professor Mark Sheffield Brown - Illinois Valley Community College

About the Author:

Frank Madden is SUNY Distinguished Professor and Chair of the English Department at SUNY Westchester Community College where he also holds the Carol Russett Endowed Chair for English. He has a Ph.D. from NYU, has taught in graduate programs at CCNY, Iona College, and the New School for Social Reserach, and in 1998 was Chair of the NCTE College Section Institute on the Teaching of Literature. He is a recipient of the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching, the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship, the Foundation for Westchester Community College Award for Excellence in Scholarship, and the Phi Delta Kappan Educator of the Year Award from Iona College. He was awarded the 2003 Neil Ann Pickett Service Award, granted by the NCTE to an outstanding college teacher whose vision and voice have had a major impact, and who exemplifies such outstanding personal qualities as creativity, sensitivity, and leadership. He has been Chair of the College Section of the NCTE and Chair of TYCA, and served on the Executive Committee of the NCTE, the CCCC, the MLA ad hoc Committee on Teaching, and as NCTE delegate to the American Council of Learned Societies. His articles, chapters, and commentary about the teaching of literature have appeared in a variety of books and journals, including College English, PMLA, College Literature, English Journal, Computers and Composition, Computers and the Humanities, and the ADE Bulletin.

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