Approaching Literature
Reading + Thinking + WritingFourth Edition ©2017
Approaching Literature is a text and anthology designed to engage even reluctant students in the rewarding process of reading, thinking, and writing about literature. Peter Schakel and Jack Ridl aim to use diverse, contemporary literary works as entry points to understanding and appreciating
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A diverse collection for reading, thinking, and writing about literature.
Approaching Literature is a text and anthology designed to engage even reluctant students in the rewarding process of reading, thinking, and writing about literature. Peter Schakel and Jack Ridl aim to use diverse, contemporary literary works as entry points to understanding and appreciating literary classics, and to make the instruction in reading and writing welcoming and accessible to all students, not just potential English majors. With its affordable price as well as its streamlined and supportive approach to reading, thinking, and writing about literature, all students will find something in Approaching Literature that helps them find common ground with the voices of our literary present and past.
"I want a text that includes work by writers who look and sound like my students — who come from the places they know — as well as those whose experiences are very different from theirs. Approaching Literature allows my students to explore ‘difference.’"
-Cindy Kin, University of North Texas at Dallas
"The anthology offers our students wide exposure to both classic and modern literature with choices that include a wide range of genres and topics. The instructional parts of the text speak to the students using a tone that is lively and inclusive, making them feel that literature is valuable and accessible to all."
-Lynda Dekens, Lethbridge College"Tailoring readings to meet the needs of academic rigor, philosophical challenge, critical thinking, developing empathy, and improving self-direction, and doing so in a way that makes learning both active and engaging within the constrictions of life’s demands, is a challenge that I think this text meets head on."
-Peter Scheponik, Montgomery County Community College
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Table of Contents
* = new work Part 1 Approaching LITERATURE 1. Reading Literature: Taking Part in a Process SHERMAN ALEXIE, Superman and Me The Nature of Reading Active ReadingCHECKLIST on Active Reading
*MEGAN FOSS, Love Letters
2. Writing in Response to Literature: Entering the Conversation ALICE WALKER, The Flowers
Writing in the Margins
Sample Student Annotations
Journal Writing
TIPS for Effective Journal Writing
Sample Student Journal Entry
Writing Exam Essays
Sample Student Exam Essays, More and Less Effective
Writing Short Papers
TIPS for Writing Literary Analysis Papers
TIPS for Writing Comparison-Contrast Papers
TIPS for Writing Social and Cultural Criticism Papers
CHECKLIST for Revising
Sample Student Short Paper: Kortney DeVito’s Rough Draft; Kortney DeVito’s Final Draft with Her Notes: "The Death of Myop’s Childhood" TIPS for Writing a Successful Short Paper
A Closer Look at HANDLING TITLES
A Closer Looks at PUNCTUATING AND FORMATTING QUOTATIONS
3. Writing a Literary Research Paper: Entering the Larger Conversation
The Research Process
Finding Materials Evaluating Sources Keeping Track of What You’ve Read
Writing a Research Paper
Revising, Proofreading, and Double-Checking
*Sample Student Research Paper — Marisela Meraz’s Final Draft: "Sleeping and Dreaming in Robert Frost’s "After Apple-Picking"
A Closer Look at AVOIDING PLAGIARISM
A Closer Look at IN-TEXT CITATIONS AND PREPARING A WORKS CITED PAGE
TIPS for Handling Online Sources Part 2 Approaching FICTION
4. Reading Fiction: Responding to the Real World of Stories What Is Fiction?
Why Read Fiction?
Active Reading: Fiction
Rereading: Fiction
5. Plot: Watching What Happens DAGOBERTO GILB, Love in L.A.
Reading for Plot
CHECKLIST on Reading for Plot
Further Reading LOUISE ERDRICH, The Red Convertible JOYCE CAROL OATES, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Responding through Writing
6. Narration and Point of View: Being Alert to Angles SANDRA CISNEROS, The House on Mango Street Reading for Point of View CHECKLIST for Reading about Point of View
Further Reading ALICE WALKER, Everyday Use FLANNERY O’CONNOR, A Good Man Is Hard to Find
Responding through Writing
7. Character: Watching What Happens to Whom *ALISON TOWNSEND, The Barbie Birthday Reading for Character CHECKLIST on Reading for Character
Further Reading TONI CADE BAMBARA, The Lesson JOHN UPDIKE, A&P
Responding through Writing
8. Setting: Meeting Meaning in Places ERNEST HEMINGWAY, Hills Like White Elephants Reading for Setting CHECKLIST on Reading for Setting Further Reading
WILLIAM FAULKNER, A Rose for Emily SHERMAN ALEXIE, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven
Responding through Writing
9. Tone, Style, and Irony: Attending to Expression and Attitude KATE CHOPIN, The Story of an Hour
Reading for Tone
Reading for Style
Reading for Irony
CHECKLIST on Reading for Tone, Style, and Irony
Further Reading *DANIEL OROZCO, Orientation AMY TAN, Two Kinds Responding through Writing 10. Symbol and Theme: Being Open to Insights *RAY BRADBURY, The Smile Reading for Symbols Reading for Allegory Reading for Theme CHECKLIST on Reading for Symbol and Theme
Further Reading TIM O’BRIEN, The Things They Carried RALPH ELLISON, Battle Royal Responding through Writing
11. Writing about Fiction: Applying What You’ve Learned
Step 1: Prewriting: Finding a Topic Step 2: Prewriting: Narrowing the Topic Step 3: Prewriting: Deciding on an Approach Step 4: Prewriting: Framing a Thesis
Step 5: Writing: Developing and Supporting a Thesis
Step 6: Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting Sample Student Short Paper: Alicia Abood’s Rough Draft (Annotated); Alicia Abood’s Final Draft (Annotated): "A Lost Identity: Taking a Look at Jake in ‘Love in L.A.’"
12. A Collection of Stories: Investigating Various Vistas Flash Fiction *MARILYN CHIN, The True Story of Mr. and Mrs. Wong RAY GONZALES, The Jalapeño Contest JAMAICA KINCAID, Girl MICHAEL OPPENHEIMER, The Paring Knife *GEORGE SAUNDERS, Sticks Graphic Fiction *MARJANE SATRAPI, The Veil ART SPIEGELMAN, from Maus Stories for Further Reading *CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE, The Thing Around Your Neck *MARGARET ATWOOD, Happy Endings JAMES BALDWIN, Sonny’s Blues *MAY-LEE CHAI, Your Grandmother, the War Criminal *CHRYSTOS, Traditional Style Indian Garage *EDWIDGE DANTICAT, New York Day Women *LYDIA DAVIS, Blind Date NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE, Young Goodman Brown LANGSTON HUGHES, Thank You, M’am ZORA NEALE HURSTON, Sweat HA JIN, Saboteur JAMES JOYCE, Araby *ETGAR KERET, Crazy Glue KATHERINE MIN, Courting a Monk TILLIE OLSEN, I Stand Here Ironing ZZ PACKER, Brownies EDGAR ALLAN POE, The Cask of Amontillado KATHERINE ANNE PORTER, The Jilting of Granny Weatherall *JAMES THURBER, The Catbird Seat *XU XI, Famine Part 3 Approaching POETRY
13. Reading Poetry: Realizing the Richness in Poems
What Is Poetry?
Why Read Poetry?
Active Reading: Poetry
Rereading: Poetry
14. Words and Images: Seizing on Sense and Sight
Reading for Denotation ROBERT HAYDEN, Those Winter Sundays
Reading for Connotation GWENDOLYN BROOKS, The Bean Eaters
Reading for Images MAXINE KUMIN, The Sound of Night WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS, The Red Wheelbarrow
CHECKLIST on Reading for Words and Images
Further Reading ANITA ENDREZZE, The Girl Who Loved the Sky WENDELL BERRY, The Peace of Wild Things *WILLIAM WORDSWORTH, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud Responding through Writing 15. Voice: Listening to Vocal Variations
Reading for Voice LI-YOUNG LEE, Eating Alone
Voice and Tone THEODORE ROETHKE, My Papa’s Waltz
Voice and Irony
E. E. CUMMINGS, "next to of course god america i
Reading a Dramatic Monologue
CHECKLIST on Reading for Voice
Further Reading
ALLISON JOSEPH, On Being Told I Don’t Speak Like a Black Person WILFRED OWEN, Dulce et Decorum Est YUSEF KOMUNYAKAA, Facing It ROBERT BROWNING, My Last Duchess Responding through Writing 16. Sound: Hearing How Sense Is Said
Reading for Sound
SEKOU SUNDIATA, Blink Your Eyes
TIPS for Reading Poems Aloud
*WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS, When You Are Old EMILY DICKINSON, Because I could not stop for Death
CHECKLIST on Reading for Sound
Further Reading *JANICE MIRIKITANI, For a Daughter Who Leaves MARILYN NELSON, Minor Miracle *RAY A. YOUNG BEAR, grandmother *TED KOOSER, Abandoned Farmhouse Responding through Writing 17. Figurative Language: Wondering What This Has to Do With That
Reading for Simile MARTÍN ESPADA, Latin Night at the Pawnshop LANGSTON HUGHES, Harlem Reading for Metaphor
DENNIS BRUTUS, Nightsong: City
Reading for Personification
ANGELINA WELD GRIMKÉ, A Winter Twilight Reading for Metonymy and Synecdoche
EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON, Richard Cory Two Other Observations about Figures
WILLIAM STAFFORD, Traveling through the Dark
CHECKLIST on Reading for Figurative Language
Further Reading *SHARON OLDS, Parents’ Day MARY OLIVER, First Snow JUDITH ORTIZ COFER, Cold as Heaven
Responding through Writing
18. Rhythm and Meter: Feeling the Beat, the Flux, and the Flow
Reading for Rhythm
E. E. CUMMINGS, Buffalo Bill’s
Reading for Meter PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR, We Wear the Mask
CHECKLIST on Reading for Rhythm and Meter Further Reading LUCILLE CLIFTON, at the cemetery, walnut grove plantation, south Carolina ROBERT FROST, The Road Not Taken GARY MIRANDA, Love Poem EMILY DICKINSON, I’m Nobody! Who are You? SYLVIA PLATH, Metaphors GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON, Wishes Responding through Writing 19. Form and Type: Delighting in Design
Reading for Lines GWENDOLYN BROOKS, We Real Cool
Reading for Stanzas COUNTEE CULLEN, Incident Reading Sonnets
*WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Let me not to the marriage of true minds
GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS, God’s Grandeur Reading Free Verse LESLIE MARMON SILKO, Prayer to the Pacific Reading for Internal Form
CHECKLIST on Reading for Form and Type
Further Reading JOY HARJO, She Had Some Horses *ATSURO RILEY, Drill *ANNA MARIA HONG, The Frog-Prince DYLAN THOMAS, Do not go gentle into that good night Responding through Writing 2. Writing about Poetry: Applying What You’ve Learned
Step 1. Prewriting: Finding a Topic Steo 2. Prewriting: Narrowing the Topic Step 3. Prewriting: Deciding on an Approach Step 4. Prewriting: Framing a Thesis Step 5. Writing: Developing and Supporting the Thesis
TIPS for Quoting Poetry
Step 6. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting
Sample Student Short Paper: Sunkyo Hong’s Rough Draft; Sunkyo Hong’s Final Draft: "Experiencing ‘First Snow’" 21. A Collection of Poems: Valuing Various Voices Some Very Short Poems DENISE LEVERTOV, Leaving Forever MARIANNE MOORE, Poetry EZRA POUND, In a Station of the Metro
CARL SANDBURG, Fog
Poems for Further Reading
*MAYA ANGELOU, Africa *SUSAN ATEFAT-PECKHAM, Dates W. H. AUDEN, Musée des Beaux Arts JIMMY SANTIAGO BACA, Family Ties JIM BARNES, Return to La Plata, Missouri ELIZABETH BISHOP, Sestina PETER BLUE CLOUD, Crazy Horse Monument ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING, How do I love thee? Let me count the ways *RAFAEL CAMPO, The Enemy LORNA DEE CERVANTES, Freeway 28 MARILYN CHIN, How I Got That Name LUCILLE CLIFTON, homage to my hips *BILLY COLLINS, Nostalgia VICTOR HERNÁNDEZ CRUZ, Problems with Hurricanes TOI DERRICOTTE, A Note on My Son’s Face *JOANNE DIAZ, Pride and Prejudice JOHN DONNE, Death, be not proud MARK DOTY, Tiara *RITA DOVE, Horse and Tree *DENISE DUHAMEL, One Afternoon when Barbie Wanted to Join the Military T. S. ELIOT, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock ROBERT FROST, After Apple-Picking TERRANCE HAYES, Talk BOB HICOK, In the loop LINDA HOGAN, Crow Law GARRETT KAORU HONGO, Yellow Light A. E. HOUSMAN, To an Athlete Dying Young LANGSTON HUGHES, The Negro Speaks of Rivers *HONORÉE FANONNE JEFFERS, Cotton Field Sestina JOHN KEATS, Ode on a Grecian Urn *JANE KENYON, Let Evening Come PHILIP LEVINE, What Work Is CLAUDE MCKAY, If we must die ANDREW MARVELL, To His Coy Mistress *ORLANDO RICARDO MENES, Courtyard of Clotheslines, Angel Hill *PAT MORA, Elena DAVID MURA, Grandfather-in-Law *NAOMI SHIHAB NYE, Kindness DUDLEY RANDALL, Ballad of Birmingham *JACK RIDL, My Brother – A Star ALBERTO RÍOS, Nani LUIS RODRIGUEZ, Running to America *MARY JO SALTER, Half a Double Sonnet PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY, Ozymandias ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON, Ulysses *NATASHA TRETHEWEY, Domestic Work 1937 QUINCY TROUPE, A Poem for "Magic" WALT WHITMAN, from Song of Myself *KEVIN YOUNG, Blues Part 4 Approaching DRAMA 22. Reading Drama: Participating in Serious Play
What Is Drama?
Why Read Drama?
Active Reading: Drama
Rereading: Drama
23. Character, Conflict, and Dramatic Action: Thinking about Who Does What to Whom and Why KELLY STUART, The New New
Reading for Character
Reading for Dialogue
Reading for Conflict
Reading for Dramatic Action
CHECKLIST on Reading for Character, Conflict, and Dramatic Action
Further Reading MARCO RAMIRIZ, I Am Not Batman
Responding through Writing
24. Setting and Structure: Examining Where, When, and How It Happens
Reading for Setting SUSAN GLASPELL, Trifles
Reading for Structure
CHECKLIST on Reading for Setting and Structure
Further Reading DON NIGRO, Letters from Quebec to Providence in the Rain
Responding through Writing
25. Writing about Drama: Applying What You’ve Learned
Sept 1. Prewriting: Finding a Topic Step 2. Prewriting: Narrowing the Topic Step 3. Prewriting: Deciding on an Approach Step 4. Prewriting: Framing a Thesis and Preparing an Outline Step 5. Writing: Developing and Supporting the Thesis Step 6. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting
TIPS for Quoting Drama
Sample Student Short Paper: Julian Hinson, "Out with the Old, in with the New: The Spin on Contemporary Values in "The New New" 26. August Wilson’s Fences – A Casebook: Wrestling with One Writer’s Work AUGUST WILSON, Fences
LLOYD RICHARDS, Introduction
CLIVE BARNES, Fiery Fences: A Review (criticism)
FRANK RICH, Family Ties in Wilson’s Fences: A Review (criticism)
BONNIE LYONS, An Interview with August Wilson
MILES MARSHALL LEWIS, Miles Marshall Lewis Talks with August Wilson MISSY DEHN KUBITSCHEK. August Wilson’s Gender Lesson (criticism)
HARRY J. ELAM, JR., August Wilson (criticism) SUSAN KOPRINCE, Baseball as History and Myth in August Wilson’s Fences (criticism)
Responding through Writing
27. A Collection of Plays: Viewing from Various Vantage Points Two Ten-Minute Plays *DEANNA ALISA ABLESER, Black Coffee *SUZANNE BRADBEER, Okoboji Three Classic Plays
The Impact of Genre and Theater
The Greek Theater *SOPHOCLES, Oedipus Rex Elizabethan Drama *WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Post-Elizabethan Theaters HENRIK IBSEN, A Doll House
Twentieth-Century Theaters Biographical Sketches Appendix on Scansion Appendix on Reading Critical Essays Approaching Literary Theory Glossary of Literary Terms Index of Authors and Titles
Authors
Peter Schakel
Peter Schakel, Peter C. and Emajean Cook Professor of English at Hope College, has published numerous scholarly and pedagogical studies on Jonathan Swift and C. S. Lewis.
Jack Ridl
Jack Ridl is Professor Emeritus of English at Hope College where he taught courses in literature, essay writing, poetry writing, and the nature of poetry for thirty-seven years. The students named him their Outstanding Professor, and in 1996 The Carnegie (CASE) Foundation named him Michigan Professor of the Year. Jack’s poetry has been nominated for 18 Pushcart Prizes and his latest collection is Practicing to Walk Like a Heron (Wayne State University Press, 2013). It was named one of the year’s two best poetry collections by Foreword Reviews/The American Library Association. His collection Losing Season (CavanKerry Press) was named the best sports book of the year for 2009 by The Institute for International Sport.
Jack Ridl and Peter Schakel are co-authors of Approaching Poetry and Approaching Literature, and editors of 250 Poems, all from Bedford/St. Martin’s/Macmillan Learning. In retirement, Jack conducts a range of poetry writing workshops. For information about them and other information about Jack, go to his website at www.ridl.com.
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Peter Schakel; Jack Ridl | Fourth Edition | ©2017 | ISBN:9781457688058Available online for free downloading, the manual supports every selection in Approaching Literature with entry points, suggestions for...
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