Cover: A Writer's Reference with Writing about Literature, 10th Edition by Diana Hacker; Nancy Sommers

A Writer's Reference with Writing about Literature

Tenth Edition  ©2021 Diana Hacker; Nancy Sommers Formats: E-book, Print

Authors

  • Headshot of Diana Hacker

    Diana Hacker

    Diana Hacker personally class-tested her handbooks with nearly four thousand students over thirty-five years at Prince George’s Community College in Maryland, where she was a member of the English faculty. Hacker handbooks, built on innovation and on a keen understanding of the challenges facing student writers, are the most widely adopted in America. Hacker handbooks, all published by Bedford/St. Martin’s, include A Writer’s Reference, Eleventh Edition (2025); A Pocket Style Manual, Tenth Edition (2025); The Bedford Handbook, Twelfth Edition (2023); Rules for Writers, Tenth Edition (2022); and Writer’s Help 2.0, Hacker Version.

  • Headshot of Nancy Sommers

    Nancy Sommers

    Nancy Sommers, who has taught composition and directed composition programs for thirty years, now teaches in Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. She led Harvard’s Expository Writing Program for twenty years, directing the first-year writing program and establishing Harvard’s WAC program. A two-time Braddock Award winner, Sommers is well known for her research and publications on student writing. Her articles “Revision Strategies of Student and Experienced Writers” and “Responding to Student Writing” are two of the most widely read and anthologized articles in the field of composition. Recently she has been exploring different audiences through publishing in popular media. Sommers is the lead author on Hacker handbooks, all published by Bedford/St. Martin’s, and editor of Tiny Teaching Stories on Macmillan Learning’s Bits Blog.

Table of Contents

1 Reading to form an interpretation

2 Planning the paper

3 Writing the paper

4 Observing conventions

5 Integrating quotations from the text

6 Using secondary sources

7 Sample papers

Product Updates

Authors

  • Headshot of Diana Hacker

    Diana Hacker

    Diana Hacker personally class-tested her handbooks with nearly four thousand students over thirty-five years at Prince George’s Community College in Maryland, where she was a member of the English faculty. Hacker handbooks, built on innovation and on a keen understanding of the challenges facing student writers, are the most widely adopted in America. Hacker handbooks, all published by Bedford/St. Martin’s, include A Writer’s Reference, Eleventh Edition (2025); A Pocket Style Manual, Tenth Edition (2025); The Bedford Handbook, Twelfth Edition (2023); Rules for Writers, Tenth Edition (2022); and Writer’s Help 2.0, Hacker Version.

  • Headshot of Nancy Sommers

    Nancy Sommers

    Nancy Sommers, who has taught composition and directed composition programs for thirty years, now teaches in Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. She led Harvard’s Expository Writing Program for twenty years, directing the first-year writing program and establishing Harvard’s WAC program. A two-time Braddock Award winner, Sommers is well known for her research and publications on student writing. Her articles “Revision Strategies of Student and Experienced Writers” and “Responding to Student Writing” are two of the most widely read and anthologized articles in the field of composition. Recently she has been exploring different audiences through publishing in popular media. Sommers is the lead author on Hacker handbooks, all published by Bedford/St. Martin’s, and editor of Tiny Teaching Stories on Macmillan Learning’s Bits Blog.

Table of Contents

1 Reading to form an interpretation

2 Planning the paper

3 Writing the paper

4 Observing conventions

5 Integrating quotations from the text

6 Using secondary sources

7 Sample papers

Product Updates

Writing about Literature is a practical guide to interpreting works of literature and to planning, composing, and documenting papers about literature. Students will find help with forming and supporting an interpretation, avoiding plot summary, integrating quotations from a literary work, observing the conventions of literature papers, and using secondary sources. Writing about Literature also includes two sample student essays — one that uses only a primary source and one that uses primary and secondary sources.

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