A Short Guide to Writing About Literature (Short Guide Series) [Paperback]

Sylvan Barnet (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1995 | ISBN-10: 0823050092 | ISBN-13: 978-0823050093 | Edition: 7

Part of Longman's successful Short Guide Series, A Short Guide to Writing about Literature emphasizes writing as a process and incorporates new critical approaches to writing about literature.  The twelfth edition continues to offer students sound advice on how to become critical thinkers and enrich their reading response through accessible, step-by-step instruction.  

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Preface

Favorable response to the sixth edition has allowed me to revise the book again. Many changes have been made throughout, but the most obvious are:

The increased amount of writing by students— annotations, preliminary notes, entries in journals, drafts, and complete essays Amplified checklists with questions that writers can ask themselves in order to generate ideas for essays Amplified discussions of current critical approaches, for example, Gender (Feminist, Gay and Lesbian) Criticism, Myth Criticism, New Historicism Chapters on What Is Literature?, What Is Interpretation?, and What Is Evaluation? Bibliographic suggestions concerning criticism and interpretation Suggestions about writing with a word processor

Part One (four chapters emphasizing the close connection between reading and writing) assumes that we can't write well unless we can read well. If nothing else, we must be able to read our own prose thoughtfully. Reading, after all, is a way of getting ideas for writing. These early chapters emphasize the importance in the writing process of such activities as annotating a text, brainstorming, keeping a journal, and (especially) asking oneself questions in order to generate ideas. (Oddly, these activities are often called "pre-writing," but in fact they are part of the process of writing.) Explication and analysis are discussed and illustrated with examples.

Part Two, on thinking critically about literature, is almost entirely new to the book. It looks at some definitions of literature, considers the relationships among interpretation, meaning, and evaluation, and then offers a survey of some of the chief critical approaches.

Part Three, on writing about essays, fiction, poetry, drama, and film, introduces the reader to the elements of each genre, but looks back to Part One and provides some drafts and essays by students on representative works. In accordance with the assumption in Part One that asking questions is an invaluable way of getting ideas, each chapter on writing about a genre concludes with a checklist of questions that readers may ask themselves as they read, reread, and think about a work.

Part Four contains three chapters. The first of these, "Style and Format," is a fairly short and direct approach to the elements of clear writing. It treats such matters as denotation, connotation, subordination, paragraphing, and so forth. The latter part of the chapter, devoted to manuscript form, is concerned chiefly with mechanical matters, ranging from the form of the title of an essay to advice on how to introduce quotations. The second chapter in this section, "Writing a Research Paper," includes material on discovering a topic and thesis, on finding material (not only through printed bibliographic guides but also through materials on line and on disc), on using a word processor in writing a research paper, and on the MLA system of documentation. The third chapter briefly discusses essay examinations.

Three appendixes conclude the book: The first includes two stories ("Araby' and "The Lottery") that are the subjects of student essays, the second provides a glossary of literary terms, and the third offers a checklist for writing with a word processor.

I hope that the preceding remarks adequately describe the scope of the book, but some further words must be added. Dr. Johnson said,

There is not so poor a book in the world that would not be a prodigious effort were it wrought out entirely by a single mind, without the air of previous investigators.

I cannot name all of the previous investigators who have helped shape my ideas about literature, about writing about literature, and about teaching writing, but I must acknowledge my indebtedness to Morton Berman, William Burto, and Marcia Stubbs, who never tire of improving my pages, to Lee Edelman, who contributed part of the discussion of gay and lesbian criticism, and (at HarperCollins) to Robert Ginsberg, Judith Leet, and Lisa Moore. Others, who offered valuable help when I revised earlier editions, include Rebecca Argall, James Blake, Randall Brune, David Cavitch, Warren Chelline, Charles Christensen, William Evans, Shearle Furnish, Bruce Golden, Okey Goode, Patricia Graves, Dean Hall, James Heldman, Deena Linnett, William T Liston, Janet Madden, Gratia Murphy, J. M. Pair, Diane Quantic, Virginia Shale, Isabel Bonnyman Stanley, and Tom Zaniello.

When I thought that the manuscript for this edition was in satisfactory shape, the publisher sent it to the following reviewers, all of whom offered valuable suggestions that I have now incorporated into the text: Ann Andrews, Mississippi State University; Robert Evans, Auburn University at Montgomery; Sarah Favors, South Carolina State University; Anita Obermeier, Arizona State University; Judy Stokes, Southside Virginia Community College; Juanita Smart, Washington State University; Christopher Thaiss, George Mason University; and Susan Wing, University of Nebraska Lincoln. One other reader of the manuscript must be singled out for special mention, William Cain of Wellesley College, once my student and now my teacher. His abundant and penetrating annotations of the manuscript have amply repaid me for whatever annotations I put, years ago, on his undergraduate essays.

SYLVAN BARNET --This text refers to the Textbook Binding edition.

From the Back Cover

New features of this edition include: chapters on critical approaches and evaluation of literature expanded checklists for writing and reading a new sample research paper the most current MLA guidelines --This text refers to the Textbook Binding edition.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill Pubns; 7 edition (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823050092
• ISBN-13: 978-0823050093
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,126,609 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful for Non-Majors, January 22, 2007

By 

David S. Goldstein "Literature and film profe... (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Short Guide to Writing About Literature (Short Guides Series) (Paperback)

I teach literature to undergraduate students majoring in interdisciplinary arts and sciences, business, computer science, and nursing. Since I can't count on them having had training in writing about literature, I often assign specific sections of this text, or make it recommended reading for students with less confidence in writing about literature.

My students almost universally praise this text, and I think *their* opinions, rather than those of us teachers, are the ones that really count. They find the specific, nuts-and-bolts suggestions useful, and the explanations clear and helpful.

I recommend this text to any student (high school or college) who wants a concise guide to writing about literature, and any teacher or professor whose students usually lack a solid background in literary study.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A mostly good intro. to college writing/literature, November 8, 2009

By 

R. Ferrell "English major/book lover" (Indianapolis) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Short Guide to Writing about Literature, A (11th Edition) (Paperback)

"A Short Guide to Writing about Literature" is a good little introduction to college-level writing skills and literature that is often taught at the college level. Helpful for those who struggle with writing, but not necessarily useful to individuals who already have good writing skills. The biggest drawback is the constat "you can do it!" attitude. Could be helpful to some who need that extra push, but I found it a little demeaning.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Updated Edition is (Slightly) Better, May 12, 2010

By 

L. G. Sincebaugh "reader in seoul" (Wherever I can read) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Short Guide to Writing about Literature, A (11th Edition) (Paperback)

The back of the 11th edition gives five reasons why this edition is better than the other ones. I disagree that the 11th edition is that much better than the 9th edition, which I also have. The paper cover of the 11th edition feels flimsier and weaker.

The back of the 11th edition claims there are five (good) reasons exclusive to the 11th edition as to why you should buy it. The written explanation for the first reason could be both simpler and clearer: "A new introduction in Chapter 1 explains writing as a process in which you argue with--and ultimately explain something to--yourself." Arguing with yourself does not sound either safe nor advisable, especially if you are having a bad day. Explaining things to yourself sounds like one needs help of the non-literary kind.

Reason number two sounds good: "An updated chapter on print and electronic research [offering] advice..." This is nothing new, but why shouldn't the reader benefit from another's digital wisdom? The amount of digital information available on the Web grows exponentially faster than one can keep up with.

Reason number three (sounds like door number three) is from the more is better paradigm: Twenty model student essays--including three new to this edition... This is a very good feature of this writing guide. I never counted how many there were in the 9th edition, but in this case, more is better. Generally, I have found the example essays, analysis and explications to be of great help, except for the section on meter, which I found just as difficult as the 9th edition's explanation.

Reason number four: "Updated bilographical references..." More of the more is better paradigm. Can't complain with that.

Reason number five (the last one): "New and expanded 'Rules for Writing...'" Almost every How to Write book or textbook I have looked at contains a section like this, so, I have to say this is nice but nothing really new.

I gave this new edition four stars out of five. The first reason didn't make sense and, I thought, needed re-writing to be clearer thus more helpful and/or convincing. The real reason for why you, or anyone else should buy this book, is that it is very good at taking a subject, which can be made as complex or as simple as you desire, and breaking it down into smaller, more productive and clearer steps, which should help you write better. I recently bought two copies of the 11th edition, one of which I gave to a student, and the other, I have to admit--I kept for myself. And that is my second reason for why you should buy this book. It is good enough, even though the 9th edition was not broken and needed repair, that I bit the bullet and kept a copy for myself. This is one of the more helpful reference and How to Write, self-help books available.

P.S. I was not an English major and this book series did a very good job at answering most of the questions I have and have had.