Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama (8th Edition) (Hardcover)

by X. J. Kennedy (Author), Dana Gioia (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The most popular introduction of its kind, Literature 8/e, reflects a balance of classic works along with contemporary and non-Western authors. Writer's Perspectives sections give commentary on the craft of writing and revising from authors which provide insight and a more human perspective on literature and the writing process. Writing Critically sections expand coverage of composition with accessible and pragmatic suggestions on writing. Critical Approaches to Literature section provides three essays on every major school of criticism with sections on gender criticism and cultural studies. More than 150 photographs, author portraits, production shots of plays, and actors in performance-gives readers important perspectives. New casebooks on Flannery O'Connor and Raymond Carver, as well as two new drama casebooks: Sophocles and Shakespeare. New Stories and poems have been added. Two new plays: Stoppard's The Real Inspector Hound and Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape. A New Glossary of Literary terms has been added.

From the Back Cover
The most popular introduction of its kind, Literature 8/e, reflects a balance of classic works along with contemporary and non-Western authors. Writer's Perspectives sections give commentary on the craft of writing and revising from authors which provide insight and a more human perspective on literature and the writing process. Writing Critically sections expand coverage of composition with accessible and pragmatic suggestions on writing. Critical Approaches to Literature section provides three essays on every major school of criticism with sections on gender criticism and cultural studies. More than 150 photographs, author portraits, production shots of plays, and actors in performance-gives readers important perspectives. New casebooks on Flannery O'Connor and Raymond Carver, as well as two new drama casebooks: Sophocles and Shakespeare. New Stories and poems have been added. Two new plays: Stoppard's The Real Inspector Hound and Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape. A New Glossary of Literary terms has been added.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 2352 pages
• Publisher: Longman; 8 edition (August 8, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321087682
• ISBN-13: 978-0321087683
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.4 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #344,999 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Teaching Anthology, January 29, 2001

By	Nessander - See all my reviews

This review is from: Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama (7th Edition) (Hardcover)

... First of all, it is massive and contains three books in one - fiction, poetry and drama. Each section includes a plethora of selections as well as longer works (like the full length plays of Hamlet and Macbeth). So one is really getting quite a library from this one book.

Even better, the sections are organized along themes in order to teach the student (or interested reader) how to appreciate the various forms. So the poetry section has sections on sound, figures of speech, rhythm, closed and open form, etc. I suppose this comes from it being a textbook for undergraduate courses - in any case, it pays off. I've learned a tremendous amount already. It's all in very easy to understand non-technical language, too.

At the end of the book, there is even a brief section on various forms of literary criticism. The book contains numerous student essays, brief author biographies, reflections by the authors on their own works (this is really great), and it reflects a really broad range of genres and time periods (unfortunately the section on haiku is plagued by bad translations, and there aren't enough examples of Chinese and other Japanese poetry... oh well!). There is also an emphasis on getting the reader to practice (and write for him or herself) what is being taught. So if you want to be a writer, this is great.

If you're a beginner interested in getting into literature, this is really a great way to do it. Don't be put off by the massiveness of this book - it's really a resource. Just start in one small place (I started in 'poetry') and work your way around. It will definitely increase your appreciation for literature.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprsingly Wonderful!, September 28, 2007

By	CD "Cat" (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama (10th Edition) (Kennedy/Gioia Literature Series) (Hardcover)

I picked this book up for a class, expecting to be perfectly bored. Instead, this book woke up my sleeping love of learning and literature. The book is easy to understand and contains MANY great stories and poems in it. It also has a great glossary and index was well. It came with an additional feature, MyLiteratureLab, which is an accompanying web page. That is also very helpful indeed.
This book is so good, there were even people at work wanting to check it out!

19 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent Anthology, June 4, 2000

By	Hapworth (Palma de Mallorca, Spain) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama (Hardcover)

The Kennedy Anthology is a decent dependable sampler. I studied from it as an undergraduate and I now use it, as a grad student, to teach introductory lit classes (supplementing it, of course, with outside material)

I'm suprised, however, at the reviewer's comments above. Yes, Kennedy includes rock songs in the poetry section, but claims dismissing their inclusion are faulty for two reasons. 1)Rock lyrics, whether you're fond of them or not, do qualify as poetry (they are verse, after all and whether or not rock and roll lyrics stand as "good" poetry is a completely separate issue) and 2)Despite the fact that popular lyrics are included in the poetry section, the canonical giants are still well-represented (no need to fret, Whitman hasn't gone anywhere). In other words, if you dislike the rock lyrics, well, simply don't teach them.

More importantly, in a field as diverse and (usually) liberal as literature, I'm shocked that people still complain about multiculturalism and international literature "taking away" from established great texts. Isn't this PC debate over? Haven't we all now simply accepted the fact that including diverse texts isn't a PC issue but rather an issue of good old common sense? Does anyone really still question the validity of marginalized (yet talented) voices being heard? Hasn't liberal humanism (at least in its problematic manifestations) been successfully deconstructed? Frankly, I'm frightened to think how there are English instructors out there actually arguing AGAINST diversity. Then again, I'm also incredibly naive.

Lastly, I like lit textbooks that include examples of student essays. I employ a workshop method in my class and my students and I look at a variety of essays throughout the term--from established professionals, from students, and from me. Students are too often bombarded with "professional" examples of what they are expected to produce. Why not include examples of reasonable essays that are more or less within their rhetorical reach?