Discusses examples in "Moby Dick" of Melvillean words symptomatic of the significance of Ishmael's rhetorical energy, in order to suggest that Ishmael's language reflects Melville's search for lexical and rhetorical forms that express the democratic impulse. (SRT)

Suggests that the English profession should take another look at children's literature as an important area for further study. (RB)

Discusses teaching J. Austen's "Emma" in light of the issue of happiness in order to make the novel more interesting to students who do not like Emma, the character. Suggests that the multiplicity of questions raised by Austen will provide sufficient material for discussion. (SRT)

Warns that English departments' emphasis on literary criticism and "explications de texte" introduced too early in undergraduate English majors' careers can crush students' enthusiasm and interest. (AEA)

Discusses poststructuralism in the classroom--the use of contemporary literary theory in teaching undergraduates, as well as some of its consequences. (AEA)

Addresses the problems in discussing nineteenth-century British literature in the classroom and advocates encouraging students to take and support various interpretations of text. (DF)

Ruminates on and analyzes the author's experiences in teaching the first course in women's literature and feminist criticism at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Asserts that the course brought to consciousness the author's femininity, feminism, and a new understanding of feminist criticism. (MM)

Presents a brief overview of previous psychoanalytically based theories of Shakespeare's plays, particularly "Hamlet," and defends the notion of introducing undergraduates to psychoanalytically based criticism because of the insights it may give students into their own lives. (JC)

Discusses reading and teaching Renaissance poetry in terms of the poem's "resonance," its capacity to speak to contemporary readers directly and draw them into its historical world. Advises teachers to expand the resonance to illuminate the poem's background, as exemplified by the poetry of Thomas Wyatt in the court of Henry VIII. (DF)

Clarifies the three forms--compensatory, justificatory, and transformational--that feminist criticism usually takes and, in particular, how it applies to Shakespeare studies. Examines some women's roles in Shakespeare's plays and the effect of feminist criticism on interpretations of these characters. (JC)

Lists the benefits of lecturing over other instructional methods. (AEA)