Working from both literary and composition theory, this book argues that American composition theory and pedagogy of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is founded on the Platonic view that invention is a solitary act in which the individual, drawing upon innate knowledge and mental structures, searches for the truth, using introspective self…

Suggests women writers as alternatives to traditionally taught male writers, identifies women writers as representatives of parallel tradition and genres not usually studied in a survey, and discusses some of the best feminist scholarship and criticism. (MM)

Describes the creation of two anthologies of personal narratives by women. Explains how letters can stimulate students to become active readers using, as an example, letters written by a woman during the Civil War. (SRT)

This volume, the fourth in a series, brings together the conversations of the profession that were explored during the 1993 and 1994 Summer Institute for Teachers of Literature. This anthology of essays considers what "American literature" is and how definitions of this category affect teaching practices. The essays argue for the…

A course emphasizing the relationship between literature and human rights can provide opportunities to examine the history of social protest literature and to look at the distinctions between authors and cultural or historical contexts. One such course used guest lecturers involved in human rights struggles and special events outside the…