"What is Literature? A Critical Anthology" explores the most fundamental question in literary studies. 'What is literature?' is the name of a problem that emerges with the idea of literature in European modernity. This volume offers a cross-section of modern literary theory and reflects on the history of thinking about literature as a…

The relevance of the research problem is caused by the lack of a single complete system for determining the subgenre differences in the epistolary genre in literary criticism. Thus, this research is devoted to the problem of clarification of the difference between epistolary literature and epistolary journalism in their development over time. The…

This semiotically informed article problematizes the concept of literacy as an aesthetic activity rather than reading skills and offers strategies for assessing young readers' understanding of fictional texts. Although not based on empirical research, the essay refers to and theorizes from extensive field studies of children's responses to…

This article argues that fictional writing has the potential to make a distinctive contribution to educational scholarship but brings challenges to conventional ways in which educational research is judged. It focuses on the discipline required by fictional writing and on the interplay between reader and text. It is argued that the rigour and…

The purpose of this article is to contribute to the discussion concerning the value and validity of fiction, and arts-based approaches more broadly, as research. I offer this contribution through a narrative: "Conference Story." The narrative involves its characters, in an Oxford pub, debating the merits and otherwise of Peter Clough's (2002)…

Describes the five major principles of fiction classification laid out by early theorists and discusses studies that measure patron reactions to fiction classification schemes. Areas for further research are suggested, and 15 references are listed.(MES)

To explore whether different balances of fiction/non-fiction reading and challenge might help explain differences in reading achievement between genders, data on 45,670 pupils who independently read over 3 million books were analysed. Moderate (rather than high or low) levels of challenge were positively associated with achievement gain, but…

Describes the treatment by several novelists and ethnographers of the rainwitch myth of southwest native culture, which concerns a woman who has magical powers to bring about rainfall. Discusses the influence of classical mythology on its development in modern times. (DM)

Based on a doctoral dissertation, this paper describes a study of why displays of books increase use. Two hypotheses were tested using standard pretest-posttest experimental designs at two small Illinois public libraries. Increased accessibility and visibility were found to be causes, while narrowing the browser's choice was not. (Author/EM)

Presents a fictional account of a science teacher and her use of constructivism as a referent for her various roles. Describes how she came to teach in this manner, her involvement in staff development activities, and an evolution in her thinking from an objectivist to a constructivist system of semantics. Presents implications for the reform of…

Frequency-of-circulation distributions from 16 United Kingdom libraries participating in initial period of operation of the Public Lending Right are discussed. Differences between the libraries are highlighted, and, for each, the adequacy of various refinements of the simplest model (geometric distribution, negative binomial distribution, or mixed…

A developmental model of story liking predicts that (1) reader identification increases with greater perceived similarity between character and reader; (2) increased identification leads to greater suspense; (3) liking of story outcome is a joint function of character valence and outcome valence; and (4) overall liking of story increases with…

Discusses how the aesthetic concerns of African Americans are reflected in the writing of Black women and introduces the characteristics of African culture as they relate to African-American culture. Emphasizes the intuitive musical quality of Black language as expressed in poetry and fiction. (FMW)

Examines the moral orientations of 212 male and female characters in 50 works of fiction for school-aged children using a modified version of Lyon's coding scheme. Findings confirm sex role stereotypic characterizations that could influence development of moral decision-making. (FMW)

To test the strength of a booklist as a selection aid, an experimental/control group research design was used in the Lexington Library of the Davidson County (North Carolina) Public Library System to measure the effect of a booklist on the circulation of a group of fiction books that had not been checked out from the library in 4 years or longer.…