The phenomenon of writer use of sport inferences in the literary genre of the novel is examined in the works of Updike and Mailer. Novels of both authors were reviewed in order to study the pattern of usage in each novel. From these patterns, concepts which illustrated the sport philosophies of each author were used for general comparisons of the…

This paper examined the portrayal of 28 librarians depicted in 25 romance novels published between 1980 and 1995. The purpose of the study was to measure how that portrayal compared to the stereotypical image so often criticized in the professional literature. Furthermore, the results of the study were compared with the results of a master's…

This study was conducted to determine which method for vocabulary instruction was most beneficial: learning words through the context of literature and reading or through isolated word lists. Subjects, 45 high school students taking Freshman English, were divided into 2 groups. All students were studying Charles Dickens' novel "Great…

This study explored the themes in children's fiction with the subject of an alcoholic parent and evaluated the treatment of the subject in novels from the 1960s and the 1980s. It was hypothesized that, compared to writings from the 1960s, writings from the 1980s would more often contain references to the disease concept of alcoholism, would more…

Young adults read not only to experience real-life problems, but also to "escape" from those problems. The two most popular types of novels available to teens are the contemporary realistic problem novel and the formula romance novel. A study examined the incidence of specific adolescent developmental tasks (adolescent problems/concerns)…

The adult novel offers indexers an unusual opportunity to create a serialized fiction index. This research paper involved designing and creating a Character Index, Thesaurus, Glossary, and Abstract (with descriptors) for 21 novels based on the "Star Wars" movies. The novels are an unusual example of serialized fiction featuring main…

This dissertation presents a method for teaching secondary students many recognized critical approaches to the study of literature, so that they may choose the methods that function best for them with a given work. The novels of a contemporary American author, Jack Matthews, are used to show how the method operates. The investigator reports many…

Combining academic prose, some narrative, a poem, and some literary criticism, this project paper presents a theoretical framework for the literature base of the curriculum the teacher hopes to make operational on various levels over several years. The first section of the paper discusses the goals and various approaches of multicultural…

The two primary objectives of this dissertation were to describe the 48 novels taught in English classes in a specific secondary school in Pennsylvania and, through a survey, to determine whether these novels were unique or representative of novels taught in other Pennsylvania schools. The description of each novel includes a critical summary, the…

A study determined if there would be any significant difference in comprehension test scores when learning disabled students were instructed with and without graphic organizers while reading novels. Subjects were five male fifth-grade learning disabled students reading on the fourth-grade level, who came from the same middle-class suburban school…

A descriptive profile of adolescent response to literature is presented in this study, which also examines findings in terms of psychoanalytic concepts that relate response to life styles in terms of Piaget's genetic epistemology. There are two primary questions in this investigation: What is the psychological dynamic of response to literature? By…

The purpose of this study was to apply a schema to adolescent novels, to determine what lessons the authors teach and what techniques they employ in their teaching. A historical review of literary criticism established a background for interpreting the educational function of literature. A schema of questions based on the historical background was…

It was the purpose of this study to identify and to describe black developmental tasks as treated in 10 randomly-selected black junior novels and to measure the extent to which they were present in the novels. Nineteen judges rated books appearing on the judges' list of 32 black junior novels, published during the period 1962-72. From these…

There has been no specific, detailed study, accompanied by pedagogical apparatus, of Mexican-American literature available for use in the high school English classroom. This study shows that there is a significant amount of Mexican-American literature which can be incorporated effectively into a high school literature program to meet the needs of…