Reacts to previous article in which Becvar and Becvar contend that ecosystemic model represents counter-cultural movement, turning point, in mental health field. Finds it sad that, to many helping professionals, ecosystemic approach is still considered revolutionary. Hopes that Becvar and Becvar's article will stimulate continued discussion of…

Discusses how films portraying the lives of young adults can serve as the basis for a "viewer response" study of film and filmmaking. Lists and summarizes 50 films found to be suitable for teaching to young adults. Provides criteria by which the films were selected. (HB)

Responds to previous article by Popenoe on American family decline from 1960 through 1990. Notes that, also the author agrees with Popenoe's view that the family is in decline, she and Popenoe conceptualize the family in fundamentally incompatible ways. Asserts that anthropological and historical studies suggest that family is not an institution…

Responds to previous article by Popenoe on American family decline from 1960 through 1990. Argues that it is possible to reject Popenoe's causal analysis but to accept his conclusion that there is much troubling in the American family. Considers what can be done to reduce prevalence of family distress and increase adaptive functioning of…

Responds to readers' comments concerning author's original article on the decline of the American family over the past 30 years. Considers reasons for the controversy over the notion of family decline. Contends that resolving ideological disputes is a much more difficult task than settling empirical disagreements since ideological disputes can…

Offers an overview of contrasts and similarities in various approaches to Shakespeare studies. Discusses how a shift in perspectives from grappling with tragic moral themes to examining aesthetic and semantic complexity represents a productive way to respond to Shakespeare. (NH)

Discusses a small group of picture books that display two of Quentin Blake's great strengths: (1) the inventiveness of his concept and design; and (2) the representation of his own view that a children's book can be a place where adults and children meet on equal footing. (NH)

Examines Cornell Woolrich's 1940 novel, "The Bride Wore Black," which Francois Truffaut scripted and adapted for the screen in 1967. Pursues the focus on audience receptivity, where an adaptation faces its ultimate test. Analyzes the novel from a reader response perspective, then moves to the film as Truffaut sought to…

Tells the plot of the novel "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbitt--the Tucks are invulnerable and immortal, but everlasting life holds trials for them. Provides seven questions for stimulating student response to the novel. (PA)

Argues that elementary language-arts teachers should expand their definition of "text" to include film, a valuable instructional material. Notes that today's elementary students come to class with a great deal of knowledge about films--prior experiences which teachers can tap into. Discusses the application to film of reader-response theories. (SR)

Borrows Robertson Davies definition of "fifth business": roles in a drama that are neither heroine nor hero but are necessary nevertheless to carry out the denouement. Suggests that reading may be seen as a play in which there is some fifth business without which the reading process cannot fully happen. Uses a variety of typefaces. (TB)

Explores adolescent literature author Michael Dorris's depiction of the American-Indian adolescent experience. Suggests that Dorris writes in a way that challenges readers, eliciting responses from them that help them better understand American Indians and themselves. (RS)

Argues that the most common use of reader-response theory in the classroom is misguided in its emphasis on personal response and identification. Discusses the social and political nature of readers, texts, and contexts. Suggests that when a text is about characters whose life and culture are very different from the reader's, it can heighten the…

Presents a teaching method that provides students with the necessary tools to analyze college-level poetry. Suggests that because reader response has greatly overplayed its corrective to "New Criticism," the HEI (Hypothesis-Experiment-Instruction) method of teaching literature could serve as a third choice among teachers interested in avoiding the…

Applies the reader response theory of literary critic Wolfgang Iser to the reading of Chris Crutcher's novel "Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes." Examines both the reader's engagement with the novel and Eric Calhoune's engagement with the world of Sarah Byrnes. (RS)