Contributes to scholarship on American Studies, Literary Criticism, and Gay Historical Criticism by examining F. O. Matthiessen's "American Renaissance." Argues that criticism of the work misses its homosexual double-consciousness: a resistive form of "passing" labeled "homosexual palimpsest" that manifests itself in…

Provides a comparative analysis between the work of Kenneth Grahame and Enid Blyton. Finds that a truly unbiased comparison is impossible. States that Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows" is most often seen as a "classic," and that Blyton's work is seen as "popular trash." Cautions that definitions of…

Analyzes similarities and differences between Henry Fonda's character Colonel Thursday in John Ford's "Fort Apache" and the historical figure of General George Armstrong Custer. States that historical parallels between Thursday's military defeat and Custer's are, for the most part, fairly obvious. (PA)

Differs with Muhlhausler's (1995) assertion that no culture-neutral boundary exists between what is literal and what is metaphorical. The article concludes that some serviceable account of literal meaning is needed; the two systems of meaning interpenetrate in any language; and over time, metaphorical expressions may assume the status of literal…

Explores the essentialist influences on the public sphere from a feminist perspective, suggesting that an essentialist ideology informs the public/private distinction. Argues that the public sphere is not strictly a result of historical changes or economic influences but is also dependent on an essentialist view of women and men. (PA)

Discussion of the development of critical thinking skills focuses on one undergraduate student's transformations of an example of literary criticism in her essay on "The Woman in White." Finds that within such a context, critical thinking corresponds to a Bakhtinian conception of the "dialogic," in which texts respond to other…

Responds to M. S. Tucker and J. B. Codding's criticism of the middle school concept in their 1999 article "Education and the Demands of Democracy in the Next Millennium." Notes that the authors apparently approve of middle school reform but over-generalize the term "middle school" to mean a building rather than a curriculum or…

Analyses 42 national final round rhetorical criticism speeches from the years 1993-2000, with results indicating that almost half of the speeches were analyses of rhetorical and organizational campaigns, with criticism of texts, orations, art, technology and legislation rarely being selected as artifacts. Considers how less than two minutes per…

Argues that while customizing education through home schooling may permit schooling to be tailored for each individual student, total customization also threatens to insulate students from exposure to diverse ideas and people and thereby to shield them from the vibrancy of a pluralistic democracy. (Contains 10 references.) (Author/PKP)

Authors take issue with an article by Elaine Garan, "Beyond the Smoke and Mirrors: A Critique of the National Reading Panel Report on Phonics," that appeared in the March 2001 issue of "Phi Delta Kappan" wherein she criticized the report's findings on the effectiveness of phonics instruction in helping children to read. (PKP)

Author makes a point-by-point rebuttal to Ehri and Stahl's criticism of her critical analysis of the National Reading Panel report on the effectiveness of phonics instruction in helping children to read. (PKP)

Describes what public school administrators in several states, many from high-performing suburban districts, are doing to express their opposition to state-mandated high-states tests, which they believe are harmful to students and will significantly alter the school curricula. (PKP)

In this article, the author talks about the texts of Jacques Derrida and Dewey. The texts of Jacques Derrida seem inextricably connected to the word deconstruction, yet, Derrida insists, "The word "deconstruction," like all other words, acquires its value only from its inscription in a chain of possible substitutions." The author argues that…

In this response to Pinker and Jackendoff's critique, we extend our previous framework for discussion of language evolution, clarifying certain distinctions and elaborating on a number of points. In the first half of the paper, we reiterate that profitable research into the biology and evolution of language requires fractionation of ''language''…

This article begins by contrasting the popularity of biography in the general culture with the neglect of literary biography as a branch of literary studies. The argument follows from the hybrid character of a genre in which history is crossed with narrative. Using concepts drawn from narratology, it shows how biography's handling of life stories…