Suggests that helping children to discover that literary works are related to one another by conventions and recurring elements not only gives shape to their individual literary experiences, it also brings a sense of literature as a body of interrelated works. Discusses 10 works of children's literature that aid in children's growth toward…

Contributes to scholarship on rhetorical criticism and the civil rights movement by interrogating the memory of the 1963 March on Washington. Analyzes remarks delivered by John Lewis. Compares Lewis's prepared speech with the speech he delivered. Reveals a synecdochic struggle over the rhetoric of the civil rights movement and what was sayable in…

Discusses T. S. Eliot's communicational scepticism, defined as "...the idea that meaning is to some extent private to each individual, since language is an inadequate instrument for conveying thoughts from one mind to another." The article examines various issues relating to the literary criticism of Eliot's poetry. (20 references) (CK)

Examines the relationship between the Ph.D. job market, the social and political marginalization of literary criticism, and the movement toward preprofessionalism and politicization of literary studies among graduate students. Suggests that the poor market has led graduate students toward hyperpoliticization and hyperprofessionalism. (TB)

Explores and describes (from the standpoint of a retired department chair) the paradigm change, one of Copernican proportions, that has occurred in English departments from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. Compares Modern Language Association bulletins from 1978 and from 1994. (TB)

Argues the historical reference group orientation and personal identity study material done on blacks in the United States are flawed because they made inappropriate assumptions about the link between these two measures. Further, conclusions drawn from these materials constitute a major obstacle to the accurate understanding of the processes of…

Examines Maurice Sendak's recent picture book in the context of his other work. Looks at the text and illustrations in some detail; suggests psychological and political interpretations; and discusses responses of children. Argues that the book forces educators to examine their own basic assumptions about what constitutes literature for children.…

Discusses criticism of middle school reform based on questions about the universality and intensity of the characteristics of early adolescence. Suggests ways in which middle school advocates might respond to various criticisms, from using research evidence to supplementing their emphasis on development with a socially conscious commitment to…

Despite recent research by regional historians, Appalachian museums continue to collect and exhibit artifacts that conform to a century-old "canon" romanticizing pioneer life. Within this framework, Appalachian craft objects are considered low-status compared to the material culture of colonial elites exhibited in major urban museums.…

Paintings can fulfill many different pedagogical purposes. They can illuminate and bring to life historical events and characters. Paintings and other images can also make students aware of a point of view (the artist's commentary), which enriches and modifies the history they find in books and documents. This article provides examples of teaching…

Proposes that responsible reading and literary criticism must begin with an understanding that communicating with language--and particularly with the language found in literary text--poses many challenges, and that the art of literary interpretation must always be informed with a deep respect for the complexities posed by language, culture, and…

Discusses two recent novels that employ techniques more familiar to science fiction than to historical fiction to probe questions of history and authenticity. Considers how these novels expose the way that those who attempt to bear witness to the history of slavery are ostracized, pathologized, and even institutionalized. (SG)

Considers how mapping literary works provides students with a powerful tool for critical analysis. Suggests that educators need to force students to do something different with the text. Notes that the author's solution is to insist that her students visualize the text on paper. (SG)

Focuses on the paradoxical role played by exclusion in any attempt to create an inclusive space. Explores the nature of inclusion/exclusion dynamic in English Studies in general and more specifically in classrooms that use critical theory to address the need for social change. Concludes that the principle of exclusion is entangled with efforts at…

Discusses the popularity in Britain and America in the 1920s of texts written by little girls. Suggests the child writer offers a private experience that seems to speak only to the reader but in reality speaks to everyone. Claims the child writer is at once perfectly ordinary and utterly extraordinary. (NH)