Describes the creation of two anthologies of personal narratives by women. Explains how letters can stimulate students to become active readers using, as an example, letters written by a woman during the Civil War. (SRT)

Offers several reasons why English teachers should set aside the notion of literature and center teaching around the related but distinct notion of textuality. Discusses why the study of textuality should play a major role in a full curriculum aimed toward the development of alert, aware citizens. (JD)

Two different approaches to teaching Voltaire's "Candide", one deriving meaning from the textual fabric or "inside" of the story and the other focusing on the author's "external" intent in writing the story, are presented and compared. (MSE)

Contrasts the narrative strategies of two books, Carol Gilligan's "In a Different Voice" and George Eliot's "The Mill on the Floss." Argues that the narrative voice of both is similar, but Eliot has a clearer realization of the limits imposed on women's voice. Gilligan counsels synthesis of the male and female voice, but Eliot…

Examines the typical curriculum in an English department and the place of literary and critical theory within it. (SRT)

Examines the obsession with gruesome, nightmarish situations in Victorian children's literature. (SRT)

Discusses the connections between the study of literary texts, language, and composition and the impact of these connections on English instruction and English programs. (SRT)

Examines a high school literature censorship case, and challenges the assumption that values can be "absorbed" through emotional engagement with a "transparent" text. Concludes with guidelines for avoiding indoctrination by viewing literature as the construction of fictional worlds whose values are decoded by calculated acts of…

Analyzes the rhetoric of agricultural conservationists focusing on the 1930s Dust Bowl, revealing that its potential for promoting environmentally sound land-use practices was limited. Argues that the vulnerability of conservation efforts to competing forces was largely a function of the hierarchy of motives associated with land use. (SRT)

Discusses the quality of current political argument, the relation between this and public attention to politics, the competency of the public to evaluate political argument, and whether political argument and public competence can be improved. (SRT)

Argues that higher literacy levels, better instruction in rhetoric, and increased critical thinking abilities would improve both political discourse and public policy. (SRT)

Discusses public interest in historical novels and television programs. Argues that well-researched historical novels can be used in history classes to promote a deeper understanding of the past. Analyzes various types of historical fiction (e.g., historical romances and "alternative-path" stories) in terms of their historical integrity…

Suggests that satisfied readers write to the authors whose books they have enjoyed. Discusses Arnold Lobel, a much admired children's author, and proceeds to send him a fan letter. (NKA)

Examines Rosemary Wells's "None of the Above," a young adult novel of despair, whose bitterness arises from the choices young people face in the dreary contemporary world. (NKA)

Argues that though college examiners seem to desire candidates' personal responses to literature, the examination questions require students to reply to the opinions of others rather than explain their own opinions. (SRT)