Considers explanations for women's use of less violent methods to commit suicide. Reinterprets "Snow White" and makes parallel with contemporary clinical cases to show that illusion of a nondefinitive death is often assimilated, in western culture, with step toward rebirth. (Author/NB)

Outlines requirements for an exploratory account of "imaging" the future. Examines relationship of Kenneth Burke's notions of "piety" to (1) the nature of language and forming, (2) Kenneth Boulding's concept of subjective knowledge structure presented in "The Image," and (3) various aspects of an "image."…

Elaborates on an author's use of the journey motif and traces and examines its use in her novels. (NKA)

Provides an overview of utopian writing and experimentation from Plato to the present, looking at the impact of technological advancement on the individual and the society and arguing that "appropriate technology" may well be an outcome of "evolution in action." (AYC)

Explores similarities in the feminist visions of Elizabeth Stuart Phelps and Marge Piercy, and the differences in their works resulting from changes in women's real-world experiences and in the feminist movement itself between the 1880s and the 1980s. (AYC)

Examining Afro-Americans in Vietnam in three novels reveals three components of their war experience: (1) a positive opportunity to prove fighting skills; (2) disillusionment when treated discriminatorily by white commanding officers; and (3) a cultural-historical search to make sense of their involvement in the war. (LHW)

An approach that teaches secondary students about Vietnam within the framework of the world history/world culture course is described. By reading and studying Vietnamese fiction and poetry, students learn about Vietnam from a Vietnamese perspective instead of the usual exclusive Western viewpoint. (RM)

Frequency-of-circulation distributions from 16 United Kingdom libraries participating in initial period of operation of the Public Lending Right are discussed. Differences between the libraries are highlighted, and, for each, the adequacy of various refinements of the simplest model (geometric distribution, negative binomial distribution, or mixed…

This bibliographic essay cites fiction titles for adolescents in grades seven through 12 on a wide range of subjects and reading levels. Suggestions for preparing booktalks to promote current books, introductions and summaries to be used for particular titles, and the effectiveness of booktalks are highlighted. (EJS)

Discusses the writer as critic and criticism in the world of children's books. Argues that the best of children's literature deserves all the searchings and reflections that can be devoted to it. (EL)

Lists adolescent novels that dramatize the trauma of war for the young. (EL)

This 40-item annotated bibliography lists ghost novels intended for the fourth- to eighth-grade reading levels in the following categories: disturbed children, evil, family ghosts, restless spirits, time shifts, and weird phenomena. A discussion of the categorization of ghost stories and distinctions between poltergeists and apparitions is…

Trends in foreign children's books observed at International Bologna Book Fair (1984/85) indicate that publishers in Europe (The Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, England, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia) and Japan sell most children's books to general public and respond more directly to readers' interests…

Science fiction writers' perceptions of the "thinking machine" are examined through a review of Baum's Oz books, Heinlein's "Beyond This Horizon," science fiction magazine articles, and works about robots including Asimov's "I, Robot." The future of computers in science fiction is discussed and suggested readings are listed. (MBR)

Learning activities are suggested to give secondary students an understanding of totalitarian concepts found in such literature as "1984" and of violations of international human rights. (RM)