Frederick Douglass, as a nineteenth-century writer, experimented with all manner of discourses including sentimentality, romance and, more significantly, the vernacular tradition. In his works like "My Bondage" and "Life and Times of Frederick Douglass", the confidence of a writer willing to experiment with contrasting forms and willing to make a…

The high school students who spent five weeks studying the style and craft of Ernest Hemingway experienced the power and plus points of apprenticeships. Several assignments that helped the high school juniors to analyze Hemingway's work on short stories and learn from this master craftsman are presented.

This article seeks to explore the influence of the knowledge economy on the status of writing and literacy. It inquires into what happens to writers and their writing when texts serve as the chief commercial products of an organization--when such high-stakes factors as corporate reputation, client base, licensing, competitive advantage, growth,…

As a primary science writer, the author finds writing the books for children far more satisfying than writing those for teachers. In the pupil books, one can speak directly to the child. Teacher notes are always interpreted by somebody else, but pupil books are not mediated by the teacher in the same way. Writing them offers particular challenges:…

In the good old days, the state that is Nebraska was identified as part of the Great American Desert. In many ways, in climate and terrain, it still bears a resemblance to a desert. As a frontier or a land of pioneers, it deserves recognition. Invisibility may be one of the greatest challenges women face. One of the great flaws in the writing of…

For more than a century, linguists have been interested in the study of frequent word combinations. The present study investigated a special type of word combination, lexical bundles, defined as a sequence of three or more words that co-occur frequently in a particular register [Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English, Longman, London,…

This article reviews a number of works of fiction about the Holocaust intended for children and young adult readers and discusses the strategies used by their authors to educate their readers without overwhelming them with highly emotional information. Several popular and effective strategies are highlighted, along with examples of works of…

This article, written in response to an invitation from "CLE," describes the origins and controversial content of "dunno," a first novel, self-published by Peter Inson, a former teacher and headmaster. Inson considers influences upon his writing, the thinking which led him towards self-publication and the process of personally launching and…

Recent, highly productive discussions of intellectual property and authorship in English studies have concentrated on two broad areas of inquiry. Scholars have repeatedly asserted fair use principles to mobilize resistance against the legal trends restricting texts' circulation. At the same time, growing appreciation of student writing and other…

This article discusses the contribution made by Joseph Conrad's fictional writing to our understanding of cultural awareness. Never comfortable with his adopted English culture, Conrad used his experiences in different parts of the world during his career in the merchant navy to explore in his writing aspects of cultural dissonance and cultural…

In his recent book, "The Art of Living: Socratic Reflections from Plato to Foucault," Alexander Nehamas presents two conceptions of philosophy--philosophy as a theorethical discipline concerned to offer arguments; and the interest of Socrates, Montaigne, and also Nietzsche and Foucault in the art of living. Building on his "Nietzsche: Life as…

In this article, the author presents a profile of Nikki Grimes, award-winning poet and author of children's books. Grimes spent much of her childhood in and out of foster homes, where she discovered that reading provided a much-needed escape. This love of reading eventually led also to a love of writing. Having no formal training as a poet, Grimes…

It was most likely in the spring of 1966 that the late American Indian novelist James Welch wrote his first novel, predating his first published fiction by eight years. The titleless, hand-corrected typescript, stored in his Missoula home for many years, is 114 pages long and unfinished. The book is playful and experimental the way warm-ups…

Author presents observations related to college students' informal manner of addressing authors when writing critically about literary works composed in the first person. Topics analyzed include students' relationship with the author depending on the literary work, and students' familiarity when addressing their elders and authority figures in the…

The authors describe their experience using a learner-centered approach to turn learner writing into booklets. When students write about their own lives, they can focus on the language they need to express their ideas. Interaction increases because interest is high. Near beginners can create fact sheets about themselves, and more advanced students…