FIFTH EDITIOfsj ,. '/'J^.':.
THE BEpfOKD£INTKODUCTION T 0; L1TEKATUKE
Keadlng • TklTiking • Writing
MicKaet MeyerUniversity of Connecticut
BEDFORD /ST. MARTIN'S Boston & New York
Contents
Resources for Writing about Literature Inside front cover
Preface for Instructors vii
Introduction: Reading Imaginative Literature
The Nature of Literature iEMILY DICKINSON, A narrow Fellow in the Grass 2
The Value of Literature 3The Changing Literary Canon 5
FICTION
1. Reading Fiction 9
Reading Fiction Responsively 9KATE CHOPIN, The Story of an Hour 10
A Sample Paper: Differences in Responses to Kate Chopin's"The Story of an Hour" 14
Explorations and Formulas 18A Composite of a Romance Tip Sheet 20
PHOTO: Romance Novel Cover 23
A Comparison of Two Stories 24KAREN VAN DER ZEE, From A Secret Sorrow 25
GAIL GODWIN, A Sorrowful Woman 33
PERSPECTIVE: TANIA MODLESKI, The Popularity of Romance Novels 38
PERSPECTIVE: THOMAS JEFFERSON, On the Dangers of Reading Fiction 39
2. Writing about Fiction 40
From Reading to Writing 40Questions for Responsive Reading and Writing 41
xix
XX Contents
A Sample Student Paper in Progress 43
First Response 43Brainstorming 45Revising: First and Second Drafts 45Final Draft: Fulfillment or Failure? Marriage in A Secret Sorrow and
"A Sorrowful Woman" 54
3. Plot 60
EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS, From Tarzan of the Apes 62
PERSPECTIVE: GORE VIDAL, The Popularity of the Tarzan Books 68
MARK HALLIDAY, Young Man on Sixth Avenue 70
WILLIAM FAULKNER, A Rose for Emily 72
PERSPECTIVE: WILLIAM FAULKNER, On "A Rose for Emily" 79
ANDRE DUBUS, Killings 81
PERSPECTIVE: THOMAS E. KENNEDY, On Morality and Revenge in "Killings" 94
PERSPECTIVE: A. L. BADER, Nothing Happens in Modern Short Stories 9$
4. Character 97
CHARLES DICKENS, From Hard Times 98
BHARATI MUKHERJEE, The Tenant 102
HERMAN MELVILLE, Bartleby, the Scrivener 113
PERSPECTIVE: NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE, On Herman Melville's Philosophic Stance 138
PERSPECTIVE: DAN McCALL, On the Lawyer's Character in "Bartleby, the Scrivener" 139
LEON ROOKE, Sweethearts 141
5. Setting 143
ERNEST HEMINGWAY, Soldier's Home 14s
PERSPECTIVE: E. E. CUMMINGS, my sweet old etcetera 151
PERSPECTIVE: ERNEST HEMINGWAY, On What Every Writer Needs 152
FAY WELDON, IND AFF, or Out of Love in Sarajevo 153
PERSPECTIVE: FAY WELDON, On the Importance of Place in "IND AFF" 159
RUTH PRAWERJHABVALA, The Englishwoman 160
DAVID UPDIKE, Summer 169
6. Point of View 174
Third-Person Narrator 175First-Person Narrator 177
TONI CADE BAMBARA, The Lesson 179
ANTON CHEKHOV, The Lady with the Pet Dog 185
PERSPECTIVE: TWO Additional Translations of the Final Paragraphs of Anton Chekhov's"The Lady with the Pet Dog" 197
Contents xxi
ANTON CHEKHOV, From "The Lady and the Dog" (Translated
by Constance Garnett) 197
ANTON CHEKHOV, From "A Lady with a Dog" (Translated by Ronald Hingley) 198
PERSPECTIVE: ANTON CHEKHOV, On Morality in Fiction 199
JOYCE CAROL OATES, The Lady with the Pet Dog soo
PERSPECTIVE: MATTHEW C. BRENNAN, Point of View and Plotting in Chekhov'sand Oates's "The Lady with the Pet Dog" 213
7. Symbolism 215SANDRA CISNEROS, Barbie-Q 218
COLETTE [SIDONIE-GABRIELLE COLETTE], The Hand 220
RALPH ELLISON, Battle Royal 223
PERSPECTIVE: MORDECAI MARCUS, What Is an Initiation Story? 234
FAE MYENNE NG, A Red Sweater 235
8. Theme 243MARGARET ATWOOD, There Was Once 247
STEPHEN CRANE, The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky 2$o
KATHERINE MANSFIELD, Miss Brill 258
PERSPECTIVE: EUDORA WELTY, On the Plots of "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky"
and "Miss Brill" 262
DAGOBERTO GILB, Love in L.A. 26s
9. Style, Tone, and Irony 268
Style 268Tone 270Irony 271
RAYMOND CARVER, Popular Mechanics 272
PERSPECTIVE: JOHN BARTH, On Minimalist Fiction 274
T. CORAGHESSAN BOYLE, Carnal Knowledge 276
SUSAN MINOT, Lust 290
GEORGE BOWERING, A Short Story 298
10. A Study of Three Authors: Nathaniel Hawthorne,Flannery O'Connor, and Alice Munro 306
Nathaniel Hawthorne 306PHOTO: Nathaniel Hawthorne 307
Chronology 310NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE, Young Goodman Brown 310
NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE, The Minister's Black Veil 320
xxii Contents
NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE, The Birthmark 329
NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE, Rappaccini's Daughter 341
Perspectives on Hawthorne 360
Hawthorne on Solitude 360
Hawthorne on the Power of the Writer's Imagination 362
Hawthorne on His Short Stories 363
HERMAN MELVILLE, On-Nathaniel Hawthorne's Tragic Vision 364
Two Complementary Critical Readings 365
JUDITH FETTERLEY, A Feminist Reading of "The Birthmark" 36$
JAMES QUINN and ROSS BALDESSARINI, A Psychological Reading
of "The Birthmark" 366
Flannery O'Connor 369PHOTO: Flannery O'Connor 369
Chronology 372
FLANNERY O'CONNOR, The Turkey 373
FLANNERY O'CONNOR, A Good Man Is Hard to Find 381
FLANNERY O'CONNOR, Good Country People 392
FLANNERY O'CONNOR, Revelation 407
Perspectives on O'Connor 421
O'Connor on Faith 421
O'Connor on the Materials of Fiction 422
O'Connor on the Use of Exaggeration and Distortion 423
O'Connor on Theme and Symbol 423
JOSEPHINE HENDIN, On O'Connor's Refusal to "Do Pretty" 42$
CLAIRE KAHANE, The Function of Violence in O'Connor's Fiction 42s
EDWARD KESSLER, On O'Connor's Use of History 426
Two Complementary Critical Readings 427
A. R. COULTHARD, On the Visionary Ending of "Revelation" 427
MARSHALL BRUCE GENTRY, On the Revised Ending of "Revelation" 429
Alice Munro 430PHOTO: Alice Munro 430
Chronology 433
ALICE MUNRO, An Ounce of Cure 434
ALICE MUNRO, How I Met My Husband 442
ALICE MUNRO, Prue 454
ALICE MUNRO, Miles City, Montana 458
Perspectives on Munro 472
GRAEME GIBSON, An Interview with Munro on Writing 472
BENJAMIN DeMOTT, On Munro's Female Protagonists 474
CATHERINE SHELDRICK ROSS, On the Reader's Experience in Reading Munro's
Stories 474
Contents xxiii
W. R. MARTIN, On Prue's Suppressed Passions 47$
GEORGE WOODCOCK, On Symbolism in Munro's Fiction 476
ROBERT HAMPSON, On the Reader's Expectations in "How I Met My Husband" 477
Two Complementary Critical Readings 478
Munro on Narration in "An Ounce of Cure" 478
LORRAINE McMULLEN, On Munro's Ironic Humor in "An Ounce of Cure" 479
11. Critical Case Study: William Faulkner's"Barn Burning" 480
PHOTO: William Faulkner 481
WILLIAM FAULKNER, Barn Burning 481
Perspectives on Faulkner 494
JANE HILES, Blood Ties in "Barn Burning" 494
BENJAMIN DeMOTT, Abner Snopes as a Victim of Class 496
GAYLE EDWARD WILSON, Conflict in "Barn Burning" 497
JAMES FERGUSON, Narrative Strategy in "Barn Burning" 500
Questions for Writing: Incorporating the Critics 501
An Excerpt from a Sample Paper: The Fires of Class Conflict in "BarnBurning" 504
12. Cultural Case Study: James Joyce's "Eveline" 507PHOTO: James Joyce in Paris $09
Chronology 511
JAMES JOYCE, Eveline 512
Documents 516
PHOTO: Poole Street, Dublin 516
Resources of Ireland (From the Alliance Temperance Almanack for 1910) $17
A Letter Home from an Irish Emigrant in Australia 520
A Plot Synopsis of The Bohemian Girl $21
13. A Collection of Stories 523
CHARLES JOHNSON, Exchange Value 523
FRANZ KAFKA, A Hunger Artist 528
JAMAICA KINCAID, Girl 534
STEPHEN KING, Suffer the Little Children 535
D. H. LAWRENCE, The Horse Dealer's Daughter 543
TIM O'BRIEN, How to Tell a True War Story 555
EDGAR ALLAN POE, The Purloined Letter 564
JOHN UPDIKE, A & P 576
XXIV Contents
r AN ALBUM OF WORLD LITERATURE
ISABEL ALLENDE (Chile), The Judge's Wife J&
BESSIE HEAD (Botswana), The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses 587
NAGUIB MAHFOUZ (Egypt), The Answer Is No 591
YUKIO MISH1MA (Japan), Patriotism 593
BI SHUMIN (China), Broken Transformers 609
AN ALBUM OF CONTEMPORARY STORIES
ALISON BAKER, Better Be Ready 'Bout Half Past Eight 617
RICHARD FORD, Bascombe, in Realty 632
GISH JEN, In the American Society 643
JOYCE CAROL OATES, The Night Nurse 653
TOBIAS WOLFF, Powder 66$
POETKY 669
14. Reading Poetry 671
Reading Poetry Responsively 671MARGE PIERCY, The Secretary Chant 671
ROBERT HAYDEN, Those Winter Sundays 672
JOHN UPDIKE, Dog's Death 673
The Pleasure of Words 674WILLIAM HATHAWAY, Oh, Oh 675
ROBERT FRANCIS, Catch 676
A Sample Analysis: Tossing Metaphors Together in "Catch" 678WOLE SOYINKA, Telephone Conversation- 681
ELIZABETH BISHOP, The Fish 682
PHILIP LARKIN, A Study of Reading Habits 684
ROBERT MORGAN, Mountain Graveyard 686
E. E. CUMMINGS, l(a 687
ANONYMOUS, Western Wind 688
REGINA BARRECA, Nighttime Fires 688
Suggestions for Approaching Poetry 689 .Poetry in Popular Forms 691
HELEN FARRIES, Magic of Love 692
JOHN FREDERICK NIMS, Love Poem 693
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, Streets of Philadelphia 694
QUEEN LATIFAH, The Evil That Men Do 695
PERSPECTIVE: ROBERT FRANCIS, On "Hard" Poetry 697
Contents
Poems for Further Study 698MICHAEL ONDAATJE, To a Sad Daughter 698
ALICE WALKER, a woman is not a potted plant 700
WYATT PRUNTY, Elderly Lady Crossing on Green 701
ALBERTO RIOS, Seniors 702
MARY JO SALTER, Welcome to Hiroshima 703
JOHN DONNE, The Sun Rising 70s
LI HO, A Beautiful Girl Combs Her Hair 706
ROBERT HASS, Happiness 707
MILLER WILLIAMS, Excuse Me 708
15. Writing about Poetry 710
From Reading to Writing 710Questions for Responsive Reading and Writing 711
ELIZABETH BISHOP, Manners 713
A Sample Analysis: Memory in Elizabeth Bishop's "Manners" 714
16. Word Choice, Word Order, and Tone 717
Diction 717Denotations and Connotations 719
RANDALL JARRELL, The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner 720
E. E. CUMMINGS, she being Brand 721
Word Order 723
Tone 723DEREK WALCOTT, The Virgins 723
RUTH FAINLIGHT, Flower Feet 724
KATHARYN HOWD MACHAN, Hazel Tells LaVerne 72s
MARTIN ESPADA, Latin Night at the Pawnshop 726
MAXINE KUMIN, Woodchucks 727
Diction and Tone in Four Love Poems 728ROBERT HERRICK, To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time 728 ,
ANDREW MARVELL, To His Coy Mistress 729
PERSPECTIVE: BERNARD DUYFHUIZEN, "To His Coy Mistress": On How a Female Might
Respond 731
RICHARD WILBUR, A Late Aubade 732
DIANE ACKERMAN, A Fine, a Private Place 734
Poems for Further Study 737MARGARET ATWOOD, Bored 737
THOMAS HARDY, The Convergence of the Twain 738
DAVID R. SLAVTTT, Titanic 739
SHARON OLDS, Sex without Love 740
XXV
xxvi Contents
JOHN KEATS, Ode on a Grecian Urn 741
GWENDOLYN BROOKS, We Real Cool 743
MARILYN BOWERING, Wishing Africa 743
D. H. LAWRENCE, The English Are So Nice! 74s
LOUIS SIMPSON, In the Suburbs 746
A Note on Reading Translations 746Two Translations of Neruda's "Juventud" 747
PABLO NERUDA, Juventud 747
PABLO NERUDA, Youth (Translated by Robert Bly) 748
PABLO NERUDA, Youth (Translated by Jack Schmitt) 748
Four Translations o f a Poem by Sappho 748
SAPPHO, Immortal Aphrodite of the broidered throne (Translated
by Henry T. Wharcon) 749
SAPPHO, Beautiful-throned, immortal Aphrodite (Translated by
T. W. Higginson) 749
SAPPHO, Invocation to Aphrodite (Translated by Richard Lattimore) 750
SAPPHO, Artfully adorned Aphrodite, deathless (Translated by Jim Powell) 731
17. Images 752
Poetry's Appeal to the Senses 752WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS, Poem 753
BONNIE JACOBSON, On Being Served Apples 753
WALT WHITMAN, Cavalry Crossing a Ford 754
DAVID SOLWAY, Windsurfing 755
THEODORE ROETHKE, Root Cellar 756
MATTHEW ARNOLD, Dover Beach 757
JIMMY SANTIAGO BACA, Green Chile 758
Poems for Further Study 760SEAMUS HEANEY, The Pitchfork 760
H. D. [HILDA DOOLITTLE], Heat 761
TIMOTHY STEELE, An Aubade 761
WILLIAM BLAKE, London 762
WILFRED OWEN, Dulce et Decorum Est 763
MARGARET HOLLEY, Peepers 764
ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING, Grief 765
JAMES DICKEY, Deer Among Cattle 766
RAINER MARIA RILKE, The Panther 767
JANE KENYON, The Blue Bowl 768
SALLY CROFT, Home-Baked Bread 768
CAROLYN KIZER, Food for Love 769
JOHN KEATS, To Autumn 771
EZRA POUND, In a Station of the Metro 772
CATHY SONG, The White Porch 772
PERSPECTIVE: T. E. HULME, On the Differences between Poetry and Prose 774
Contents xxvii
18. Figures of Speech 775
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, From Macbeth (Act V, Scene v) 776
Simile and Metaphor 776MARGARET ATWOOD,you fit into me 777
EMILY DICKINSON, Presentiment— is that long Shadow—on the lawn — 777
ANNE BRADSTREET, The Author to Her Book 778
ROSARIO CASTELLANOS, Chess 779
Other Figures 780EDMUND CONTL Pragmatist 780
DYLAN THOMAS, The Hand That Signed the Paper 781
JANICE TOWNLEY MOORE, To a Wasp 782
J. PATRICK LEWIS, The Unkindest Cut 784
Poems for Further Study 784MARGARET ATWOOD, February 784
SOPHIE CABOT BLACK, August 785
ERNEST SLYMAN, Lightning Bugs 786
SYLVIA PLATH, Mirror 786
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH, London, 1802 787
JIM STEVENS, Schizophrenia 788
WALT WHITMAN, A Noiseless Patient Spider 788
WALT WHITMAN, The Soul, reaching, throwing out for love 789
JOHN DONNE, A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning 790
LINDA PASTAN, Marks 791
LUCILLE CLIFTON, come home from the movies 791
ELAINE MAGARRELL, Tfee Joy of Cooking 792
STEPHEN PERRY, Blue Spruce 793
ROBIN BECKER, Shopping 794
PERSPECTIVE: JOHN R. SEARLE, Figuring Out Metaphors 79s
19. Symbol, Allegory, and Irony 797
Symbol 797
ROBERT FROST, Acquainted with the Night 798
Allegory 799
EDGAR ALLAN POE, The Haunted Palace 800
Irony 802EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON, Richard Cory 802
KENNETH FEARING, AD 803
JANICE MIRIKITANI, Recipe 803
E. E. CUMMINGS, next to of course god america i 805
STEPHEN CRANE, A Man Said to the Universe 80s
Poems for Further Study 806JANE KENYON, Surprise 806
Contents
MOLLY PEACOCK, Desire 883
MARK JARMAN, Unholy Sonnet 884
Villanelle 884
DYLAN THOMAS, Do not go gentle into that goad night 88s
JULIA ALVAREZ, Woman's Work 886
Ses t ina 886
ELIZABETH BISHOP, Sestina 887
FLORENCE CASSEN MAYERS, All-American Sestina 888
E p i g r a m 889
SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE, What Is an Epigram ? 889
A. R. AMMONS, Coward 890
DAVID McCORJD, Epitaph on a Waiter 890
PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR, Theology 890
Limerick 890
ANONYMOUS, There was a young lady named Bright 890
LAURENCE PERRINE, The limerick's never averse 891
Haiku 891
MATSUQ BASHO, Under cherry trees 891
ETHERIDGE KNIGHT, Eastern Guard Tower 892
Elegy 892
SEAMUS HEANEY, Mid-term Break 892
ANDREW HUDGINS, Elegy for My Father, Who Is Not Dead 893
O d e 894
PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY, Ode to the West Wind 894
Pic ture P o e m 896
MICHAEL McFEE, In Medias Res 897
Parody 897PETER DE VRIES, To His Importunate Mistress 898
X. J. KENNEDY, A Visit from St. Sigmund 899
PERSPECTIVE: ROBERT MORGAN, On the Shape of a Poem 900
PERSPECTIVE: ELAINE MITCHELL, Form 901
23. Open Form 902
E. E. CUMMINGS, in Just- 902
WALT WHITMAN, From "I Sing the Body Electric" 903
PERSPECTIVE: WALT WHITMAN, On Rhyme and Meter 904
GALWAY KINNELL, After Making Love We Hear Footsteps 905
WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS, The Red Wheelbarrow 906
DENISE LEVERTOV, Gathered at the River 907
PERSPECTIVE: DENISE LEVERTOV, On "Gathered at the River" 909
Contents xxxi
MARILYN NELSON WANIEK, Emily Dickinson's Defunct 912
JIM DANIELS, Short-order Cook 913
CAROLYN FORCHE, The Colonel 914
SHARON OLDS, Rite of Passage 915
CAROLYNN HOY, In the Summer Kitchen 916
ALLEN GINSBERG, First Party at Ken Kesey's with Hell's Angels 917
ANONYMOUS, The Frog 918
TATO LAVIERA, AmeRican 918
THOM WARD, Vasectomy 920
JOSEPH BRUCHAC, Ellis Island 921
PETER MEINKE, The ABC of Aerobics 922
GARY SOTO, Mexicans Begin Jogging 923
Found Poem 923
DONALD JUSTICE, Order in the Streets 924
24. A Study of Three Poets: Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost,and Langston Hughes 925
Emily Dickinson 925PHOTO: Emily Dickinson 92$
PHOTO: Facsimile of manuscript page, "What Soft—Cherubic Creatures—" 928
EMILY DICKINSON, If I can stop one Heart from breaking 929
EMILY DICKINSON, / / / shouldn't be alive 929
EMILY DICKINSON, The Thought beneath so slight a film — 931
EMILY DICKINSON, To. make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee 931
Chronology 932
EMILY DICKINSON, Success is counted sweetest 932
EMILY DICKINSON, Water, is taught by thirst 933
EMILY DICKINSON, Safe in their Alabaster Chambers— (1859 version) 933
EMILY DICKINSON, Safe in their Alabaster Chambers—(1861 version) 934
EMILY DICKINSON, Portraits are to daily faces 934
EMILY DICKINSON, Some keep the Sabbath going to Church— 93s
EMILY DICKINSON, I taste a liquor never brewed— 936
EMILY DICKINSON, "Heaven"—is what I cannot reach! 936
EMILY DICKINSON, OfBronze-and Blaze— 937
EMILY DICKINSON, I like a look of Agony, 938
EMILY DICKINSON, I'm Nobody! Who are'you? 938
EMILY DICKINSON, Wild Nights - Wild Nights! 939
EMILY DICKINSON, I cannot dance upon my Toes— 940
EMILY DICKINSON, What Soft-Cherubic Creatures- 940
EMILY DICKINSON, The Soul selects her own Society — 941
EMILY DICKINSON, This is my letter to the World 942
EMILY DICKINSON, Much Madness is divinest Sense- 942
EMILY DICKINSON, I dwell in Possibility- 943
xxxn Contents
EMILY DICKINSON, This was a Poet-It is That 943 -
EMILY DICKINSON, I read my sentence—steadily— 944
EMILY DICKINSON, The Grass so little has to do- 94s
EMILY DICKINSON, After great pain, a formal feeling comes — 946
EMILY DICKINSON, I heard a Fly buzz—when I died— 946
EMILY DICKINSON, One need not be a Chamber—to be Haunted— 947
EMILY DICKINSON, Because I could not stop for Death —948
EMILY DICKINSON, A Light exists in Spring 949
EMILY DICKINSON, I felt a Cleaving in my Mind— 9S0
EMILY DICKINSON, The Bustle in a House 950 '
EMILY DICKINSON, Tell all the Truth but tell it slant— 951
EMILY DICKINSON, From all the Jails the Boys and Girls 951
Perspectives on Dickinson 952
Dickinson's Description of Herself 9S2
THOMAS WENTWORTH HIGGINSON, On Meeting Dickinson for the First Time 9S3
MABEL LOOMIS TODD, The Character of Amherst 9$4
RICHARD WILBUR, On Dickinson's Sense of Privation 9S4
SANDRA M. GILBERT and SUSAN GUBAR, On Dickinson's White Dress 9SS
KARL KELLER, Robert Frost on Dickinson 956
CYNTHIA GRIFFIN WOLFF, On the Many Voices in Dickinson's Poetry 958
PAULA BENNETT, On "I heard a Fly buzz—when I died— " 959
JOAN KIRKBY, On the Fragility of Language in Dickinson's Poetry 960
GALWAY KINNELL, The Deconstruction of Emily Dickinson 961
Two Complementary Critical Readings 963
CHARLES R. ANDERSON, Eroticism in "Wild Nights—Wild Nights!" 963
DAVID S. REYNOLDS, Popular Literature and "Wild Nights—Wild Nights!" 964
Questions for Writing about an Author in Depth 965
A Sample In-Depth Study: Religious Faith in Four Poemsby Emily Dickinson 966
EMILY DICKINSON, "Faith" is a fine invention 966
EMILY DICKINSON, / know that He exists 967
EMILY DICKINSON, I never saw a Moor— 967
EMILY DICKINSON, Apparently with no surprise 967
Robert Frost 971PHOTO: Robert Frost 972
PHOTO: Facsimile of manuscript page, "Neither Out Far nor In Deep" 974
ROBERT FROST, The Road Not Taken 976
ROBERT FROST, The Pasture 978
Chronology 978
ROBERT FROST, Mending Wall 979
ROBERT FROST, Home Burial 980
ROBERT FROST, After Apple-Picking 983
ROBERT FROST, The Wood-Pile 984
Contents xxxiii
ROBERT FROST, Birches 986
ROBERT FROST, "Out, Out— " 987
ROBERT FROST, Fire and Ice 988
ROBERT FROST, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening 989 '
ROBERT FROST, Nothing Gold Can Stay 989
ROBERT FROST, Once by the Pacific 990
ROBERT FROST, Two Tramps in Mud Time 991
ROBERT FROST, Design 993
ROBERT FROST, Neither Out Far nor In Deep 993
ROBERT FROST, Come In 994
ROBERT FROST, The Silken Tent 99s
ROBERT FROST, The Most of It 99s
Perspectives on Frost 996
"In White": Frost's Early Version of "Design" 996
Frost on the Living Part of a Poem 997
AMY LOWELL, On Frost's Realistic Technique 998
Frost on the Figure a Poem Makes 998
Frost on the Way to Read a Poem 1000
LIONEL TRILLING, On Frost as a Terrifying Poet 1001
HERBERT R. COURSEN JR., A Parodic Interpretation of "Stopping by Woods on a SnowyEvening" 1003
DONALD J. GREINER, On What Comes "After Apple-Picking" 1004
BLANCHE FARLEY, The Lover Not Taken 1005
DEREK WALCOTT, The Road Taken 1006
TVo Complementary Critical Readings 1007RICHARD POIRIER, On Emotional Suffocation in "Home Burial" 1007
KATHERINE KEARNS, On the Symbolic Setting of "Home Burial" 1008
Langston Hughes 1009PHOTO: Langston Hughes 1009
LANGSTON HUGHES, The Negro Speaks of Rivers 1010
PHOTO: Facsimile of manuscript page, "Old Walt" 1012
LANGSTON HUGHES, I, Too 1014
Chronology 1015
LANGSTON HUGHES, Negro 1016
LANGSTON HUGHES, Danse Africaine 1017
LANGSTON HUGHES, Jazzonia 1017
LANGSTON HUGHES, Dream Variations 1018
LANGSTON HUGHES, Johannesburg Mines 1019
LANGSTON HUGHES, The Weary Blues 1019
LANGSTON HUGHES, Cross 1020
LANGSTON HUGHES, Formula 1021
LANGSTON HUGHES, Lenox Avenue: Midnight 1022
LANGSTON HUGHES, Red Silk Stockings 1022
LANGSTON HUGHES, Rent-Party Shout: For a Lady Dancer 1023
xxxiv Contents
LANGSTON HUGHES, The English 1024
LANGSTON HUGHES, Note on Commercial Theatre 1024
LANGSTON HUGHES, Ballad of the Landlord 1025
LANGSTON HUGHES, Midnight Raffle 1026
LANGSTON HUGHES, Theme for English B 1027
LANGSTON HUGHES, Juke Box Love Song 1028
LANGSTON HUGHES, Dream Boogie 1029
LANGSTON HUGHES, Harlem 1030
LANGSTON HUGHES, Un-American Investigators 1030
LANGSTON HUGHES, Old Walt 1031
LANGSTON HUGHES, doorknobs 1032
LANGSTON HUGHES, Dinner Guest: Me 1033
LANGSTON HUGHES, Frederick Douglass: 1817-1895 1034
Perspectives on Hughes 1034
Hughes on Racial Shame and Pride 1034
Hughes on Harlem Rent Parties 103s
DONALD B. GIBSON, The Essential Optimism of Hughes and Whitman 1036
JAMES A. EMANUEL, Hughes's Attitudes toward Religion 1037
RICHARD K. BARKSDALE, On Censoring "Ballad of the Landlord" 1038
STEVEN C. TRACY, A Reading of "The Weary Blues" 1039
DAVID CHINITZ, The Romanticization of Africa in the 1920s 1040
Two Complementary Critical Readings 1041
COUNTEE CULLEN, On Racial Poetry 1041
ONWUCHEKWA JEMIE, On Universal Poetry 1042
25. Critical Case Study: T. S. Eliot's "The Love Songof J. Alfred Prufrock" 1044
PHOTO: T. S. Eliot 104s
T. S. ELIOT, The Love Song ofj. Alfred Prufrock 104s
Perspectives on Eliot 1049
ELISABETH SCHNEIDER, Hints of Eliot in Prufrock 1049
BARBARA EVERETT, The Problem of Tone in Prufrock ioso
MICHAEL L. BAUMANN, The "Overwhelming Question" for Prufrock 1051
FREDERIK L. RUSCH, Society and Character in "The Love Song ofj. Alfred
Prufrock" I0S3
ROBERT SWARD, A Personal Analysis of "The Love Song ofj. Alfred Prufrock" loss
26. Cultural Case Study: Julia Alvarez's "Queens, 1963" 1060PHOTO: Julia Alvarez 1061
Chronology 1063
JULIA ALVAREZ, Queens, 1963 1063
Contents
Documents 1066
MARNY REQUA, From an Interview with Julia Alvarez 1066
PHOTO: An Advertisement for Tudor Row Houses 1067
Queens: "The 'Fair' Borough" 1068
NORMAN LEAR, "Talkin' about Prejudice" in Queens (from Meet the Bunkers,) 1069
PHOTO: A Civil Rights Demonstration 1072
27. A Collection of Poems 1073
MAYA ANGELOU, Africa 1073
ANONYMOUS, Bonny Barbara Allan 1074
ANONYMOUS, Lord Randal 1075
ANONYMOUS, Scottsboro 1076
W. H. AUDEN, The Unknown Citizen 1076
MARGARET AVISON, Tennis 1077
AMIRI BARAKA, SOS 1077
WILLIAM BLAKE, The Garden of Love 1078
WILLIAM BLAKE, Ah Sun-flower 1078
ROBERT BLY, Snowfall in the Afternoon 1078
ROBERT BLY, Waking from Sleep 1079
ROO BORSON, Talk 1079
ANNE BRADSTREET, Before the Birth of One of Her Children 1080
ANNE BRADSTREET, To My Dear and Loving Husband 1080
GWENDOLYN BROOKS, The Mother 1081
ROBERT BROWNING, Meeting at Night 1082
ROBERT BROWNING, Parting at Morning 1082
GEORGE GORDON, LORD BYRON, She Walks in Beauty 1082
LUCILLE CLIFTON, for deLawd 1083
SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE, Kubla Khan: or, a Vision in a Dream 1083 .
WILLIAM COWPER, Epitaph on a Hare 108s
VICTOR HERNANDEZ CRUZ, Anonymous 1086
COUNTEE CULLEN, Yet Do I Marvel 1086
E. E. CUMMINGS, Buffalo Bill 's 1087
E. E. CUMMINGS, since feeling is first 1087
MARY di MICHELE, As in the Beginning 1087
GREGORY DJANIKIAN, When I First Saw Snow 1088
JOHN DONNE, The Apparition . 1089
JOHN DONNE, Batter My Heart 1089
JOHN DONNE, Death Be Not Proud 1090
JOHN DONNE, The Flea 1090
DAVID DONNELL, The Canadian Prairies View of Literature 1091
GEORGE ELIOT [MARY ANN EVANS], In a London Drawingroom 1092
LOUISE GLUCK, The School Children 1092
DONALD HALL, My Son, My Executioner 1093
THOMAS HARDY, Hap 1093
THOMAS HARDY, The Ruined Maid 1093
xxxvi Contents
JOY HARJO, Fishing 1094
MICHAEL S. HARPER, Grandfather 109s
ANTHONY HECHT, The Dover Bitch 1096
GEORGE HERBERT, The Collar 1097
LINDA HOGAN, Song for My Name 1098
M. CARL HOLMAN, Mr. Z 1098
GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS, Pied Beauty 1099
GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS, The Windhover 1100
A. E. HOUSMAN, Is my team ploughing 1100
A. E. HOUSMAN, To an Athlete Dying Young 1101
BEN JONSON, On My First Son 1102
BEN JONSON, To Celia 1102
JOHN KEATS, When I have fears that I may cease to be 1103
JOHN KEATS, La Belle Dame sans Merci 1103
ETHERIDGE KNIGHT, A Watts Mother Mourns While Boiling Beans 1104
PHILIP LARKIN, This Be the Verse 110s
LI-YOUNG LEE, Eating Together nos
PHILIP LEVINE, The Simple Truth nos
HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW, Snow-Flakes 1106
AUDRE LORDE, Hanging Fire 1107
ARCHIBALD MACLEISH, Ars Poetica 1107
CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE, The Passionate Shepherd to His Love 1108
HERMAN MELVILLE, The Maldive Shark 1109
JOHN MILTON, On the Late Massacre in Piedmont 1109
JOHN MILTON, When I consider how my light is spent 1110
N. SCOTT MOMADAY, The Bear IIIO
MARIANNE MOORE, Poetry nil
WILFRED OWEN, Arms and The Boy 1112
MARGE PIERCY, Barbie Doll 1112
SYLVIA PLATH, Daddy 1113
SYLVIA PLATH, Metaphors HIS
EDGAR ALLAN POE, Alone ins
ADRIENNE RICH, Living in Sin ins
CHRISTINA GEORGINA ROSSETTI, Some Ladies Dress in Muslin Full and White 1116
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Not marble, nor the gilded monuments 1116
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, That time of year thou mayst in me behold 1117
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, When forty winters shall besiege thy brow 1117
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, When, in disgrace with Fortune and men's eyes 1118
PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY, Ozymandias 1118
SIR PHILIP SIDNEY, Loving in Truth, and Fain in Verse My Love to Show 1119
GARY SOTO, Black Hair 1119
WALLACE STEVENS, The Emperor of Ice-Cream 1120
ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON, Ulysses 1120
ROBERT WALLACE, The Double-Play 1122
EDMUND WALLER, Go, Lovely Rose 1123
WALT WHITMAN, One Hour to Madness and Joy 1123
WALT WHITMAN, One's-Selfl Sing 1124
Contents XXXVll
WALT WHITMAN, When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer 1124
RICHARD WILBUR, Love Calls Us to the Things of This World 1124
MILLER WILLIAMS, Thinking About Bill, Dead of AIDS 1125
WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS, Spring and All 1126
WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS, This Is Just to Say ' 1127
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud 1127
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH, A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal 1128
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH, The Solitary Reaper 1128
JAMES WRIGHT, A Blessing 1129
MITSUYE YAMADA, A Bedtime Story 1129
WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS, Adam's Curse 1130
WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS, Crazy Jane Talks with the Bishop 1131
WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS, Leda and the Swan 1132
WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS, Sailing to Byzantium 1132
WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS, The Second Coming 1133
DAVID ZIEROTH, Time over Earth 1134
r AN ALBUM OF WORLD LITERATURE
ANNA AKHMATOVA (Russia), Dedication 113s
CLARIBEL ALEGRIA (El Salvador), / Am Mirror 1136
KATERINA A N G H E L A K I - R O O K E (Greece), Jealousy 1138
FAIZ AHMED FAIZ (Pakistan), If You Look at the City from Here 1139
XU GANG (China), Red Azalea on the Cliff 1140
PABLO NERUDA (Chile), Sweetness, Always 1141
OCTAVIO PAZ (Mexico), The Street 1143
INDIRA SANT (India), Household Fires 1144
WOLE SOYINKA (Nigeria), Future Plans 114s
WISLAWA SZYMBORSKA (Poland), End and Beginning 1146
TOMAS TRANSTROMER (Sweden), April and Silence 1148
- AN ALBUM OF CONTEMPORARY POEMS
ELIZABETH ALEXANDER, Harlem Birthday Party 1148
CORNELIUS EADY, The Supremes 1150
MARTIN ESPADA, Coca-Cola and Coco Frio 1151
DEBORAH GARRISON, She Was Waiting to Be Told u$2 , .
DONALD HALL, Letter with No Address IIS3
MARK HALLIDAY, Graded Paper 1156
ROBERT HASS, A Story About the Body IIS7
JUDY PAGE HEITZMAN, The Schoolroom on the Second Floor of the Knitting Mill 1158
JANE HIRSHFIELD, The Lives of the Heart 1159
LINDA HOGAN, Hunger 1160
YUSEF KOMUNYAKAA, Facing It 1162
JOAN MURRAY, Play-By-Play 1163
RONALD WALLACE, Dogs 1164
xxxviii Contents
DKAMA
28. Reading Drama 1169
Reading Drama Responsively 1169SUSAN GLASPELL, Trifles 1172PERSPECTIVE: SUSAN GLASPELL, From the Short Story Version of Trifles 1182
Elements of Drama 1185
DAVID P7ES, Sure Thing 1189
Drama in Popular Forms 1196LARRY DAVID, From "The Pitch," a Seinfeld Episode 1199PERSPECTIVE: GEOFFREY O'BRIEN, On Seinfeld as Sitcom Moneymaker 1207
29. Writing about Drama 1210
From Reading to Writing 1210Questions for Responsive Reading and Writing 1211
A Sample Paper: The Feminist Evidence in Trifles 1213
30. A Study o f Sophocles 1217
PORTRAIT: Sophocles 1217
Chronology 1218
Theatrical Conventions of Greek Drama 1218PHOTO: Drawing of a classical Greek theater 1220
Tragedy 1221
SOPHOCLES, Oedipus the King (Translated by Robert Fagles) 1224SOPHOCLES, Antigone (Translated by Robert Fagles) 1267
Perspectives on Sophocles 1303
ARISTOTLE, On Tragic Character 1303SIGMUND FREUD, On the Oedipus Complex 130sSOPHOCLES, Another Translation of a Scene from Oedipus the King 1306MURIEL RUKEYSER, On Oedipus the King 1309JEAN ANOUILH, A Scene from Antigone 1310MAURICE SAGOFF, A Humorous Distillation of Antigone 1312BERNARD KNOX, On Oedipus and Human Freedom 1313
Two Complementary Critical Readings 1314
R. G. A. BUXTON, The Major Critical Issue in Antigone 1314CYNTHIA P. GARDINER, The Function of the Chorus in Antigone 131s
31. A Study of William Shakespeare 1316
PORTRAIT: William Shakespeare 1316
Chronology 1317
Contents xxxix
Shakespeare's Theater 1318PHOTO: Drawing of the Globe Theatre 1321
The Range of Shakespeare's Drama: History, Comedy,and Tragedy 1322A Note on Reading Shakespeare 1325
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, A Midsummer Night's Dream 1327
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark 1383
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, The Tempest 1483
Perspectives on Shakespeare 1543
Objections to the Elizabethan Theater by the Mayor of London 1S43
LISA JARDINE, On Boy Actors in Female Roles IS44
SAMUEL JOHNSON, On Shakespeare's Characters IS4S
SIGMUND FREUD, On Repression in Hamlet 1546
JAN KOTT, On Producing Hamlet 1547
COPPELIA KAHN, On Cuckoldry in Hamlet 1548
RUSSELL JACKSON, A Film Diary of the Shooting of Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet 7550
LOUIS ADRIAN MONTROSE, On Amazonian Mythology in A Midsummer Night 's
Dream ISS2
JAMES KINCAID, On the Value of Comedy in the Face of Tragedy ISS3
Two Complementary Critical Readings 1555
G. WILSON KNIGHT, Prospero's Civilizing Influence isss
ALDEN T. VAUGHAN, Caliban as a Sociopolitical Symbol 1556
32. Modern Drama 1559
Realism 1559Naturalism 1561Theatrical Conventions of Modern Drama 1562
HENRIK IBSEN, A Doll House (Translated by Rolf Fjelde) 1564
PERSPECTIVE: HENRIK IBSEN, Notes for A Doll House 1613
ANTON CHEKHOV, The Proposal: A Jest in One Act (Translated byElisaveta Fen) 161s
PERSPECTIVE: ANTON CHEKHOV, On What Artists Do Best 162$
33. Critical Case Study: Henrik Ibsen's A Doll House 1627
PHOTO: Henrik Ibsen 1627
Perspectives 1628
A Nineteenth-Century Husband's Letter to His Wife 1628
BARRY WITHAM and JOHN LUTTERBIE, A Marxist Approach to A Doll House 1630
CAROL STRONGIN TUFTS, A Psychoanalytic Reading of Nora 1632
JOAN TEMPLETON, Is A Doll House a Feminist Text? 163s
Questions for Writing: Applying a Critical Strategy 1636
A Sample Paper: On the Other Side of the Slammed Doorin A Doll House 1639
xl Contents
34. Experimental Trends in Drama 1644
Beyond Realism 1644SAMUEL BECKETT, Krapp's Last Tape 1649
PERSPECTIVE: MARTIN ESSLIN, On the Theater of the Absurd 1656
JANE MARTIN, Rodeo 1657
ANNA DEAVERE SMITH, From Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 1661
35. Cultural Case Study: David Henry Hwang'sM. Butterfly 1672
PHOTO: David Henry Hwang 1673
Chronology 1675
DAVID HENRY HWANG, M. Butterfly 167s
Documents 1722
HAROLD ROSENTHAL and JOHN WARRACK, A Plot Synopsis
o/Madame Butterfly 1722RICHARD BERNSTEIN, The News Source for M. Butterfly 1723PHOTO: Shi Pei Pu in The Story of the Butterfly 172s
FRANK RICH, A Theater Review ofU. Butterfly 1721?DAVID SAVRAN, An Interview with David Henry Hwang 1727
Photos: Plays in Performance Between pages 1684 and 1685
A scene from Oedipus the KingA scene from AntigoneA scene from A Midsummer Night's DreamThe "play within the play" scene from HamletTwo scenes from The Tempest
-Two scenes from A Doll HouseA scene from Krapp's Last TapeA scene from RodeoTwo scenes from Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992A scene from M. ButterflyA scene from A Raisin in the SunA scene from Death of a SalesmanA scene from The Glass MenagerieA scene from The Original Last Wish BabyA scene from The Piano Lesson
36. A Collection of Plays 1729
LORRAINE HANSBERRY, A Raisin in the Sun 1730 .
PERSPECTIVE: THOMAS P. ADLER, The Political Basis of Lorraine Hansberry's Art 1793
Contents
ARTHUR MILLER, Death of a Salesman 179s .
PERSPECTIVE: ARTHUR MILLER, Tragedy and the Common Man i860
PERSPECTIVE: ARTHUR MILLER, On Biff and Willy Loman 1863
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS, The Glass Menagerie 1864
PERSPECTIVE: TENNESSEE WILLIAMS, Production-Notes to The Glass Menagerie 1908
PERSPECTIVE: TENNESSEE WILLIAMS, On Theme 1910
r AN ALBUM OF WORLD LITERATURE :
xli
BRIAN FRIEL (Ireland), From Molly Sweeney 1911
WOLE SOYINKA (Nigeria), The Strong Breed 1919
PERSPECTIVE: JAMES GIBB, Ritual Sacrifice in The Strong Breed 1942
1- AN ALBUM OF CONTEMPORARY PLAYS
WILLIAM SEEBRING, The Original Last Wish Baby 1944
WENDY WASSERSTEIN, Tender Offer 1956
AUGUST WILSON, The Piano Lesson 1962
CRJT1CAL THINKING AND WRJT1NG 2019
37. Critical Strategies for Reading 2021
Critical Thinking 2021The Literary Canon: Diversity and Controversy 2023Formalist Strategies 2025Biographical Strategies 2027Psychological Strategies 2029Historical Strategies 2031
Literary History Criticism 2032Marxist Criticism 2033New Historicist Criticism 2033Cultural Criticism 2034
Gender Strategies 2035
Feminist Criticism 2036Gay and Lesbian Criticism 2037
Mythological Strategies 2037Reader-Response Strategies 2039Deconstructionist Strategies 2041Selected Bibliography 2043
Perspectives on Critical Reading 2048
SUSAN SONTAG, Against Interpretation 2048
JUDITH FETTERLEY, A Feminist Reading of "A Rose For Emily" 2048
xlii Contents
ANNETTE KOLODNY, On the Commitments of Feminist Criticism 2Ojo
ANDREW P. DEBICKI, New Criticism and Deconstructionism: Two Attitudes in Teaching
Poetry 2050
BROOK THOMAS, A New Historical Approach to Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn" 2053
PETER RABINOWITZ, On Close Readings 2055-
HARRIET HAWKINS, Should We Study King Kong or King Lear? 2058
MORRIS DICKSTEIN, On the Social Responsibility of the Critic 2060
WENDY STEINER, On the Critics' Readership 2061
38. Reading and Writing 2063
The Purpose and Value of Writing about Literature 2063Reading the Work Closely 2064Annotating the Text and Journal Note Taking 2065Choosing a Topic 2067Developing a Thesis 2068Arguing about Literature 2071Organizing a Paper 2074Writing a Draft 2075Revising and Editing 2078Manuscript Form 2080Types of Writing Assignments 2081
EMILY DICKINSON, There's a certain Slant of light 2082
A Sample Explication: A Reading of Dickinson's "There's a certainSlant of light" 2084A Sample Analysis: The A & P as a State of Mind 2089A Sample Comparison: The Struggle for Women's Self-Definitionin A Doll House and M. Butterfly 20514
39. The Literary Research Paper 2099
Choosing a Topic 2100Finding Sources 2100
Annotated List of References 2100Electronic Sources 2102
Evaluating Sources and Taking Notes 2103Developing a Thesis and Organizing the Paper 2105Revising 2105Documenting Sources 2106
The List of Works Cited 2108Parenthetical References 2111
Contents xliii
A Sample Research Paper: How the Narrator Cultivatesa Rose for Emily 2113
40. Taking Essay Examinations 21*8
Preparing for an Essay Exam 2118Types of Exams 2120Strategies for Writing Essay Exams 2121
Glossary o f Literary Terms 2123
Index of First Lines 2161
Index of Authors and Titles 2168
Index of Terms Inside back cover
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