Published bimonthly by the National Endowment for the Humanities, this edition of "Humanities" focuses on issues in American literature. Articles and their authors consist of: (1) "Conversations about Literature" (an interview with Cleanth Brooks and Willie Morris about writing and writers in America); (2) "The Spine of…

The articles in this journal issue focus on adolescent literature. In the first article, author Sue Ellen Bridgers explains how she writes books, while the second article offers an analysis of the recent works of Paul Zindel. The third article presents a discussion of the treatment of outsiders, such as the mentally ill, in four Roy Brown…

Focusing on the natural world, the use of myth and ritual in the novel, and the formal design of the work, symposium papers present and analyze crucial themes and forms in Leslie Marmon Silko's "Ceremony," a novel distinctively Indian in narrative technique, thematic content, and structure. (CM)

Tayo's war experiences have destroyed his reverence for the creatures of nature. His changed attitude of respect for animals, his acceptance of their apparently evil acts, and his imitation of them indicate his healing. By observing animals, Tayo learns what to accept and what to reject for his survival. (CM)

All stories, ceremonies, and rituals are attempts to confer "totality" or structure on experience; ordinarily unrelated objects and events are given definite connection. In "Ceremony," the disjointed parts are refocused through the traditional hoop symbol and converge in a circular pattern of restoration and genuine renewal.…

The feature articles in this journal issue deal with various aspects of Canadian literature. The articles include: (1) a discussion of who's who and what's what in Canadian literature; (2) reviews of worthwhile but overlooked Canadian children's literature; (3) a list of resource guides to Canadian literature and a short quiz over famous first…

Because of his mixed blood and his war experiences, Tayo feels displaced and estranged. Reoccurring bad memories have impaired his ability to function. He has forgotten the old stories which serve as guides to growth. His eventual recollection of the old stories is instrumental in effecting his healing. (CM)

Mythic (stated in poetic form) and contemporary (stated in prose) narrative shapes the events of "Ceremony." Medicine Man Betonie teaches Tayo to relate cause to effect through story. Tayo must bring the meaning of changed life experiences to the way he feels the story. (CM)

The articles in this journal issue focus on adolescent literature. In the first article, author John Neufeld discusses how he chooses a particular topic and writes to uncover his own particular bias. The second article discusses the theme of "a price must be paid" in the works of Ouida Sebestyen while the third article presents an…

Articles in this issue focus on adolescent literature. The first article is a reflection by author Katie Letcher Lyle on her personal experiences since the publication of her last novel. The second article examines the dramatic power of the novels of Alice Childress. The third article reports the results of a questionnaire on the reading…

Focuses on the fundamental Native American idea that the land and the people are the same. Tayo's illness, a result of separation of person and land, is healed by their reunification. This is accomplished when Tayo makes ancient and new stories real in his actions (the Ceremony). (CM)

Seminar participants discuss the novel "Ceremony" as a curing ceremony, the function of memory in the novel, and the distinctly American Indian aspects of the novel (role of animals, circular images, ritual, mythology, Laguna cultural traditions, and use of oral tradition). (CM)

Silko demonstrates that writing "American Indian" and being "American Indian" is a matter of process rather than ethnographic and historical fact. Members of American Indian communities are shaped by the telling of stories and shape others by telling stories. To write "American Indian" is to tell stories of belonging.…

Myth and ritual, the basis of the Ceremony, are crucial to Tayo's reidentification with nature. Traditional Laguna stories parallel Tayo's story and provide continuity between ancient ritual and Tayo's own on-going ceremony. Ritual is vital to Tayo's cure. (CM)

The seven major articles in this journal issue are devoted to literature and to literary analysis. The articles deal with the following topics: (1) collapse and regeneration in Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself," (2) freedom and identity in "Invisible Man," (3) the character of St. John Rivers in "Jane Eyre," (4) integrating poetry study and…