Fiction is one of the richest potential data resources available to the psychologist, but its study presents serious methodological problems. Chief among these problems is the question of whether instruments of measure designed for human subjects may be appropriate to studies of fictional characters who are drawn from the experience and…

Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Rappaccini's Daughter" reflects the author's view that inherent in the human dilemma are ambiguous ironies which cannot be resolved. Although Hawthorne (unlike Ralph Waldo Emerson) perceives evil as an extraordinarily potent force, he offers no clear moral solutions in this story, but examines various…

The first purpose of this study was to discover and analyze the values in "The Red Badge of Courage,""Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,""The Catcher in the Rye," and "To Kill a Mockingbird." The values--conscious or unconscious motivators and justifiers of characters' actions and judgments--were classified according to H. S. Broudy's "Building a…

Intended for teachers-to-be at the undergraduate level as well as for teachers with experience, this book presents the premise that the short story--with its appropriate length and natural interest for students--is a unique teaching vehicle. Five parts comprise the volume: Part 1 discusses four teaching principles illustrated by actual short…

Designed to assess the extent of adolescents' literary awareness of detail and of characterization, and their sense of the purpose and continuity in written responses to story selections, the Literary Appreciation of Adolescents measure was constructed. Three scales measure those three factors, with each scale being scored on a five-point basis…

If dramatic characters are to be rendered "three dimensional" in performance, both the dramatist and the actor/interpreter must create them with proper attention to the physical, sociological, and psychological aspects of character. If oral interpreters understand these dimensions of a particular character, they can analyze such elements as…

Examines three recent books on Louisa May Alcott: (1) "A Hunger for Home: Louisa May Alcott and Little Women" by Sarah Elbert, (2) "The Promise of Destiny: Children and Women in the Short Stories of Louisa May Alcott" by Joy Marsella, and (3) "Louisa May Alcott" by Ruth MacDonald. (HOD)

Part of a three-program set, this computer software program is designed to support the teaching of literary criticism in the English classroom through a focus on characterization. It aids teachers in the search for literary meaning by providing questions from different reading positions. The program is easy to operate and requires little prior…

Part of a three-program set, this computer software provides a comprehensive range of generic questions on plot in literature. The program is comprised of: 150 questions sorted into 14 categories; supporting ideological commentary classifying question types; and a user-friendly program enabling worksheet production. It is underpinned by a Critical…

Part of a three-program set, this computer software program is designed to aid teachers in the search for literary meaning by providing questions from different reading positions. The program provides 150 questions in 3 forms--a generic version of each question (without reference to any particular work), an example question (showing how the…

"Do the Right Thing" leaves the viewer with contradictory and confused messages that suggest that the film has no clear view of racial relations in a city. The film is examined as an ideological statement. It deconstructs contemporary African-American ideologies but does not replace them with new visions. (SLD)

Reviews treatment of African Americans and academic issues as depicted in children's literature from the 1900s through the 1950s. Discusses the portrayal of students, parents, teachers, and family members and their impact on academic achievement. (MAK)

The aesthetic quality and psychological subtlety of contemporary picture books give genuine expression to a child's conscious and unconscious thoughts and emotions. Increasingly, themes of existential and developmental stress are appearing in picture books. Typical reactions aroused by such stress factors--and also by themes treated in picture…

This dissertation explored the extent and kind of sex-role stereotyping in popular, prestigious, and sex-role defining children's picture books printed between 1959 and 1972. The sample consisted of two categories of popular children's picture books, best-selling golden books and "New York Times" children's best-sellers, one category of Caldecott…

Most of this 10th-grade teaching unit on Robinson's "Richard Cory" is made up of sample teacher questions and student answers which lead students to think about values. Other sections include definitions of tools for poetry and analysis, notes on Robinson's life, and a list of poems on "successful living." A five-page…