An exercise in ghostwriting--a process where the reader completes a section of the text in the reader's head based on clues in the text--was used in freshman composition and upper-level composition classes to get students to concentrate on their reading processes. In this assignment, a short story was chosen from which different portions of the…

Considering that some feminist critics have recently been approaching composition theory from a preconceived feminist perspective, the issue of maintaining an analytical bias while conducting research is once more emerging. By imposing an analytical model on a body of data, scholars run the risk of ignoring conclusions or focusing on those which…

A study investigated the phenomenon "response to literature" through the window of language to determine how different researchers assigned meaning to this central concept in twentieth century research. The benchmark conceptions of the terms "literature" and "response" (with which the research conceptions could be…

In a composition classroom with a multicultural emphasis, reader response techniques can give students the chance to consider their own positions in the dominant culture, to confront racist attitudes within themselves, and to try to empathize with minority views. These techniques lead to a more student-centered classroom where students not only…

Using an approach developed and refined over a combined 44 years of teaching, this book encourages literature teachers at the high school and college levels to empower their students as readers--and meaning-makers--of literature. The book presents results of a research study in which 288 students, ranging from junior high school to graduate…

In the first of two experiments designed to determine whether the use of humor would enhance audience reactions to a speaker without damaging that speaker's ethos (character and authoritativeness), 98 university students were randomly assigned to read one of four versions of the speech, "Why I Chose Psychology." The subjects read…

A study examined the utility of latent partition analysis for describing the structure of emotional responses in reading. Subjects in the first experiment, 40 undergraduate university students, read a 2,100-word story and then immediately reported any scenes or events that evoked an emotional response and any mental images they recalled from…

Louise Rosenblatt's reader response theory can be applied effectively to film study in the classroom. Although there are differences between film and literature, the processes that one uses to make sense of literature and film are similar, and Rosenblatt's theory provides not only a valuable addition to film theory, but teachers of film study will…

A teacher of an undergraduate literature course, inspired by the increasing use of collaborative writing in the workplace and by reader-response criticism, required a collaborative writing assignment in the course. A computer laboratory equipped as a local area network (LAN) was instrumental, enabling sustained, serious collaboration. Students…

Based on the experiences of writing lab instructors working with college students whose writing was affected by poor comprehension of difficult texts, this book explores the use of writing about reading to help students become more aware or analytical of their reading processes. The first chapter provides a theoretical context for teaching…

A study was conducted to explore student response to literature and the influence of classroom experiences on that response. Three novels were selected for study: "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger, "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck, and "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway. Each of 54 freshman English students read one of the…

Describes the creation of two anthologies of personal narratives by women. Explains how letters can stimulate students to become active readers using, as an example, letters written by a woman during the Civil War. (SRT)

Discusses why writers write, and cites caring about the response to writing as the key to development. Urges teachers to be sensitive to the social nature of writing and to the vulnerability of writers, and to demonstrate and encourage writing for fun, enjoyment, and power. (MM)

Argues that, in their roles as responding audiences for student writers, teachers need to be clear as to whether they are taking the perspective of writer or reader. (FL)

Discusses the connections between the study of literary texts, language, and composition and the impact of these connections on English instruction and English programs. (SRT)