This is a review essay of Joseph North's "Literary Criticism: A Concise Political History." I interrogate many of North's claims, most notably his argument about the way a shift from literary criticism to literary scholarship has blunted the capacity of people working in literary studies to engage in a socially critical praxis. I use his…

Culturally sustaining pedagogy (Paris, 2012) has emerged as an essential way to value the evolution of culture among diverse learners. Discussions around teaching in a culturally sustaining manner in the English language arts classroom, specifically when teaching literary analysis, often address the need to incorporate multicultural literature so…

In this essay, the author "maps" a town that has grown in what was formerly frontier: he looked at twenty-four essays focusing on grammar instruction from "Teaching English in the Two-Year College (TETYC)," published between 1987 and 2006, with a goal of identifying key areas of focus--town squares. While he found several trends and foci, most…

Records the dialog between Northrop Frye and a panel of teachers who quizzed him about the direct application of his theories to the teaching of English in elementary through university classrooms. (RL)

Examines the meaning of the word "history" as used in the common phrase "literary history" by critics and scholars. Asserts the differences between historical scholarship and literary history. Argues that the grounding activity of literary history is insulated from the relativism insisted upon by poststructuralist theorizing.…

Reviews six books that English teachers may find useful: "Shakespeare's First Words,""Adapted Classics for Advanced Readers,""The Hand that Fed Him Kicked the Bucket: The Literary Uses of the Mixed Metaphor,""Whatta We Gotta Do That For?,""The Turner's Book of Fitness," and "The Computer Tutor." (DF)

Explores the trend in modern literature and criticism away from the central issues and forces of human life and the corresponding alienation and specialization of college English departments and the profession itself. Calls for a more public orientation in the teaching and criticism of literature. (HTH)

The study of literature can be a discipline only insofar as it is capable of the systemization typical of other human sciences. The possibility of system poses two directions of research: (1) exploring what conditions make system possible; and (2) discovering what follows from the fact of system's possibility. Northrop Frye followed the second…

The purpose of this paper is to describe some general relationships between the concepts of literary genre and writing style. The discussion concentrates on the following topics: (1) possible classification schemes for genres, including stylistic aspects associated with each scheme; (2) concepts from literary criticsm that are related to both…

General Systems Theoy is a contemporary discipline that profitably lends itself as a new approach to literature. Pioneered by Ludwig von Bertalanffy in Germany in the 1930s, the theory has had successful applications in the United States in philosophy, business, and urban planning. Applications of certain principles of systems theory to A.…

Examines the problems of spoken poetry, both from the poet's viewpoint and from the viewpoint of adolescents in literature classes. Considers the efficacy of conceptualizing poetry, especially spoken poetry, as popular art. (RL)

Discusses the poststructural impulse to displace authority over texts and their meanings from the author. Questions whether poststructuralists practice an anti-intentionalist impersonalism regarding their own writings. Describes the reactions of Jacques Derrida to readings of his own work by other critics. (HB)

Explores the possibility that literary theorists and reading researchers are unconscious of each others interests, goals, and assumptions. Seeks to explore how the gaps between these two areas might best be bridged. (EL)

Recounts a method for advancing from literal to more subtle interpretations of language in literature. (HTH)

Discusses the "crisis in representation" experienced in the humanities since the 1960s. Considers the relationship of academic knowledge to political power in terms of an ongoing struggle for representation. Recognizes higher education as a leading agent in redistributing access to representation in the public sphere. (HB)