Offers several suggestions for teaching George Orwell's "Animal Farm" to high school students. Included are strategies for (1) teaching themes of the story, (2) interpreting the story on several levels, (3) seeing the connections between language and politics, (4) using group activities, and (5) using visual aids. (JC)

Compares characterization in Western and African novels. Observes that the characters in African novels are principally mediums for exposing the sociopolitical situation. (FMW)

Discusses various critical interpretations of Zora Neale Hurston's personality and writing beginning in the Harlem Renaissance. Examines literary skirmishes and aesthetic debates between Hurston and Langston Hughes and Richard Wright beginning in the Harlem Renaissance period. Explores Black male and female writers' perspectives during this time.…

Responds critically to Ward Elliott and Robert Valenza's computerized stylometric analyses of Shakespeare plays and purported Shakespearean materials. Argues that the Elliott-Valenza tests are deeply flawed, both in their design and execution. Claims that inconvenient data were ignored, control samples not identified, and unwarranted assumptions…

Traces the 48-year history of the "white-life" novel in American literature and argues that these novels, written by black or other non white authors, conform to majority group tastes and expectations for reasons of attaining literary and financial success at the expense of denying the author's own heritage. Several literary works are…

This article analyzes the function of deixis in the poetry of the 20th century Italian, Eugenio Montale, in particular, his "In limine." The main objective is to show how deixis is involved in the dynamic relationship between text and reader. A constant problem in Montale's texts is that of a disharmony felt by the poetic voice with the…

Most textbooks, ignoring current narrative theory, fail to explain a large number of published essays containing narrative. To challenge textbook definitions of narratives, three points should be made: (1) a clear distinction should be recognized between narratives making points and narratives proving points, (2) the textbook equating of…

Aime Cesaire is one of the foremost French-speaking blacks in twentieth century literature. The concept of negritude--referring to the culture of French-speaking blacks--is often associated with his name. This paper discusses his life and work, and explores his life from his birth in Martinique, his early years, the years spent in Paris, and his…

This paper discusses a contemporary literary movement, "New Nonfiction." New Nonfiction is described as a reaction against the hermeticism of the modern novel, the abstractions of historical scholarship, and the impersonal, sensational, and formulaic reports of the mass media. It is a written narrative that connects private sensibility with public…

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…

Investigates how some South Asian novelists who use English as their chosen instrument of communication are seeking to "decolonize" English. They are trying to capture the deep structures and lineaments of national cultures in order to make English a more authentic vehicle for expressing the consciousness of the people. (Author/SED)

Analyzes George Orwell's 1946 essay, "Politics and the English Language," to develop an argument about compositional pedagogy and the nature of writing itself. Points out the dangers of promulgating only the "plain style" of language usage and the paradoxical advantages of combining classical rhetoric with radical politics. (RL)

Differentiates modernism and postmodernism to show that despite the differences in form in twentieth century American literature--differences that high school students must be made aware of--there are patterns in the American experience that are of recurrent, urgent, and ultimate concern for the American artist. (Author/RL)

Evaluation studies are discussed in terms of aesthetic and literary qualities. Concepts such as imagery, coherence, credibility, dramatic structure, mode of presentation, and story line, are analyzed in relation to evaluative documents. (MH)