Discusses the 1955 Vladimir Nabokov novel "Lolita," and the central theme of "Lolita" being a prize in a struggle between two men. Examines some of the moments of sadomasochism in the novel and film, and the relationship between director Stanley Kubrick and the lead actor Peter Sellers. Concludes with an analysis of Kubrick's…

Explores the ways in which Henry James' narrative use of euphemism in "The Golden Bowl" can offer new interpretive avenues for the novel itself, for literary texts in general, and for the teacher-critic's professional activity in the larger context of the academic institution. (RS)

Explores Toni Morrison's "Beloved," Leslie Marmon Silko's "Ceremony," and Marta Traba's "Mothers and Shadows." Identifies the novels as resistance tales that articulate minority perspectives. Points out that all three are dialogic and contain fundamental moments of captivity and liberation. Observes that, in each…

Discusses Willa Cather's novel "Lucy Gayheart," which provides the only public access to Cather's sense of connection to Virginia Woolf, a writer she admired. Uses Cather's "provocative" placement of Mrs. Ramsay as a way to re-frame thinking about this novel. Considers it as an experimental modernist novel. (PA)

How seven college teachers and their students discussed Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" is described in order to discover basic information about how different teachers approach the teaching of the same work. All of the classes were surveys of American literature taught by experienced teachers. The 24 class hours were tape-recorded and…

Based on Ken Kesey's novel "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that all works of art lend themselves to critical reviews; critical reviews consist of opinions and support for the opinions; and a critical review may compare and contrast a work in one medium to the same work in…

It is essential to develop future teachers' views of diversity, as contemporary teachers teach large numbers of students who are not like them linguistically or culturally. Teacher educators are responsible for preparing preservice and inservice literacy teachers to be effective in these increasingly diverse classrooms. They should continue to…

The purpose of this study is to examine four adolescent novels exclusively from the viewpoint of literary criticims. Two of the novels, labeled adolescent by the publishers, are "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel and "His Enemy, His Friend" by John Tunis; the other two, not labeled adolescent by the publishers, are "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok, and "A…

Recommends Lucy Maud Montgomery's novel, which first appeared in l923. (FL)

Explores the techniques whereby Robert Cormier creates both a logical puzzle and an exciting thriller in "I Am the Cheese." (HOD)

Argues that "The Dark Is Rising" illustrates clearly both what is genuinely fresh and enjoyable about Susan Cooper's fantasy writing, and what is feeble and even objectionable. (HOD)

Discusses stories in general, stories in the novel, and "Robinson Crusoe," focusing on what happens in and to narrative--the transformation in the nature of story--that brings the novel into existence. (DD)

Weaves a discussion of the female protagonist of Laurie Halse Anderson's novel "Speak" into the main discussion of the female protagonist of Carson McCullers'"The Member of the Wedding." Demonstrates the parallels between the stories as well as the distinctions to reinforce their individual richness, and to assist teachers who may choose to pair…

Every novelist, even great ones like Fyodor Dostoevsky, struggles against the temptation to be didactic: the poet struggles with the person. Teachers of literature and aesthetics need to be sensitive to this struggle as they assist their students to read novels carefully. This essay traces the struggle in the case of Dostoevsky's great novel,…