Asseverates the morality of "The Catcher in the Rye," emphasizing that teachers need not defend the book on purely literary terms. (JL)

Discusses recent events in American culture's ongoing debate concerning the censorship of reading materials for young adults. Considers the ways to defend reading selections from attack by potential censors. Gives advice for teachers challenged to defend their reading selections. (HB)

Examines a high school literature censorship case, and challenges the assumption that values can be "absorbed" through emotional engagement with a "transparent" text. Concludes with guidelines for avoiding indoctrination by viewing literature as the construction of fictional worlds whose values are decoded by calculated acts of…

Counters six arguments against humor in English classes. Presents arguments in support of studying humor in English classes, noting its usefulness and benefits. (SR)

Presents an interview with David Bradley, professor of English at Temple University (PA), who defends the teaching of Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" to black students despite recent moves to remove the book from some public school libraries because it is deemed offensive. Bradley provides recommendations for teaching "Huckleberry…

Details some of the current critical arguments concerning Mark Twain's depiction of the runaway slave Jim in the novel "Huckleberry Finn." Describes classroom experiences teaching the novel and how a reader's cultural background influences reactions to it. Provides principles and caveats for teaching the novel. Lists works about slavery…

The theme of this journal issue is the development of lifelong reading habits and interests. The articles address questions of what to read, how to read, and why one should read. Bibliographies are provided, novels and poems are recommended, and teaching strategies and curricula are outlined. In addition, two student essays are offered on the…

An examination of the omnipresent problem of censorship, especially as it affects public high school literature programs, emphasizes the need for book selection policies and formal procedures for handling a complaint against a book. This study concerning censorship of "The Catcher in the Rye" may prove useful to school personnel in…

This issue of the "Interracial Books for Children Bulletin" contains a special section focusing on the film called, "The Speaker". This film purports to deal with an assault on the First Amendment and with the necessity for eternal vigilance in defense of U.S. Constitutional freedom. The setting is an integrated high school…

The social, cultural, and historical documents and commentary in this casebook illuminate the reading of "The Catcher in the Rye," a novel that has become an important rite of passage for many young adults. In addition to a literary analysis, the casebook acquaints students with the larger world in which Holden Caulfield, the…

Explains how the author encouraged students to think about censorship and the arts when conducting a field trip to Robert Mapplethorpe's "The Perfect Moment" exhibition at the Wadsworth Atheneum (Connecticut). Suggests preparing the students beforehand and keeping parents informed. Recommends booking a public room at a museum where…

Outlines a student-conducted literature course that uses several classic novels ("My Antonia,""The Pearl," etc.) as the basis for group discussion, writing, and oral performance activities--all directed toward extracting "meaning" from the books selected. (NKA)

Offers a rationale that can be used to defend the assignment of Alice Walker's controversial novel for class reading. Indicates four issues that might evoke calls for censorship: (1) subject matter, (2) vocabulary, (3) grammar, and (4) the epistolary form of the work. (RBW)

The seven articles in this focused journal issue are concerned with choosing books for teaching and the various constraints on those choices. The first article, by Richard Lederer, discusses George Orwell's "1984" and the principles of Newspeak. His article sets the tone for the next two articles: "Beware the Misuse of…

This publication resulted from a project of the British Film Institute (bfi). The aim was to emphasize that cinema takes a number of different forms, fulfills a variety of roles within different societies, and has different models of its social function. Toward this end, film-makers from all over the world were invited to write a diary about the…