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authorjbr's review against another edition
4.0
Very good introduction or review to productive reading for literary texts and how to effectively write about literary texts (specifically in an academic setting).
Designed for the college level it feels like, though would probably be equally effective in high school.
Designed for the college level it feels like, though would probably be equally effective in high school.
noelleandherbooks's review
informative
super informative! as someone who just became an english major, the information about analyzing literature is v helpful. solid used bookstore find!
njauf's review
3.5
read this for class. it’s a great book that covers the major things to know when getting into literature. i definitely think it’s useful, and i read it for an intro to english studies class. however i don’t think it was helpful for me specifically since i knew the info already
micklesreads's review
3.0
The chapters on what to look for with intros to basic lit interpretation skills were good, but I'd have loved some more concrete guidelines on writing a good close reading: thesis construction, support, how to tell if you're arguing vs. summarizing, etc. would all have been valuable. We go over this in class extensively, of course, but something in the text beyond what's there would have been helpful. It's a handy little book, but I'll likely just supplement with my own online readings in the future on this kind of stuff.
erininabox's review
4.0
This is a really good short summary of what most English teachers are expecting from you and attempting to elicit from you in literature classes. It's a pretty short book, so if you don't have a lot of time I'd recommend starting with this. It's a little light in some areas, and the missing details can just leave students more confused than before. Obviously detail and portability are always going to be at odds with one another, but I think nothing would have been lost in the portability category by just a little bit more detail. In any case, I'd recommend picking this up in high school or very early on in college if you can, but it's never too late to figure out the literary essay.
caterinaanna's review
4.0
The bookcrossing copy of this which I read was sent travelling by the author with the explicit instruction that it was to be turned into a communal art-work. I got it early enough in the cycle for it to still be readable, anyone after me would have struggled to make sense of the pages I played with.
I am glad I read it. What amazes me most are the length of sample pieces from students. Our poor KS4 lot (age 14-16) need to produce three times as much for each piece of GCSE Literature coursework - and I'm not sure that all our English staff are quite such friendly hand-holders! I also remember being expected to produce essays of this level for my homework each week at a similar age, so I was thoroughly jealous of the author's students who get time to choose titles and research. Is it merely a difference in location and education system, or have times moved on?
I am glad I read it. What amazes me most are the length of sample pieces from students. Our poor KS4 lot (age 14-16) need to produce three times as much for each piece of GCSE Literature coursework - and I'm not sure that all our English staff are quite such friendly hand-holders! I also remember being expected to produce essays of this level for my homework each week at a similar age, so I was thoroughly jealous of the author's students who get time to choose titles and research. Is it merely a difference in location and education system, or have times moved on?
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