Advanced Writing on Fiction, Poetry, and Drama

C.S. Lewis once wrote, “To say the very thing you really mean, the whole of it, nothing more or less or other than what you really mean, that’s the whole art and joy of words.” In class, students will explore, question, compare and evaluate the works of many American and English writers who have understood the “art and joy of words.” The anthology for the course offers helpful suggestions on responding to stories, poems, and plays. Students will write weekly in response to reading assignments in the anthology. Semester evaluations will be based upon written assignments, contributions to analyzing and evaluating literature in class, a mid-term (written at home), and a final (written in class).

Textbooks:

We will use Literature: Introduction to Reading and Writing, AP Edition (4th edition) by Edgar V. Roberts (ISBN: 0-136-04433-6). This Prentice Hall text can be purchased at amazon.com or www.mypearsonstore.com/. The following style manual is suggested but not required: A Pocket Style Manual (5th edition) by Diana Hacker (ISBN: 0-312-45275-6). It is available at Barnes and Noble.

Prerequisites:

(1) junior or senior grade level, (2) completion of a composition course, and (3) submission of an essay written during the past year. Please indicate if the essay has been revised after submission to a tutor or parent, and e-mail the essay to me with “Essay for Course” in the subject box. If you prefer to send the essay through the postal service, simply request my address. Feel free to e-mail any questions that you may have.

Tutor: Marsha MacLeod