Chapter+1

= "Writing About Literature: A Crash Course" =

This chapter serves as a basic introduction of a textbook aiming to prepare writers to write about literature. The chapter sets out introducing “the pleasure of reading – and writing about literature,” and continues to introduce the writing process (Barnet and Cain 10). With such an introduction, it is apparent that process pedagogy will probably play a central role throughout the text. The second page of the chapter immediately jumps to this influence and says that students must understand “the //process of writing,//” and that “the very act of writing will stimulate //better// thoughts that those they begin with” (Barnet and Cain 4). The authors go on to explain that students are not writing for the teacher but rather for themselves. This suggestion that writers write to learn and clarify ideas parallels Lad Tobin in “Process Pedagogy” when he says, “writers did not think and then neatly transmit that complete thought; instead the writing helped them clarify their thinking, just as in a messy, back-and-forth way, the thinking led to more writing” (Tobin 11). Also, Tobin as well as Peter Elbow are proponents of encouraging students to write for themselves. Both advocated the use of allowing students to select their own writing topics and to displace some of the authority of the teacher. The book identifies that students will probably often write because of a teacher's instructions but similarly encourages writing to satisfy and enlighten oneself like Tobin and Elbow.

The chapter also introduces Tobin and Nancy Sommers concept of writing as a recursive process where revision is essential. The book quotes Truman Capote who says, “Writing is rewriting” (Barnet and Cain 4). The chapter makes sure to include a short discussion on students making “[...] both large and small changes,” a point reminiscent of Nancy Sommers' article about students' tendencies to only focus on what the book calls //local// revision rather than //global// (Barnet and Cain 7).

Since rewriting and revision are necessary to make writing clearer, more organized, and more accessible to the reader, the chapter logically next introduces the concept of the audience. This brief inclusion of the importance of the audience reminds the student of the importance of assessing the audience and the rhetorical situation. This awareness of audience relates to William A. Covino's assertion that “meaning is interpretative rather than determine” (Covino 48). The chapter introduces that the audience “[...] determine[s] the amount of detail you need to provide” (Barnet and Cain 6). This relates to Covino in that a student must assess the audience before writing to decide what is appropriate. This acknowledgement to the reader and the audience leads us to the social constructivists' theories; however, the book stops short of making this connection. The book does not discuss the audience or the reader in terms of a society of hierarchical discourse communities as Joseph Harris or David Bartholomae might but rather as a generic reader constantly looking for the same qualities of writing.

**Note:** This wikispace can be used as a guide to decide whether or not the text //A Short Guide to Writing About Literature// will be effective for your classroom probably at the college level. Throughout the review of this book, several composition theorists and their writings are referenced. Familiarity with these articles and theories will be helpful in accessing this guide and deciding whether or not to use this book as a source. For your convenience, on the Annotated Bibliography page of this wiki an annotated bibliography including extensive summaries of each work references can be found.