Chapter+2

= "The Writer as Reader: Reading and Responding" =

The second chapter entitled “The Writer as Reader: Reading and Responding” begins with a discussion of active reading. The text discusses taking notes and underlining while reading and alludes to this being a form of prewriting. Then, the writer is encouraged to assess the audience of the particular writing assignment. The chapter then gives an example essay and then critiques it. This allows the text to give the reader advice on what works and what does not work in the essay. The chapter ends with a brief discussion of critical thinking as well as its importance when writing for literature.

The second chapter of this book brings the the act of reading to the forefront. The chapter kind of contradicts itself by initially stressing “[...] to imagine the effect your words are likely to have on the reader” but then shortly thereafter puts the responsibility of discovering the authors meaning back in to the readers hands: “As readers, we can and should make an effort to understand what the author seems to be getting at” (Barnet and Cain 10-12). The idea that the reader is responsible for making the writing clear to the reader, and to write “for someone else, not for yourself” relates to rhetorical pedagogy with the focus being on appropriateness for audience ( Barnet and Cain 15). This juxtaposition of process and rhetorical pedagogy make apparent Lad Tobin's assertion that “[...] the differences in theory are less clear and less significant in the classroom, where most practitioners borrow liberally from research of various kinds [...]” (Tobin 10).



However, the comment about readers discovering the author's meaning using an example of Kate Chopin, a canonical author, gives the argument political and hierarchical implications that Harris and Bartholomae would most likely notice but criticize for never being openly discussed in the chapter. The chapter goes on making statements identifying what the generic reader wants such as not wanting any plot summary. This asserts that the reader is generic and universal, an assumption perhaps current-traditional in practice. This is another point that the social constructivists would probably disagree with. In defense of this book however, it is discussing a specific audience: one that would read literary criticism and analysis.


 * 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.