Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing, Compact Interactive Edition (6th Edition)

Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing, Compact Interactive Edition (6th Edition) – ISBN 9780205686094 by X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia offers an easy approach to understanding the work of contemporary writers. This textbook also encourages students to develop a deeper appreciation of literature. The authors use a warm and personal style so as not to overwhelm those taking introductory-level literature or humanities courses. In the ‘fiction' section, the authors discuss reading a story, the art of fiction, types of short fiction, point of view, characters, setting, and tone and style. Other elements such as theme and symbol are also covered. Under ‘poetry,' subjects such as reading a poem, listening to a voice, words, saying and suggesting, and imagery are explained. Figures of speech, song, sound, rhythm, closed and open forms, symbol, myth and narrative are likewise clarified. By the end of the poetry section, students would have been exposed to poetry from other cultures, as the book offers examples like Pablo Neruda's Muchos Somos, Octvaio Paz's Con Los Ojos Cerrados, and Frida Kahlo's The Two Fridas. In the ‘drama' section, authors X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia explain Shakespeare and Sophocles. The last portion of the book is dedicated to writing about literature, stories, poems, plays, and research papers. It also contains an essay exam. Some of the critical approaches to literature covered in the book are formalist, biographical, historical, mythological, and deconstructionist criticism. This new edition continues to be informative and enjoyable; it has been updated with examples from writers like Anne Deavre Smith, Virginia Woolf, and Naguib Mahfouz. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing, Compact Interactive Edition (6th Edition) integrates literature from all genres, as well as classic, English, minority, and American works.