Backpack Literature

The newest, smallest, and most economical member of the Kennedy/Gioia family, Backpack Literature is a brief paperback version of the discipline's most popular introduction to literature anthology. Like its bigger, bestselling predecessors, Backpack Literature features the authors' collective poetic voice which brings personal warmth and a human perspective to the discussion of literature, adding to students' interest in the readings. Thirty-three stories range from beloved classics by John Updike, William Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor, and Katherine Anne Porter to contemporary works from around the globe including stories by Ha Jin, Amy Tan, Tim O'Brien, and Alice Walker.More than 215 of the discipline's greatest, most teachable poems blend the old masters like Shakespeare, Keats, Hughes, Millay, Frost, and Dickinson with newer voices such as Billy Collins, Elizabeth Bishop, Sherman Alexie, and Carole Satyamurti.A wonderful collection of ten high-quality plays includes Sophocles's Oedipus, Shakespeare's Othello, Ibsen's A Doll House, and Miller'sDeath of a Salesman as well as newer works by Jane Martin and Milcha Sanchez-Scott. Author photos of many fiction and drama writers and major poets humanize writers for students and adds visual interest. Complete writing coverage includes "Writing Critically" sections in each chapter as well as discussions of the writing process and advice for writing about each genre in the back of the text. Real student writing is showcased in the 6 student papers and reports included. Multimedia CD-ROM, The Craft of Literature, offers a rich array of film and audio clips, interactive readings, critical articles, and student papers--all supported by critical thinking questions or writing prompts. MyLiteratureLab.com, password-protected website introduces a new dimension to the study of literature with Longman Lectures-evocative, illustrated audio readings along with tips on how to read, interpret, and write about literature. This powerful program also features Diagnostic Tests, Interactive Readings with clickable prompts, student papers, Literature Timeline, Avoiding Plagiarism and Research Navigator research tools, and "Exchange" electronic instructor feedback tool.