More and more, first- year writing courses foreground skills of critical analysis and argumentation. In response, Arguing about Literature first hones students’ analytical skills through instruction in close critical reading of texts; then, it shows them how to turn their reading into well-supported and rhetorically effective argumentative writing. From the authors of the groundbreaking and widely adoptedMaking Literature Matter, Arguing about Literatureeconomically combines two books in one: a concise guide to reading literature and writing arguments, and a compact thematic anthology of stories, poems, plays, arguments, and other kinds of texts for inquiry, analysis and research. The second edition includes even more instruction in the key skills of argumentation, critical reading, and research, while linking literature more directly to the newsworthy current issues of today.
A Brief Guide to Arguing about Literature
Preface for Instructors
Contents by Genre
1. What is Argument?
Paul Goldberger, Disconnected Urbanism
New Understanding Rhetoric
The Elements of Argument
Sample Argument for Analysis
David W. Barno, A New Moral Compact
Writing a Response to an Argument
New Strategies for Analyzing an Argument So You Can Write a Response to It
An Argument for Analysis
New Regina Rini, Should We Rename Institutions that Honor Dead Racists?
New 2. Writing Effective Arguments
Strategies for Developing an Effective Style of Argument
Structuring Your ArgumentlóÑ