Literature and the Writing Process, MLA Update

For courses in Literature for Composition, Writing About Literature, and Introduction to Literature. This version of Literature and the Writing Process has been updated to reflect the 8th Edition of the MLA Handbook (April 2016)* Great literature as a path to learning writing and critical-thinking skills Great literature is always thought provoking, always new — why not use it to improve students’ writing skills and sharpen critical thinking? Literature and the Writing Process combines an introductory anthology with detailed instruction in the writing process. By seamlessly integrating literature and composition into one multi-purpose text, the authors enable students to enjoy, understand, and learn from imaginative literature — and to write clearly and intelligently about what they have learned. Text writing assignments use literature as a tool of critical thought, a method for analysis, and a way of communicating ideas. Careful integration of rhetorical instruction with the critical study of literature guides students through the allied processes of analytical reading and argumentative writing. As a result, students learn how to write essays about the major features that are involved in interpreting short stories, poems, and plays. * The 8th Edition introduces sweeping changes to the philosophy and details of MLA works cited entries. Responding to the “increasing mobility of texts,” MLA now encourages writers to focus on the process of crafting the citation, beginning with the same questions for any source. These changes, then, align with current best practices in the teaching of writing which privilege inquiry and critical thinking over rote recall and rule-following.