Text Book An Introduction to Literary Language

by Robert;Comley Nancy R. and Ulmer Gregory L. Scholes

"As you enter this book you will find all kinds of some are usually called 'literary' and some are not. This mixture is essential to our method. We do not want to offer you a collection of 'master' works that ask for your passive submission, but a set of texts that you can work and play with, increasing your own understanding of fundamental textual processes and your own ability to use the written word. We hope to help you feel more at home in the house of language, and we are confident that a better command of written language will contribute to a better life." -- from the authors' "Letter to the Student" in Text Book.

Genres: Writing

Paperback

First published December 31, 1988

Reviews

[Manik Sukoco · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Text Book" is a tribute to generic text interpretation theory and technique. Starting with the theoretical foundation of storytelling, using Mary Louise Pratt's interpretation of William Labov's work, this freshman college text takes us by the hand to introduce us to the basic tenets of character, confrontation, the full spectrum of the uses of metaphor, intertextuality, text transformation and interpretation, fragments and signing. "Text Book" defines what a literary primer should be: intelligently organized, entertaining, informative, and skewed toward having the student develop their own literary skills through a wide range of open-ended exercises.
This is an excellent teaching text that actively develops the student's knowlege of literary language and technique. It is also a text that requires a teacher with a firm base in literary instruction. The teacher is expected, not to fill in any gaps in the text, but to mediate the discussion questions that are asked throughout the text. These are open-ended interpretive
questions about specific literary examples, and a teacher ill-prepared to moderate the discussion may do more harm than good for the student.
Overall, "Text Book" is an impressive work that is an exellent addition to any English student's curriculum.