A Little Literature: 2009 MLA Update

by Sylvan Barnet, William E. Burto, William E. Cain

Featuring the smallest trim size and page count of any comparable anthology, this appealing new three-genre collection encourages students to experience the pleasures of reading literature.  Updated to reflect the new MLA Guidelines, A Little Reading, Writing, and Argument, 2009 MLA Update offers a compact and economical alternative to bulky anthologies.  Despite the brevity of this compilation, a judicious mix of classic and contemporary selections—from Sophocles and Shakespeare to Amy Tan and Tobias Wolff—offers ample reading choices for instructors and students.  Concise, yet complete, editorial apparatus provides guidance on reading, writing, and, most particularly, developing arguments about literature.

1200 pages, Paperback

First published January 21, 2006

About the author

Sylvan Barnet is an American literary critic and Shakespearean scholar. He is a Fletcher Professor of English Emeritus at Tufts University.

Barnet is the author of numerous books and articles on Shakespeare. He is the general editor of the Signet Classics Shakespeare,[1] the author of A Short Guide to Shakespeare,[2] and has written many textbooks. He is the co-author with William Burto of occasional essays on aspects of Japanese art.[3] He has also written books about the art of writing.