Literature and Its Writers: A Compact Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama

by Ann Charters, Samuel Charters

Literature is a conversation — between writers and other writers, and between writers and readers. In Literature and Its Writers, Ann and Samuel Charters complement a rich and varied selection of stories, poems, and plays with an unparalleled array of commentaries about that literature by the writers themselves. Such "writer talk" inspires students to respond as it models ways for them to enter the conversation. In the sixth edition, the Charters continue to entice students to join the conversation, with adventurous and intriguing new literary works, more detailed coverage of literary elements, and more help with reading and writing.

This anthology is now available with video! Learn more about VideoCentral for Literature.

Genres: Textbooks, Reference, Nonfiction, Literature, Anthologies, School

1792 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm hoping to use this for an intro lit class I'm teaching next semester. I really like the diversity of texts it offers and, as with Charters' other textbooks, a focus on writing as something alive, still happening, including commentary by the writers themselves. I think that makes the texts more meaningful to students.

[Sarah Schantz · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is some great content in here, particularly the bits and pieces about writing by the writers themselves who are featured, and I also really appreciated the chapter at the end about how to write about literature and all the information about literary theory and criticism.

I just wish it was ordered more chronoligcally as I think I would have rather taught it that way instead of being forced into teaching the class by genre--fiction, poetry, then drama. I am a sucker for the Norton Antholgies, especially the textbook, Literature by Women which is organized the way I prefer. You can teach Literature by Women by beginning way back and moving through time into the modern day world to show how literature has continued to tell the same narratives but also has evolved to fit the needs of the time in which it was told.

[globulon]

I actually didn't get this for a class. My wife picked it up at a library booksale. I like this anthology because it presents a pleasurable variety of material. It also hits some anthology favorites but there's a good number of authors I wasn't familiar with beforehand but was provoked into reading more of. It also has a nice feature that it doesn't just present isolated texts but links the texts with eachother in interesting ways. I'm reading it pretty much straight through, though I'm skipping most of the stories I've read before, or stories that I intend to read in another context.

[Kellea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great textbook for my Literary Studies course. A great diversity of writers in poetry, short story, and drama. I enjoyed reading some writers work that I had never read before and become re-aquainted with writers I haven't read in a long time. And it helps if the professor using the book is good at teaching and my professor was great.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this book to teach my Intro to Literary Studies course. The students really like it and so did I. I like how the book is set up to reinforce the idea of communication between works and genres. Also, there are many great supplements to the texts in the book. I wish the theory chapter were a little more useful, but it works as a broad overview. I will use this book again.

[T.J.]

I am learning to appreciate one-sitting, singular effects, now with better understanding of how and, sometimes, why.

[Nora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice collection of fiction and drama, but the poetry section could be beefed up.

[Samar]

I love to learn about the fiction