Includes bibliographical references and index

[ch.] 1. Preliminary: The process of reading, responding to, and writing about literature -- [ch.] 2. Writing about likes and dislikes: responding to literature -- [ch.] 3. Writing about character: the people in literature -- [ch.] 4. Writing about setting: the background of place, objects, and culture in literature -- [ch.] 5. Writing about plot and structure: the development of narratives and drama -- [ch.] 6. Writing about point of view: the position or stance of the work's narrator or speaker -- [ch.] 7. Writing about an idea or a theme: the meaning and the message in literature -- [ch.] 8. Writing about imagery: the literary work's link to the senses -- [ch.] 9. Writing about metaphor and simile: a source of depth and range in literature -- [ch.] 10. Writing about symbolism and allegory: keys to extended meaning -- [ch.] 11. Writing about tome: the writer's control over attitudes and feeling -- [ch.] 12. Writing about a problem: challenges to overcome in reading -- [ch.] 13. Writing an essay of comparison and contrast: learning by seeing literary works together -- [ch.] 14. Writing about prosody: sound, rhythm, and rhyme in poetry -- [ch.] 15. Writing an essay based on the close reading of a poem or short prose passage -- [ch.] 16. Writing about film: drama on the silver and color screens -- [ch.] 17. Writing a review essay: developing ideas for general or particular audiences -- [ch.] 18. Writing the research essay: using extra resources for understanding -- [ch.] 19. Writing examinations on literature -- appendix A. Critical approaches important in the study of literature -- appendix B. The integration of quotations and other important details, and the use of tenses in writing about literature -- appendix C. Works used as sample essays and references