Shows how literary technique serves larger purposes -- the recreation of experience, the exploration of ideas, the analysis of social issues -- and how these larger purposes themselves shape literary form.

Organizes selections around five enduring social issues or themes, and provides an issue-raising introduction to each:

• growing up and growing older (pp. 37)
• women and men (pp. 333)
• money and work (pp. 589)
• peace and war (pp. 891)
• varieties of protest. (pp. 1083)

Contains 40 stories, 205 poems, 10 plays, and 18 works of nonfiction.

• includes 58 new selections, including Sandra Cisneros's Woman Hollering Creek, and Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun. (pges. 1144 & 784)

Offers within each thematic category a selection of literary works representing a diversity of experiences and perspectives. Provides full representation of:

• old and new, well-known and lesser-known, and canonical and noncanonical works.
• writing by women, minority, working-class, and gay/lesbian authors.
• reflects increased representation by Asian-American, Native American, Latino and Latina, and African- American writers.

Includes author biographies, study discussion questions, and writing exercises for all stories, plays, and works of nonfiction, and for key poems. (pp. 456)

Puts a strong emphasis on writing about literature.

• includes an opening chapter on "Literature and the Writing Process" that guides students through stages of the writing process: generating ideas, developing a thesis, discovering a form, drafting, revising, editing. (pp. 1)
• provides numerous excerpts from student papers and journals as well as a complete student paper -- in both original and revised form. (pp. 14)
• includes a new section on Writing Under Pressure, that suggests techniques for taking essay exams. (pp. 16)
• suggests paper topics and includes plentiful writing exercises throughout the book. (pp. 25)
• contains a section on Manuscript Form that explains both the new (Works Cited) and the old (Footnote/Endnote) MLA techniques for documentation. (pp. 30)

Contains thorough, detailed chapters explaining the ways in which literary form creates meaning -- How Fiction Works, How Poetry Works, How Drama Works, and How Nonfiction Works. (pges. 1347, 1362, 1388, & 1401)