CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1
1 The Forms of Literature 1
2 What Do We Read for in Western Literature？ 3
CHAPTER 2 Fiction （1） The Novel 5
3 What Is the Novel？ 5
3.1 By Etymology 5
3.2 By Distinction 6
3.3 By Analysis and Synthesis 7
4 Kinds of the Novel 9
4.1 By Length 9
4.1.1 Full-length Novel 9
4.1.2 Short Novel 9
4.1.3 Trilogy 10
4.1.4 Tetralogy 10
4.2 By Subject Matter 10
4.2.1 Picaresque Novel 10
4.2.2 Gothic Novel 11
4.2.3 Bildungsroman 11
4.2.4 Kunstlerroman 11
4.2.5 Psychological Novel 12
4.2.6 Sociological Novel 12
4.2.7 Proletariat Novel 12
4.2.8 Novels of the Soil 12
4.2.9 Romance 13
4.3 By Technique 13
4.3.1 Epistolary Novel 13
4.3.2 The Novel of Ideas 14
4.3.3 Roman a Clef 14
4.3.4 The New Novel 14
4.3.5 Nonfiictional Novel 14
4.3.6 The Historical Novel 15
5 Early Development of the Novel 15
6 Elements of the Novel 17
6.1 Story 17
6.1.1 What Is Story？ 17
6.1.2 The Story and the Novel 18
6.2 Character 18
6.2.1 What Is Character？ 18
6.2.2 Kinds of Characters 19
6.3 Plot 21
6.3.1 What Is Plot？ 21
6.3.2 Phases of a Plot 21
6.3.3 How Is a Plot Made？ 23
6.4 Theme 25
6.4.1 What Is Theme？ 25
6.4.2 Clarification about Theme 26
6.4.3 Five Requirements for Stating a Theme 27
6.4.4 Where to Look for the Theme 27
6.5 Setting 28
6.6 Narrative Point of View 29
6.6.1 What Is Point of View？ 29
6.6.2 What Is a Narrator？ 29
6.6.3 Kinds of Point of View 29
6.6.4 Exercises 31
7 Criticism of a Novel 32
F.Scott Fitzgerald， The Great Gatsby 37
CHAPTER 3 Fiction （2） The Short Story 140
8 What Is a Short Story？ 140
8.1 Ancient Forms 140
8.2 In the Modern Sense 141
8.3 A Distinct Genre 142
9 Learning to Read a Story 143
Petronius， The Widow of Ephesus 144
10 A Second Short Story for Study 149
Anton Chekhov， Mise 149
11 Learning to Respond 157
W.Somerset Maugham， The Treasure 158
12 Elements of the Short Story 170
12.1 Setting 171
12.2 Atmosphere 171
12.3 Plot 172
12.4 Character 173
12.5 Theme 173
13 Technique 175
13.1 Point of View 175
13.2 Symbolism 176
13.3 Imagery 178
13.4 Style 178
13.5 Tone 179
13.6 Irony 180
14 Understanding Fiction Through Context of Situation—— Linguistic and Non-Linguistic 182
14.1 Stories That Illustrate the Use of Dramatic Point of View 183
Ernest Hemingway， Hills Like White Elephants 192
Raymond Carver， Popular Mechanics 196
D.H.Lawrence， The Shadow in the Rose Garden 199
Katherine Anne Porter， Rope 209
Ernest Hemingway， The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber 215
Katherine Anne Porter， The Jilting of Granny Weatherall 239
15 A Collection of Short Fiction 247
Guy de Maupassant， The Necklace 248
Kate Chopin， Ripe Figs 254
The Story of an Hour 255
The Storm 257
Anton Chekhov， Enemies 261
Charlotte Perkins Gilman， The Yellow Wallpaper 271
James Joyce， Araby 284
William Faulkner， A Rose for Emily 288
Jorge Luis Borges， The Intruder 295
Ernest Hemingway， Cat in the Rain 299
16 Metafiction 301
16.1 Definition 301
16.2 Analysis of Three Examples 301
John Barth， Lost in the Funhouse 303
Julio Cortazar， Blow-Up 320
Robert Coover， The Hat Act 331
Essay Questions for Chapter 2 and Chapter3 341
CHAPTER 4 Poetry 343
17 Definition of Poetry 343
17.1 Misconceptions about Poetry 345
17.1.1 “Rhymed writings are poetry.” 345
17.1.2 “Poetry is beautiful.” 345
17.1.3 Poetic License 345
17.1.4 Poetic Justice 345
18 Kinds of Poetry 346
18.1 Ballad 346
18.2 Lyric 347
18.3 Narrative Poem 347
18.4 Epic 347
18.5 Sonnet 348
18.5.1 Shakespearean Sonnet 348
18.5.2 Petrarchan Sonnet 348
18.5.3 Spenserian Sonnet 348
18.6 Ode 349
18.7 Elegy 349
18.8 Pastoral 350
18.9 Blank Verse 351
18.10 Free Verse 351
19 Brief History of Poetry 352
20 Elements of Poetry 353
20.1 Rhyme 353
20.2 Metrical Rhythm 354
20.3 Tone 355
20.4 Image 356
20.5 Theme 359
21 Poetic Devices 359
21.1 Simile 360
21.2 Metaphor 360
21.3 Conceit 361
21.4 Personification 361
21.5 Symbol 362
21.6 Paradox 362
21.7 Ambiguity 363
21.8 Onomatopoeia 364
22. Criticism of Poetry 364
22.1 General Questions 364
22.2 About Elements of Poetry 365
22.3 About Poetic Devices 370
22.4 Comprehensive Analysis 371
Robert Frost， Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening 372
T.S.Eliot， The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock 372
A.E.Housman， To an Athlete Dying Young 376
They Say My Verse Is Sad： No Wonder 377
Edgar L.Masters， Amanda Barker 377
Wallace Stevens， Of Modern Poetry 378
William B.Yeats， The Second Coming 378
Charles Best， Sonnet of the Moon 379
Essay Questions for Chapter4 380
CHAPTER 5 Drama 382
23 What Is Drama？ 382
24 Drama as Performance 384
25 Reading Drama 386
26 The Plot Structure 388
27 The Rhythm of Tension and Release 391
28 A Selection of Plays 393
Eugene O’Neill， Desire under the Elms 393
Tennessee Williams， Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 445
Edward Albee， The Zoo Story 545
William Inge， Picnic 565
Discussion Questions for Chapter 5 630
CHAPTER 6 Film 633
29 Responding to Television and Film 633
30 Film Techniques 633
30.1 Shots 633
30.2 Sequences 634
30.3 Editing 634
31 Fiction Film 635
31.1 Genre Films 635
31.2 Non-Genre Films 636
31.2.1 Realism， Expressionism， and Comedy 636
31.2.2 The French New Wave 636
32 What to Write About 638
32.1 The Individual Film 638
32.1.1 Citizen Kane 638
32.1.2 Last Year at Marienbad 640
32.1.3 The Graduate 640
32.2 General Questions That Might Help 641
Discussion Questions for Chapter 6 642
CHAPTER 7 Writing 644
33 Writing about Literature —— Three Common Approaches 644
34 Writing a Research Paper 647
35 Some Critical Approaches 648
36 Suggested Procedures 650
37 The Mechanics of Writing 651
38 The Format of the Research Paper 653
38.1 Typing or Printing 653
38.2 Margins 653
38.3 Spacing 654
38.4 Heading and Title 654
38.5 Page Numbers 654
39 Bibliographic Aids 654
A Bibliography for Katherine Anne Porter’s “Flowering Judas” 655
40 Sample Essays with Documentation 659
A Case of Reification —— Character Study of Joe Christmas 660
Faulkner and the American Nature Tradition 669
Suggested Readings for Chapter 7 682
Appendix： 15 Web Sites 687