4 new Sample Close Readings model for students the kind of critical reading that leads to excellent writing about literature. Newly annotated selections are William Faulkner’s "A Rose for Emily," Ralph Ellison’s "Battle Royal," Elizabeth Bishop’s "Manners," and John Donne’s "Death Be Not Proud."


More writing help — student samples that illustrate analysis and documentation of sources. 16 new pieces of sample student writing model for students how to analyze and argue about literature, and how to support ideas by bringing in examples, not only from the texts themselves, but from other sources such as critical essays. The papers, located in the Elements chapters of Fiction and Poetry include a new full-length paper in Chapter 10, and 15 brief papers that include parenthetical citations and works cited lists. These papers enrich the book’s already robust collection of student writing which is now 30 samples strong. (Papers are highlighted in the TOC).


Enriching new case study chapters — that deepen students understanding of literature.


      • An absolutely one-of-a kind chapter on Julia Alvarez. Developed in collaboration with the poet herself — and exclusive to Michael Meyer’s anthologies—this exciting new chapter offers a unique look inside the writer’s studio of Julia Alvarez. In addition to collecting five of her favorite poems, the chapter features brief introductions to each work in which this acclaimed author and teacher shares her personal take on each poem. A generous collection of images offer personal, cultural, and historical contexts for Alvarez’s work and include multiple drafts of a sonnet that illustrate her remarkable creative process.


      • By popular demand, 3 new case study chapters on Humor and Satire. Because serious literature doesn’t always keep a straight face, three new thematic chapters present literary works with a humorous side. The fiction chapter collects reader favorites such as T.C. Boyle’s "Carnal Knowledge" (on love, animal rights, and some angry turkeys) and a new story by southern writer Lee Smith, "The Happy Memories Club" (on the "wild, unbridled yearnings of the heart" that transcend age, told by a narrator who would have done Flannery O’Connor proud.) The poetry chapter includes such new gems as Peter Schmitt’s "Friends without Numbers" (about math, love, and loneliness) and Thomas Lux’s "Commercial Leech Farming Today" (on the intersection of vanity, capitalism, and a humble blood-sucking parasite). The drama chapter features David Ives’ Moby Dude (think Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High explicating the great American novel) and Woody Allen’s Old Saybrook (in which a playwright’s characters spin wildly out of control).


A Thematic table of contents printed in the in the instructor’s manual and on the book’s companion Web site, offers more options for teaching, learning, and working with the contents of the anthology — and inspiring your students.