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Anonymous
Posted May 20, 2004
Kirk's book is friendly and accessible. You won't feel intimidated at all. She uses what the general public already knows about Shakespeare and Harry Potter as a way to bring you toward terms and concepts you can then apply to other works of literature in a clear and understandable way. The book covers fiction, poetry, drama, life writing such as autobiographies and memoirs, and other forms such as speeches, songs, and screenplays. One of the strengths of the book is its brevity--Kirk gives you just what you need and does not bog down the reader with inflated academic vocabulary or complicated theories. For non-experts, sections like 'How to Read a Poem' and 'Conventions of Writing About Literature' are worth the price of admission!
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Posted June 23, 2004
We have a book club in our area where we get together at a Barnes & Noble cafe and talk about the latest Oprah book. This handy little book taught many of us the proper literary terms to use when discussing literature. It's written in an accessible style and with good humor, and we really enjoyed it. We have used the discussion questions in the back (that are categorized by fiction, poetry, etc. and can be asked of any work of literature in the category) as a way to start our discussions of the Oprah books. They are great ice-breakers to begin discussing books. We come to our club meeting with notes about our responses to those questions (on fiction) as a way to begin the meetings. Our group highly recommends this workable text for other adult reading groups like ours. You can use it again and again with other works of literature.
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Overview
Topics include fiction, poetry, and drama but also "life writing," screenplays, and songs. Clear and brief explanations such as "How to Read a Poem" and "Conventions of...