The Bedford Reader / Edition 13

by X. J. Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy, Jane E. Aaron, Ellen Kuhl Repetto

Overview

In 1982, The Bedford Reader transformed the rhetorical reader by combining remarkable selections and vibrant instructional material with a unique "writers on writing" feature in which writers reprinted in the book comment on their process and their work. Over eight editions, the book has become a favorite with students for the Kennedys' clarity and wit, with instructors for the flexible and realistic view of the rhetorical methods, and with both for the readable and discussable selections.

72 lively selections by writers worth reading. The selections -- including 8 student essays and 6 literary selections -- excel, as always, in relevance, quality, and readability. Ranging from E. B. White to Judith Ortiz Cofer, from Maya Angelou to David Sedaris, the authors write with diverse voices on diverse topics.
Realistic, student-friendly treatment of the rhetorical methods. Part Two fully introduces each rhetorical strategy, shows a student using the method in a practical situation (disputing a parking ticket or advertising a sublet, for example), and then models the method in the selections that follow. Part Three offers an anthology of classic essays that mix the methods.
Unique Writers on Writing commentaries. After their essays, stories, or poems, 56 of the book's writers offer comments on everything from grammar to revision to how they developed the reprinted piece. These reflections prove that writing is a process even for professionals.
Thorough coverage of reading critically, writing, and working with sources. Part One guides students through every stage of critical reading and writing. The chapter on working with sources introduces evaluating print and online sources, summarizing, paraphrasing, avoiding plagiarism, and documenting sources in MLA style. A new annotated student research paper illustrates the principles.
An exciting visual dimension. In Chapter 1 students learn how to read an image critically, and each rhetorical chapter then opens with a striking visual and helpful discussion questions, showing that the rhetorical methods are at work in images as well as in texts. Some selections take images as their focal points or highlight key points visually.
Extensive editorial apparatus. Every selection includes two headnotes, a two-part journal prompt, three sets of questions, and at least four writing suggestions. Additional writing topics conclude each rhetorical chapter.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781319030513
Publisher:	Bedford/St. Martin's
Publication date:	10/14/2016
Edition description:	Thirteenth Edition
Pages:	664
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

X. J. Kennedy is an acclaimed poet, children’s author, college teacher, and textbook author. He has taught freshman composition at the University of Michigan; the University of North Carolina, Greensboro; and Tufts University. Since 1966, more than 2 million students have treasured his introductory literature texts and The Bedford Reader, coedited with Dorothy M. Kennedy and Jane E. Aaron, now in its ninth edition.

Dorothy M. Kennedy is a writer and editor whose articles and reviews have ppeared in both professional and academic journals. She has taught composition at the University of Michigan and Ohio University and, with X. J. Kennedy, is the recipient of the NCTE Teacher's Choice Award for Knock at a Star: A Child's Introduction to Poetry.

Jane E. Aaron is a professional writer and editor as well as an experienced teacher. She is the author of the best selling Little, Brown Handbook and coeditor of the best-selling Bedford Reader, Eighth Edition (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003). She has served as consultant, editor, or writer on more than a dozen other textbooks for the first-year composition course.

Ellen Kuhl Repetto (M.A., University of Massachusetts Boston) is a freelance editor and writer who has contributed to more than twenty composition readers, handbooks, and rhetorics. She is the author of The Bedford/St. Martin's Textbook Reader (2003), Readings for Discoveries: A Collection of Short Essays (2006), and Hope over Hardship: A History of the Boston Home, 1881 - 2006 (2007).

 

Table of Contents

PART I. READING, WRITING, AND RESEARCH
1. Reading Critically
2. Writing Effectively
3. Using and Documenting Sources

PART II. THE METHODS
4. Narration: Telling a Story
5. Description: Writing with Your Senses
6. Example: Pointing to Instances
7. Comparison and Contrast: Setting Things Side by Side
8. Process Analysis: Explaining Step by Step
9. Division or Analysis: Slicing into Parts
10. Classification: Sorting into Kinds
11. Cause and Effect: Asking Why
12. Definition: Tracing a Boundary
13. Argument and Persuasion: Stating Opinions and Proposals

PART III. MIXING THE METHODS