Why Literature?

Offers a defense of the value of literature and suggests ways in which the problematic relationship between personal and academic reading may be overcome.

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Acknowledgments Preface - Situating the QuestionerIntroduction - the Questioner and Its Importance1. Why Read Literature?Literary Reading as InstructiveLiterary Reading as a Source of PleasureThe Varied Effects of Literary Experience and Why They Matter    Shock    Recognition    EnchantmentThe Mechanism of Literature's Effects and Its Importance: Literature as a Transitional Object Literature, Transitional Space, and Cultural Contact2. From Words on Paper to an Object in Transitional Space: Reading for the Formative Use of LiteratureLiterary Reading and the Self's State in Transitional Space Making Visible the Moves of the Reader     My own experiences as a reader . . . and a teacher    Jeffrey Wilhelm's remedial readersImmersion and Reflection: The Two Moves of the Reading Process in Conflict    The role of immersive reading    When reflective reading undermines immersive readingSustaining the Tension: Immersion and Reflection as Interdependent 3. Recent Conceptions of Literary Education and Their Potential Impact on Students' Formative Use of LiteratureLiterary Education as the Instructor's ActivityLiterary Education in which Students Are Actively Involved    Literary education that prioritizes the ideological critique of texts    Literary education that prioritizes students encounters with textsThe Challenge of the School Context4. Toward a Literary Education Conducive to the Formative Use of LiteraturePrinciples for Instruction    The priority of immersion in a text     Beginning with students' experience of texts    Reflection and analysis in a supporting role    Attending to culture    The complication of casting students as co-inquirersMaking Space for Students     What students bring to the class     A Receptive environment for students' contributionsIdeas for PracticeWorks CitedIndex Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;mso-para-margin:0in;mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:#0400;mso-fareast-language:#0400;mso-bidi-language:#0400;}