Excerpt from English Composition and Rhetoric: A Manual As regards increasing the pupils' fund of expression, the English teacher can do comparatively little. The reason is obvious. The command of language is a grand total, resulting from the practice of a life a small frac tion of that total is all that can grow up within the limits of a Course of English Composition. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

"First time up?"—an insider’s friendly question from 1960s counter-culture—perfectly captures the spirit of this book. A short, supportive, practical guide for the first-time college composition instructor, the book is upbeat, wise but friendly, casual but knowledgeable (like the voice that may have introduced you to certain other firsts). With an experiential focus rather than a theoretical one, First Time Up will be a strong addition to the newcomer’s professional library, and a great candidate for the TA practicum reading list. Dethier, author of The Composition Instructor’s Survival Guide and From Dylan to Donne, directly addresses the common headaches, nightmares, and epiphanies of composition teaching—especially the ones that face the new teacher. And since legions of new college composition teachers are either graduate instructors (TAs) or adjuncts without a formal background in composition studies, he assumes these folks as his primary audience. Dethier’s voice is casual, but it conveys concern, humor, experience, and reassurance to the first-timer. He addresses all major areas that graduate instructors or new adjuncts in a writing program are sure to face, from career anxiety to thoughts on grading and keeping good classroom records. Dethier’s own eclecticism is well-represented here, but he reviews with considerable deftness the value of contemporary scholarship to first-time writing instructors—many of whom will be impatient with high theory. Throughout the work, he affirms a humane, confident approach to teaching, along with a true affection for college students and for teachers just learning to deal with them.

Rhetoric and composition is an academic discipline that informs all other fields in teaching students how to communicate their ideas and construct their arguments. It has grown dramatically to become a cornerstone of many undergraduate courses and curricula, and it is a particularly dynamic field for scholarly research. This book offers an accessible introduction to teaching and studying rhetoric and composition. By combining the history of rhetoric, explorations of its underlying theories, and a survey of current research (with practical examples and advice), Steven Lynn offers a solid foundation for further study in the field. Readers will find useful information on how students have been taught to invent and organize materials, to express themselves correctly and effectively, and how the ancient study of memory and delivery illuminates discourse and pedagogy today. This concise book thus provides a starting point for learning about the discipline that engages writing, thinking, and argument.