Exercises in Criticism is an experiment in applied poetics in which critic and poet Louis Bury utilizes constraint-based methods in order to write about constraint-based literature. By tracing the lineage and enduring influence of early Oulipian classics, he argues that contemporary American writers have, in their adoption of constraint-based methods, transformed such methods from apolitical literary laboratory exercises into a form of cultural critique, whose usage is surprisingly widespread, particularly among poets and "experimental" novelists. More, Bury's own use of critical constraints functions as a commentary on how and why we write and talk about books, culture, and ideas.

Queneau uses a variety of literary styles and forms in ninety-nine exercises which retell the same story about a minor brawl aboard a bus.

Many people associate 'practical criticism' with a short-sighted brand of literary analysis which kills a student's interest in literature by drilling him to concentrate narrowly on verbal detail. Handled properly, however, practical criticism can play a vital part in a literature course, especially in the crucial stages in the last years at schools or first university year when many students are coming to literature seriously for the first time. This 1968 book is a useful introduction to practical criticism for students. It offers an impressive range of closely analysed passages and exercises, in prose and verse. Mr Rawlinson considers the problems of the beginner, and discussed the mistakes an misconceptions that sometimes spoil practical criticism courses. In his general discussion of topics such as rhythm, tone and imagery, the author is careful not to be too abstract; throughout the book precept is reinforced by example, theory by practice.

WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION NATIONAL BESTSELLER “Electrifying” (People) • “Masterly” (The Guardian) • “Dramatic and memorable” (The New Yorker) • “Magic” (TIME) • “Ingenious” (The Financial Times) • "A gonzo literary performance” (Entertainment Weekly) • “Rare and splendid” (The Boston Globe) • “Remarkable” (USA Today) • “Delicious” (The New York Times) • “Book groups, meet your next selection" (NPR) In an American suburb in the early 1980s, students at a highly competitive performing arts high school struggle and thrive in a rarified bubble, ambitiously pursuing music, movement, Shakespeare, and, particularly, their acting classes. When within this striving “Brotherhood of the Arts,” two freshmen, David and Sarah, fall headlong into love, their passion does not go unnoticed—or untoyed with—by anyone, especially not by their charismatic acting teacher, Mr. Kingsley. The outside world of family life and economic status, of academic pressure and of their future adult lives, fails to penetrate this school’s walls—until it does, in a shocking spiral of events that catapults the action forward in time and flips the premise upside-down. What the reader believes to have happened to David and Sarah and their friends is not entirely true—though it’s not false, either. It takes until the book’s stunning coda for the final piece of the puzzle to fall into place—revealing truths that will resonate long after the final sentence. As captivating and tender as it is surprising, Susan Choi's Trust Exercise will incite heated conversations about fiction and truth, and about friendships and loyalties, and will leave readers with wiser understandings of the true capacities of adolescents and of the powers and responsibilities of adults.

This edited volume fills a void in the literature concerning the purpose, practice, and pedagogy associated with performing rhetorical criticism. Literature regarding these issues—predominantly purpose—exists primarily as scattered journal articles and as sections within chapters of textbooks on rhetorical criticism. This book brings together 15 established rhetorical critics, each of whom offers well thought out and argued opinion pieces that stress the more personal nature of criticism. The purpose of this book is to serve as a disciplinary resource, and as a teaching and learning aid. Accessibility across areas of expertise and experience is stressed in this book. Critics range from junior faculty to emeritus, and represent a broad spectrum of views on criticism. In this sense the book offers a snapshot of the views of a wide swath of successfully practicing, contemporary rhetorical critics.

Advanced Students Of Literary Criticism Would Definitely Find This Book Stimulating As Well As Illuminating As It Presents A Penetrating Analysis Of The Major Theories And Practices Of All The Dominant Groups Of Literacy Critics Of Our Times. In The Course Of The Critical Survey Of The Critical Principles And Methods Of All The Major Cities, The Chicago Critics Attempt A Critique Of Contemporary Criticism In Their Monumental Work, Critics And Criticism: Essays In Method Of The Chicago Critics. Hence, The Focus Of This Book Is On The Pluralistic Approach Of These Critics Who Were Aware Of The Powers And Limitations Of All The Critical Methods. Each Critical Method, Even The Aristotelian Method For Which They Developed A Bias, Addresses A Certain Range Of Questions Beyond Which It Loses Its Utility. No Critical Method, As They Point Out, Is All Embracing Critical System Of Critical Philosophy. Critics Having Exclusive Commitment To A Particular Critical System Are Bound To Be Partial Critics. So A Pluralistic Approach Should Be The Ideal One But, In Order To Be A Pluralistic Critic, A Student Of Literary Criticism Must Be Conversant With All The Major Critical Approaches. The Present Book Is Significant In The Sense That It Has The Capacity To Train Teachers And Students Of Literature In The Art Of Literary Appreciation That Enhances The Enjoyment Of Literary Works. Since Every Literary Piece Is A Constructed Whole, Aristotle S Method Provides Clues To Its Specific Constructive Principle Through A Process Of Regressive Reasoning The Aposteriori Approach. The Special Discussion Of The Chicago Method In This Book Explains The Aristotelian Bias Of The Chicago Critics Who Were Actually Neo-Aristotelians In A Limited Sense. They Began Where Aristotle Left Off To Pursue Similar Lines Of Study In The Poetics Of Modern Literature.As The Chicago School Of Criticism Is A Brilliant Exercise In Remedial Criticism, This Book May Serve As Materia Medica Of Critical Theories And Practices For Students And Teachers Of Literary Criticism.

99 Ways to Tell a Story is a series of engrossing one-page comics that tell the same story ninety-nine different ways. Inspired by Raymond Queneau’s 1947 Exercises in Style, a mainstay of creative writing courses, Madden’s project demonstrates the expansive range of possibilities available to all storytellers. Readers are taken on an enlightening tour—sometimes amusing, always surprising—through the world of the story. Writers and artists in every media will find Madden’s collection especially useful, even revelatory. Here is a chance to see the full scope of opportunities available to the storyteller, each applied to a single scenario: varying points of view, visual and verbal parodies, formal reimaginings, and radical shuffling of the basic components of the story. Madden’s amazing series of approaches will inspire storytellers to think through and around obstacles that might otherwise prevent them from getting good ideas onto the page. 99 Ways to Tell a Story provides a model that will spark productive conversations among all types of creative people: novelists, screenwriters, graphic designers, and cartoonists.