Fields of reading : motives for writing

Synopsis

- 91 diverse, engaging readings. Encompassing a wide range of genres and of classic and contemporary authors, many of international stature, the readings provide effective examples of many of the kinds of writing students will need to do for their college work. Half the readings are new to this edition, and for the first time 16 poems are included, showing students that other kinds of writing can achieve the same diverse rhetorical purposes that essays do.
- A highly versatile organization. Three separate organizing systems provide flexibility for instructors using different approaches. The selections are arranged under four major rhetorical purposes (Reflecting, Reporting, Explaining, and Arguing) and the three major divisons of the curriculum (arts and humanities, social sciences and public affairs, and natural sciences and technologies). For instructors who prefer a more thematic approach, an alternative table of contents organizes the readings under 16 engaging themes.
- A detailed introduction to the reading and writing process. The authors explain and illustrate the relationship between reading and writing by analyzing a commissioned essay by Patricia Hampl, in which she reflects on her own response to a particular writing assignment (a book review that is also included). The introduction demonstrates for students that even accomplished writers struggle with some of the same challenges they face.