LITERATURE Fourth Compact Edition, brings personal warmth and human perspective to the study of literature and writing. Edited by two distinguished poets and teachers, the book provides a complete introduction to the major forms of literature and critical writing in a compact format.

QUALITY SELECTIONS
• A collection of 47 stories offers abundant variety with new stories by Sandra Cisneros, Gabriel Garcia Märquez, Jhumpa Lain, and Elizabeth Tallent joining a raster of well-loved classics.
• More than 360 poems mix timeless favorites with exciting works new to the volume including poems by Sherman Alexie, W. H. Auden, Gwendolyn Brooks, Billy Collins, Pablo Neruda, and Amy Uyematsu.
• The drama section presents 12 plays ranging from no new contemporary plays by Jane Martin and Beth Henley to the treasured classics.
• Six Critical Casebooks feature Edgar Allan Poe (new to this edition), Flannery O'Connor, Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, Sophocles, and Shakespeare.
• A new and unique Casebook on Latin American Poetry recognizes the important role Spanish-language poetry plays in the literature of the Americas. All poems in the casebook are given in their native Spanish and in English translation

COMPREHENSIVE WRITING COVERAGE
• Concluding each chapter are "Writing Critically" sections offering insightful and accessible advice for writing about literature.
• Five chapters provide detailed guidance for writing about literature.
• A new chapter, "Writing a Research Paper," provides useful advice on such topics as evaluating Internet sources, avoiding plagiarism, and documenting sources.
• Fifteen student papers and reports give realistic examples of how to write about literature
--back cover