This comprehensive text features the broadest selection of literature available, with every story, poem, and play carefully chosen for its appeal to a range of instructors and students, while abundant critical, cultural, and contextual material demystifies literature by helping students understand the world in which it was created. * Over seven editions, this thorough but accessible introduction to literature text has been consistently praised for its clarity and student-friendliness. Teachers themselves, Kirszner and Mandell bring their student-centered approach to discussions of literary elements, including examples of stories, poems, and plays that students are sure to find relevant and interesting. * The text opens with a down-to-earth, accessible guide to writing about literature, providing students with a solid foundation from which to approach readings, assignments, and discussions throughout the course. The text also includes Kirszner and Mandell"s celebrated writing checklists as well as useful questions and writing suggestions throughout. * The abundant sample student papers included in the text were carefully selected to provide students with useful examples of effective responses to assignments frequently used in introduction to literature, composition, and argument courses. Several papers are source-based, and three are presented in multiple drafts, providing additional insights into the writing process. * Two chapters on using and documenting sources and avoiding plagiarism complement Kirszner and Mandell"s innovative Casebooks for Reading, Research, and Writing, which provide deeper contexts for popular stories, poems, and plays and help to jumpstart students" own research papers by presenting useful models and extensive source material.