Appleman Book

I've mentioned some of things I liked about Applemen already several times, so it shouldn't be to hard to go over them. The main thing I liked about Appleman was the fact that it gave me a very clear idea of some of the ways I could teach a more advanced class. It goes in a direction almost entirely opposite from Wilhelm's book and for that I'm grateful. It's like between these two books we were able to see bits of the entire spectrum of reading instruction, and that's just fantastic.

I think the main thing I'll be doing with Appleman in the classroom is using some of the critical theories she talks about to enhance the readings of certain books. I don't think I'm ever going to have a classroom where the entire class will be focused only on critical theories, and I really liked the fact that even Appleman said that you don't have to use them all the time, that it's ok to teach the critical theory in spurts, and her admission that not every critical theory works for every text. I think as a teacher, teaching literature, I'm going to have a great time using critical theory and my own passion for reading to get the students entertained and engaged in the reading material. I don't think there are any chapters in this book I would skip, but I think there should be some added reading material from someone who gives a better explanation of what deconstructionism is.